This Week's Off Market Finds: Auto repair shop, alcohol distributor, and more

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1/ Auto Repair Shop

📍 Location: Southwest Florida
💼 EBITDA: $350,000
📊 Revenue: $1,600,000
📅 Established: 2014

💭 My 2 Cents: This absentee-owned auto repair shop in SW Florida offers a rare opportunity to acquire a growing business that runs smoothly without the owner’s day-to-day involvement. The current owner acquired the business in 2020 and grew it from $500K to $2.3M in annual revenue within 4 years, and now, a seasoned manager runs all day-to-day operations (customer service, marketing, and finance), supported by two service advisors, a part-time parts employee, and four experienced mechanics. What’s uncommon for a business of this size is that, in addition to referrals and repeat business, it already has a proven customer acquisition engine driven by digital marketing, though I’d want to understand acquisition costs across Google Ads and SEO. I’d also want to dig into revenue by service category (oil changes, tires, diagnostics, AC repair, transmission, etc.) to identify the most profitable segments and ensure revenue diversity, confirm parts margins (typically 25–50%) and supplier relationships, review turnover and recruiting processes given the mechanic shortage, and evaluate capacity utilization to see if all bays are consistently full and whether there’s room to expand. After growing the business to a multimillion-dollar shop, the owner, who also runs a hotel in Ireland, is ready to simplify his portfolio and spend more time abroad welcoming his first grandchild.

2/ Alcohol Distributor

📍 Location: Central Texas
💼 EBITDA: $520,000
📊 Revenue: $2,200,000
📅 Established: 2007

💭 My 2 Cents: The liquor industry has a well-earned reputation for being recession resistant, since people might cut back on vacations or luxury goods but they’ll still raise a glass. This thriving alcohol distribution business carrying an extensive portfolio that includes tequila, gin, vodka, rum, liqueurs, wine, and beer is now available as the husband and wife owners look to retire. She runs the office and handles sourcing directly from Mexico, while he manages relationships on the sales side, keeping things running smoothly. Their small but mighty team includes a driver and an office manager, with additional help from a commission-based salesperson in the past. What jumped out at me is they have 1–5 year contracts in place with their customers, which is unusual in an industry where most smaller players operate with purchase orders or rolling agreements, not long-term contracts. That said, I’d want to understand their supplier terms, gross margins by product category (distributors often see 15–25% gross margins), inventory turnover and average days sales outstanding (since liquor customers can stretch payments), and the customer split between on-premise (bars/restaurants, higher margins but more volatility) vs. off-premise (retail/liquor stores, more stable and scalable). With craft spirits booming and consumer interest in premium, globally sourced beverages continuing to rise, this business is well-positioned for steady growth in a resilient and expanding market.

3/ Fire Protection Business

📍 Location: Los Angeles, CA
💼 EBITDA: $400,000
📊 Revenue: $2,100,000
📅 Established: 2015

💭 My 2 Cents: This fire protection system installation, maintenance, and repair business in Los Angeles operates in a regulation-driven, recession-resistant industry where every commercial building is legally required to have functioning systems inspected and maintained on a regular schedule. What makes this opportunity especially compelling is that Los Angeles is entering a historic infrastructure boom ahead of the 2028 Olympics, World Cup, SoFi Stadium activity, LAX expansion, and widespread housing and commercial development, all of which must comply with strict fire codes. Over the past decade, this company has built deep relationships with general contractors, property managers, and facilities teams that consistently bring in referral and repeat business. A team of eight field technicians and five office staff, including two estimators, supports the operation. I’d want to understand revenue by service type (installation, maintenance, inspection, and repair) since installation projects tend to be high-ticket but cyclical, while maintenance and inspections drive recurring cash flow. I’d also want to dig into the current job pipeline and awarded projects for 2025–2028 to gauge near-term revenue visibility and exposure to major construction timelines. The owner, who operates six other businesses, remains active in day-to-day oversight but is now considering a sale due to recent health issues.