You spent decades building your electrical business, licensing it, and training the crew. See what it's worth, privately, before you talk to a single buyer. We run a confidential, competitive process, so your electricians, your customers, and your competitors never know unless you decide to move forward.
For most owners this is the biggest and most personal decision of their lives. We treat it that way.
Tell us about your company and a senior electrical advisor will reach out personally to discuss what your business is worth.
What an electrical company sells for comes down to its revenue mix, how much of the work runs through the owner's license, and its customer base. We've closed 38 electrical transactions as part of more than $1B in deals; these are the ranges we see.
Recurring, contracted revenue is the biggest lever. A shop with a majority service and maintenance book (service agreements, testing, on-call, generator work) can be worth a full turn or two more than a comparable contractor that lives on one-off projects. We know how to present that revenue so a buyer pays for it.
For smaller, owner-run businesses, buyers price on SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings), which is your profit plus your owner salary, benefits, and one-time costs added back. Once a business earns more than about $1M and runs on a management team, buyers switch to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). Same idea, larger company. The multiple is applied to that earnings number.
An example. Take a commercial electrical contractor with $4M in revenue and about $700K in adjusted earnings. A project-heavy shop that depends on new construction might sell around 4x, roughly $2.8M. The same earnings from a business with a majority-service, maintenance-contract book and two licensed electricians besides the owner can command 6x or more, roughly $4.2M and up. Same earnings, very different outcome, driven mostly by revenue mix and how much runs through the owner's license.
What you keep. How the deal is structured (asset versus stock sale, earnout, rollover equity), your tax basis, and depreciation recapture on your trucks and equipment all change your net. Structuring the sale to maximize what you keep, not just the top-line number, is a core part of what we do. Talk to a tax professional for your situation.
See the exact number your multiple gets applied to.
For most electrical contractors, the hardest part of selling is not the number, it is the people. You want your electricians and apprentices to keep their jobs, your customers taken care of, and the name on the trucks to stay. We make that part of the deal, not an afterthought.
In most electrical sales the crew is retained, because a buyer is buying a working business, and in a skilled-labor shortage your licensed electricians and apprentices are a big part of what they're paying for. How your people are treated is something we negotiate for you.
Many buyers keep your name, your brand, and the trucks and run the company as a local platform. We help you pick one whose plans fit what you built.
You decide how involved you stay after closing. Because many electrical companies run their license through the owner, buyers often want a defined transition so the license transfers cleanly. Whether that's a few months or a longer earnout, it's negotiable and we build it around your goals.
Not all private equity is what you fear. Many PE-backed buyers keep the team, invest in the business, and give owners a second payout when the larger company sells again. We steer you toward the buyer whose plans match what you want, not just the highest bidder.
Successful electrical contractors get unsolicited calls, often from a larger regional contractor or a private-equity-backed platform rolling up the trades. One buyer, negotiating alone, has every reason to pay as little as possible. A competitive process changes the math.
The buyer who called you is welcome to bid. In our process, they just have to bid against everyone else.
Know your number before any buyer names theirs.
BizDepot is a national M&A advisory that sells profitable electrical businesses. We've closed 38 electrical transactions as part of more than $1B in total deal volume. Here's what that gets you.
We bring your business to a national universe of vetted, financially qualified buyers, the strategic contractors and private-equity platforms actively acquiring electrical companies, not just whoever happened to call you.
We market a blind profile. Your crew, customers, and competitors don't learn the business is for sale until a vetted buyer signs an NDA.
We know how electrical companies are valued, how buyers underwrite service revenue, license dependency, and backlog, and where value is won or lost, because we've done it 38 times.
Our fee is success-based. You pay nothing up front, and we're paid only when your business sells. If it doesn't sell, you owe us nothing.
You don't have to be ready to sell to find out what your business is worth. Get a free, confidential valuation, keep the number, and decide in your own time. No pressure, no obligation.
Electrical companies are valued on a multiple of recast earnings, but the multiple itself is set by a handful of factors buyers underwrite closely.
The share of revenue from service agreements, maintenance and testing contracts, and on-call work. Predictable, repeat revenue de-risks the business, so a service-heavy company commands more than a project shop.
Commercial and industrial work, and specialty capability in data centers, EV charging, solar, and low-voltage, are valued higher than one-off residential or new-construction jobs.
How much of the business depends on you personally. A company whose only master electrician is the owner is discounted for key-person risk. Licensed depth beyond the owner protects your value.
