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Selling a Print or Sign Shop in Columbus

Print, sign and graphics shops sell best when they have steady commercial accounts, not just walk in jobs.

Columbus Business Brokers Desk covers what a buyer checks first in a Central Ohio shop with $1M or more in yearly sales.

Rather talk it through? (614) 555-0148

What a buyer checks first

  1. Share of sales from repeat business accounts
  2. Margin by kind of work: print, signs, wraps, installs
  3. Age and lease terms of the big printers and cutters
  4. Whether you hold installation permits and crews
  5. Backlog of signed jobs
  6. Who sells and quotes when you are out

Repeat Accounts Make the Price

A shop with property managers, contractors, franchise locations and school districts who order every year is far more valuable than one that depends on whoever walks in.

Pull a list of your top accounts with three years of sales for each. Buyers want to see that the work repeats, and that it doesn't all come from one customer.

Which Kind of Work Earns Your Profit?

Most shops do several kinds of work: digital print, large format, vehicle wraps, fabricated signs and installation. Each carries a different margin.

If your books lump them together, a buyer can't tell where the money comes from. Splitting revenue and direct costs by type of work makes your shop easier to value, and usually easier to value higher.

Buyers don't pay for the busiest part of your shop. They pay for the most profitable part.

Equipment, Leases and Upgrades

Wide format printers, routers and laminators are expensive and wear out. Buyers will ask what you own, what you lease, how old it is and what needs replacing soon.

Equipment leases often need the lender's consent to transfer. Find out early which ones can move to a buyer and which need to be paid off at closing.

Installation Brings Permits and Risk

Exterior signs usually need local permits, and installs involve lifts, ladders and electrical work. A shop with experienced crews and a clean safety record is worth more.

That safety record lives in your workers' comp history, which can follow the business to a new owner. The Ohio BWC account transfer guide explains how.

Who Buys Sign and Print Companies?

Competitors buy to add accounts and equipment. Franchise systems and regional groups buy independents to convert them. Individual buyers with sales or production backgrounds buy steady shops with SBA loans.

Most of these deals are asset sales, which brings Ohio's final sales tax return and buyer holdback into play. See sales tax successor liability and what your company is worth.

For a private estimate, use the value form or call (614) 555-0148.

Call the desk: (614) 555-0148