Selling your shop

Be ready to sell. Any year.

Buyers want clean books tied to real jobs, customers with history, and a shop that runs without you. Trades Operator keeps those records as you work.

Shop snapshotExample shop: Ridgeline Heating & Air
Revenue, 12 mo$2.4M
Gross margin46%
Agreements312
Google search31%
Referral24%
Repeat customer20%
Made-up numbers to show the idea. Not a real shop.

What buyers ask for

The records are already there.

Trades Operator has no sale or valuation tool. What it does is keep the evidence a buyer's team asks to see, from your daily work.

Books that match the work.

Invoices, payments and costs come from jobs, so the books tie back to real work, not a pile of entries made after the fact.

  • Profit and loss, balance sheet, general ledger and trial balance
  • Cash and accrual income statements
  • Export to CSV or Excel for your CPA or a buyer's accountant
ReportsRidgeline (example)
P
Profit and lossAccrual or cash basis
CSVExcel
B
Balance sheetAs of any date
CSVExcel
G
General ledgerEvery entry, in order
CSVExcel

Know which jobs make money.

Costs get tied to the job they belong to. Owners see gross profit and margin per job and per customer, once the costs are in.

  • Costs that need a job wait in a queue until you assign them
  • Margin shows only when the numbers are complete
  • Techs never see it
Parker · No coolJob profitability
$
RevenueInvoice paid
$412
−
Parts and laborTied to this job
$188
=
Gross profitMargin 54%
$224

Customers with history.

Every customer keeps their jobs, invoices, calls and texts, plus the service agreements and recurring visits you set up for them.

  • Service agreements on the customer record
  • Recurring visits scheduled from the customer
  • Revenue by marketing source, so you can show where work comes from
Lee familyCustomer record (example)
A
Service agreementSpring and fall tune-ups
Active
V
Recurring visitsNext: April
Scheduled
J
Job history7 jobs, 2019 to now
Paid

Runs without you

A team that works from the system, not from you.

Roles, not passwords

Office, dispatch and techs each work from their own login with the access their job needs.

History in one place

Calls, texts, jobs and notes live on the customer record, not in your head or your phone.

Sources on record

See which sources bring in revenue, so a buyer can see where growth comes from.

Trades Operator is not legal, tax or financial advice, and it does not value your business. Work with your broker and CPA on a sale. Questions? support@tradesoperator.com.

Run it like it's already for sale.