What’s an Electrical Business Worth? Small vs. Scaled Up

If you run an electrical business—whether it’s just you and an apprentice, or a team of 30 with vans on the road—you’ve probably asked yourself: “What could this sell for?”

Short answer: it depends on who’s buying, how easily it runs without you, and how repeatable the cashflow is.

Let’s break down two common setups.

1. Solo Operator (You + Apprentice)

Great income, solid reputation—but it’s still you wearing the toolbelt.

Typical sale price: 1x–2x annual profit

Why: Buyers are usually other tradies. There’s no management team, no systems, and no real asset beyond your relationships. It’s essentially a client list and goodwill.

If you’re pulling $150K profit, expect offers in the $150K–$300K range.

2. Scaled Contractor (30 staff, $9M revenue, $1.5M EBITDA)

This is a different beast. You’ve got supervisors, admin support, branded vehicles, probably repeat work and Tier 2 or 3 builder clients.

Valuation range: 3.5x to 5.5x EBITDA

Price range: $5.25M to $8.25M

BUT: The number of businesses that actually land above 4x is small. Why?

Here’s the kicker:

Once you get past 4x earnings, the buyer isn’t just buying a business—they’re investing in a machine that runs with minimal input, has recurring work, low risk, and is ready to scale further.

Most buyers want to see:

Strong second-tier leadership (so the owner can step away)

Clean, reliable margins

Minimal reliance on the founding owner for sales or delivery

Repeat clients under contract or multi-year frameworks

Without those? Even a $1.5M profit might only attract 3.5x–4x, not 5x+.

Big Picture:

Owner-led businesses sell at a discount

Systemised, transferable businesses attract strategic premiums—but only if they’re rare and clean

If you’re somewhere in between, there’s room to grow your multiple before you ever think about listing.