Painting, Maintenance, and Installation Business

The entrepreneur is looking for businesses in South Holland that are considering the future of their business: no successor within the family, no employee who is able or willing to take over the business, or a business whose revenue has been gradually declining in recent years because the owner is scaling back their involvement. It is precisely this type of business that interests the entrepreneur—not because he is looking for a low price, but because he believes there is often more value in it than the current figures indicate. A business may have been built up over many years around the knowledge, relationships, and dedication of a single entrepreneur; when that entrepreneur steps down, not only do their activities come to an end, but customers, employees, and contracts may also be lost. The entrepreneur wants to offer these businesses a chance to continue.

Background
The entrepreneur’s background lies entirely in construction, maintenance, renovation, and real estate. He started as an apprentice carpenter and worked his way up to foreman, project manager, operations manager, director, and independent entrepreneur. He has built and managed maintenance organizations, worked with dozens of employees and project managers, and been responsible for finances, profitability, scheduling, personnel, procurement, clients, and business development. Since 2007, he has been working as an independent entrepreneur and interim professional on a wide range of construction, renovation, maintenance, and real estate projects, giving him insight into both the shop floor and the boardroom.

Desired Profile
Preference is given to painting companies, real estate maintenance firms, renovation companies, structural maintenance firms, and finishing contractors based in South Holland, particularly in Rotterdam, Den Haag, Gouda, Leiden, Delft, Zoetermeer, Westland , and the surrounding areas.

Size is not a deciding factor: both a business with approximately €500,000 in revenue and a business with revenue ranging from €1 to 3 million could be of interest. More important are factors such as an existing customer base, skilled employees, a good name and reputation, repeat customers and maintenance contracts, business clients such as homeowners’ associations and property managers, existing knowledge and connections, and room to improve both service delivery and the commercial and organizational aspects of the business.

A temporary decline in revenue does not automatically rule out a business; in such cases, the entrepreneur primarily wants to understand the cause of the decline. If this is primarily due to the current owner winding down operations, a lack of commercial focus, or a failure to pursue new opportunities, this can actually present an interesting starting point.

What the entrepreneur brings to the table
The entrepreneur is accustomed to taking responsibility when a business isn’t running smoothly: establishing structure, managing people, solving problems, retaining customers, securing new contracts, and monitoring costs and profitability. His approach is not focused on immediately and completely transforming an acquired business, but rather on first understanding what is already in place, retaining what works, improving what needs improvement, and growing the business strategically from there.

For the selling owner
The business owner realizes that sell a business is usually the result of decades of hard work, and is therefore looking not only for a buyer but also for an entrepreneur who wants to know what will happen to the business after the owner leaves. A phased transition is negotiable: if desired, the current owner can remain involved in the transition of clients, employees, and business relationships for an agreed-upon period. An appropriate financing and payment structure can also be part of the discussion. The goal is for the business to continue operating normally after the owner’s departure, rather than gradually winding down due to the lack of a successor.