Business Readiness | RPE Systems
Home Service Business Readiness

System-Driven Businesses
Are Sellable.Personality-Driven Ones Aren't.

You didn't spend 10, 15, or 20 years building a business just to walk away with nothing. But without systems, that's exactly what happens.

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Watch First

Watch this first. It is the conversation nobody in the trades has had with you — and it changes how you will answer every question below.

10 Questions  ·  3 Minutes  ·  Free Score

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Business Valuation Calculator

What Is Your Business
Actually Worth?

Home service businesses are valued using a metric called SDE — Seller's Discretionary Earnings. It's the truest picture of what the business actually puts in an owner's pocket each year.

What Is SDE?

SDE stands for Seller's Discretionary Earnings. It represents the total financial benefit a single full-time owner-operator receives from the business — including salary, perks, and net profit.

SDE FORMULA

Net Profit
+ Owner's Salary / Draw
+ Owner Perks (vehicle, phone, etc.)
+ One-Time / Non-Recurring Expenses
+ Depreciation & Amortization
+ Interest Expense
= SELLER'S DISCRETIONARY EARNINGS (SDE)

Quick mental calculation: Take what the business makes before you pay yourself — then add back your salary and any personal expenses running through the business. That total is roughly your SDE. For most home service owner-operators, SDE = Annual Revenue × 15–25%.

The Home Service Multiple Range: 1.5× – 3.0×
The industry typically values home service businesses at 1.5 to 3.0 times SDE. Where you land depends on how system-driven your business is. A personality-driven business lands at 1.5×. A system-driven business commands 2.5–3.0×.

SDE Valuation Calculator

Enter your numbers to see your estimated business value range.

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×
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Your Estimated Valuation
Calculated SDE $0
Conservative Value (low multiple) $0
Optimistic Value (high multiple) $0
Potential Exit Range $0 – $0

* This calculator provides an estimate. Actual business value depends on systems in place, revenue trends, customer concentration, and buyer demand. A system-driven business commands the higher end of the multiple range.

A Buyer Doesn't Pay For You.
They Pay For What Works Without You.

The difference between a business that sells for 3× and one that sells for nothing isn't the revenue. It's whether the systems exist to run it when you walk out the door.

❌ Personality-Driven Business

Everything Runs
Through You.

You're the brand. You're the phone number. You're the sales process, the follow-up, and the quality control. The business is profitable — but it only works because you're in it every single day.

  • ✕Customers call your personal cell — and only buy because they know you
  • ✕Leads go cold when you're on a job and can't answer
  • ✕Reviews happen when you remember to ask — not automatically
  • ✕Revenue stops the day you stop showing up
  • ✕A buyer can't replicate you — so they won't pay for what you built
  • ✕No documented customer history, no follow-up records, no handoff
No buyers. No deal. Most personality-driven businesses simply close.
✓ System-Driven Business

The Business Works
When You Don't.

Your systems answer the phone, follow up with leads, ask for reviews, and document every customer interaction — automatically. The business runs whether you're on the job, on vacation, or stepping away for good.

  • ✓Business number captures every call — after hours and weekends included
  • ✓Missed call text back fires in 60 seconds — no lead goes cold
  • ✓Review request goes out automatically after every completed job
  • ✓Customer database is documented, searchable, and transferable
  • ✓Follow-up sequences run without the owner lifting a finger
  • ✓Every call recorded — complete customer history ready for a new owner
Exit value: 2.5× – 3.0× SDE  ·  A business a buyer will actually pay for
The RPE Business Readiness Framework

8 Systems That Make a
Business Sellable

Every one of these systems converts a personality-driven business into a transferable asset. A buyer pays for what's documented, automated, and repeatable — not for the owner's relationships.

01
Customer Database
Every customer captured, tagged, and documented in a CRM. Full job history, spend, and contact info — transferable on day one.
Transferable Asset
02
Revenue Documentation
24 months of logged, timestamped jobs that give a buyer — and a lender — verifiable proof of income.
Lender-Ready
03
Lead Capture System
Missed call text back and 24/7 virtual receptionist — every inquiry captured, even when the owner is on a job or off the clock.
24/7 Coverage
04
Follow-Up Sequences
Automated follow-up that re-engages cold leads without the owner doing anything. Documented, repeatable, and transferable.
Automated Revenue
05
Review Engine
Review request fires automatically after every completed job. 200+ Google reviews in 24 months — a searchable reputation that outlasts the owner.
Organic Lead Gen
06
Referral System
Automated referral requests to past customers. Word-of-mouth that runs itself — not a personality, a process.
Repeatable Growth
07
Communication Record
Every call recorded and summarized. A new owner inherits the full history of every customer relationship — not just a contact list.
Full History
08
Financial Documentation
Clean P&L, separated business finances, and documented add-backs. The foundation that makes a bank loan possible for a buyer.
Buyer Financing
What Business Owners Are Saying
"

I have been doing this for years and nobody ever showed me what my business was actually worth. This changed how I think about everything. I did not realize how much I was leaving on the table just by not having the right systems in place.

CM
C. Marcellous
Handyman Atlanta  ·  Atlanta, GA

After 10+ Years —
You Deserve to Get Paid.

We help home service business owners build the systems that turn years of hard work into a business someone will actually buy.

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