A diversified customer base, a defensible backlog of signed work, and healthy bonding capacity lower a buyer's risk. Heavy reliance on one or two general contractors is a discount you can work down.
Clean, separated books, documented job-costing, and a clear work-in-progress and backlog schedule let a buyer trust your numbers. Messy financials cost you multiple even when the business is strong.
Owner dependence is the most common discount here, and it is fixable. We help you show the business runs on its people and systems, and structure a transition that protects your value.
These are the levers that move your multiple. You do not need them all in place before you talk to us. If you have 12 to 24 months, working on them can add a full turn or more to your multiple. If you're ready to sell now, we position the strengths you already have.
Grow your maintenance agreements and track renewal rates and per-visit profit, so a buyer pays for the recurring revenue.
Develop licensed electricians and managers beyond yourself, so the business doesn't depend on your personal license.
Separate personal from business books, keep clear job-costing, and maintain a work-in-progress and backlog schedule.
Widen your customer base so no single general contractor or account is too large a share of revenue.
Grow higher-demand specialty lines: commercial service, data center, EV charging, solar, and low-voltage.
Retain your key foremen and licensed electricians with the right agreements, so the team that creates the value stays.
Not sure which of these matters most for your business?
Get a free valuationFour kinds of buyers are acquiring electrical companies today. Many of them keep the team and the brand and grow the business. We help you find one whose plans fit yours.
PE-backed platforms are rolling up the trades and paying premium multiples for well-run companies with recurring service revenue and licensed-labor depth. Buyer demand is unusually strong right now, driven by data-center construction, electrification, and EV charging, and it's pushing multiples up. Markets change, which is why many owners get a valuation now, while they have time to act on it.
Larger electrical and multi-trade contractors expanding their footprint into your market or adding service lines and specialty capabilities.
Funded operators looking for one great business to run themselves.
Multi-location players adding density, crews, licenses, and customer books.
We work with established electrical businesses, from owner-led companies above $2M in revenue to larger commercial and specialty contractors. If you're thinking about an exit, you're worth a conversation.
BizDepot's job is to bring that buyer universe to your door, confidentially, and make them compete for your business.
Your sale is run end to end by a senior advisor, confidentially, from the first valuation to the wire at closing.
4–7 months
first call to wired funds
We do everything else
You do three things
Straight answers to the questions electrical contractors ask us most. Pick a topic.
Most electrical businesses sell for about 2x to 3.5x SDE at the smaller, owner-operated end, and about 5x to 8x EBITDA once earnings pass roughly $1M. Specialty operators in data centers, EV, and solar reach 9x and up. Your exact number depends most on your revenue mix, how much runs through your license, and your customer concentration, and a free, confidential BizDepot valuation gives you a specific range.
Established electrical companies generally sell for about 5x to 8x EBITDA, and specialty operators (heavy commercial service, data center, EV, solar) reach the top of that range and beyond. Larger companies command more because scale and predictable revenue reduce risk and attract private-equity buyers who pay a premium to use them as a platform. BizDepot gives you the specific multiple for your business in a free valuation.
SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) adds the owner's salary and perks back to profit and is used for smaller, owner-run businesses. EBITDA is used for larger companies with a management team. Electrical businesses shift from SDE-based to EBITDA-based pricing as they grow past about $1M in earnings.
Buyers treat recurring, contracted revenue (service agreements, maintenance, testing and inspection, on-call, and generator service) as the most valuable revenue you have because it is predictable, and it is the single biggest lever on your multiple. A book that is majority service rather than one-off projects can be worth a full turn or two more, and positioning it correctly is part of how BizDepot lifts your price.
Grow your recurring service and maintenance revenue, build licensed and management depth beyond yourself, clean up and separate your financials, diversify your customer base, and grow higher-demand specialty work. Starting 12 to 24 months out has the biggest impact, but even a few months of cleanup helps, and a free BizDepot valuation shows you which levers matter most for your business.
The more the business relies on you personally, especially if you are the only master electrician, the more a buyer weighs the risk of you leaving, and it is one of the most common discounts in this trade. It is normal and fixable. We help show a buyer the business runs without you and structure a transition that protects your value.
Start with a valuation and exit strategy, then a financial recast and CIM, confidential introductions to vetted buyers, a private buyer auction, diligence, and a funded close. BizDepot runs all of it for you, confidentially.
A well-prepared sale typically runs about 4 to 7 months from first call to wired funds, depending on your financials, owner and license dependence, and buyer diligence. BizDepot manages every stage so it stays on track.
A recast rebuilds your profit-and-loss to show a buyer the true earnings power of the business by adding back owner-specific and one-time expenses. It is what your valuation multiple is applied to.
A Confidential Information Memorandum is the blind marketing document that presents your business to qualified buyers without revealing its identity until they sign an NDA.
An Indication of Interest is a non-binding early signal of a buyer's price range. A Letter of Intent is a more detailed offer that sets price and terms and moves the deal into diligence.
For a business with meaningful earnings and multiple potential buyers, an M&A advisor that runs a competitive process usually nets a higher price and better terms than a single-buyer sale. BizDepot is a national M&A advisory built for exactly this.
Electrical businesses are bought by private-equity-backed platforms rolling up the trades, larger strategic contractors expanding their footprint, and individual buyers or search funds. Private-equity platforms are among the most active buyers of well-run electrical companies today, and BizDepot brings that buyer universe to you.
Yes. Private-equity firms are actively acquiring and consolidating electrical contractors, drawn by predictable service revenue and the demand from data centers, electrification, and EV infrastructure. Many keep your team and brand in place, and BizDepot helps you find the buyer whose plans fit what you want.
A roll-up is when a private-equity-backed platform acquires many regional electrical companies to build a larger, multi-market business. It is active in the trades right now, and because platform buyers pay a premium for good companies to grow with, it often works in your favor. We know which platforms are buying and what they pay.
The best time is when buyer demand is high and your financials are strong. Right now buyer demand is unusually strong, driven by data-center construction, electrification, EV charging, and private-equity consolidation. A free BizDepot valuation tells you what your business would attract in this market.
No. We market your business as a blind profile and reveal its identity only to vetted buyers who have signed an NDA. Your crew, your customers, and your competitors never know unless and until a deal closes, and confidentiality is the number one guarantee of how BizDepot works.
In most electrical sales the team is retained, because buyers are buying the business's ability to keep running, and in a skilled-labor shortage your licensed electricians and apprentices are among the most valuable things they are buying. How your people are treated is something we negotiate for you and weigh when choosing a buyer.
Not necessarily. Some owners leave after a short transition, others stay for a brief earnout, and because many electrical companies run their license through the owner, buyers often want a defined transition so the license transfers cleanly. The length and terms are negotiable, and we work them around your goals.
Often, yes. Many buyers keep your name, brand, and team in place and run the company as a local platform. We help you find a buyer whose plans fit what matters to you.
Many deals let you roll over a portion of equity and take a second payout when the larger company sells again. We structure the deal around your goals.
Because many electrical companies hold their contractor's license through the owner as the qualifying party, a buyer needs a plan to keep the business licensed after you leave. Depending on the state and the buyer, that can mean the buyer's own qualifier, retaining one of your licensed electricians, or a defined transition period. BizDepot addresses license and qualifier transfer as one of the first items in every electrical deal, and with 38 electrical transactions closed we know how to structure the transition so it does not stall the sale.
The fee for selling a electrical business through an M&A advisor is typically success-based, a percentage of the final sale price paid only at closing, with no upfront costs. Your BizDepot advisor confirms the exact terms before you engage.
How much you keep depends mostly on how the deal is structured, not on the headline price, and it is what you actually retire on. The biggest savings come from planning before you sell: asset versus stock sale, how the price is allocated across equipment and goodwill, depreciation recapture on your trucks, your tax basis, state taxes, and whether you roll over equity all change what you owe. Structuring the deal to maximize your net proceeds is a core part of what BizDepot does, and starting 12 to 24 months out gives you the most room. Talk to a tax professional for your situation.
In an asset sale the buyer purchases the assets of the business; in a stock sale they buy the company entity. The choice affects taxes and liability for both sides, and it is a key negotiation point we manage.
BizDepot is a national M&A advisory that has sold businesses since 2003, with more than $1B in transactions, 530+ successful exits firm-wide, and 38 electrical businesses among them. We work sell-side only, on success fees only, so we're paid when you are. Meet the advisory team that runs these deals.
Yes. BizDepot is a national M&A advisory and represents electrical contractors across the United States. Wherever your business is, you get the same confidential, competitive process and the same national buyer network.
You can, and some owners do, usually to the one buyer who approached them. The trade-off is a single-buyer negotiation with no competition and no market check on price. In our experience, owners who run an advisor-led competitive process consistently achieve stronger prices and terms, and BizDepot runs that process for you, confidentially.
Buyer demand for electrical companies is strong and multiples are elevated. See your number before you decide anything. No one finds out you're exploring a sale.
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