
🌱 Could a Lawn Care Biz With $1M+ EBITDA Be Offloading Discreetly?
Behind the Hedge: A Whisper Listing with Deep Roots and Fat Margins
In the quiet corridors of the deal world, whispers often say more than listings. And right now, the hum is about a high-performing, high-margin lawn care operation exploring a potential exit—quietly, but seriously.
This isn’t a scrappy solo crew with a mower. It’s a well-oiled business generating $1M+ in EBITDA, backed by recurring revenue, commercial contracts, and scale-ready systems.
🌿 The Lay of the Land
- Based in the Southeastern U.S. with year-round revenue flow
- Family-owned, 15+ years in business, strong operational systems
- Client mix: 65% commercial (HOAs, campuses), 35% residential
- 1500+ active accounts with multi-year maintenance contracts
- Digitized scheduling, dispatch, invoicing—no paper trails
- Lean FT team + seasonal crews with recruiting and retention systems
💰 Revenue Snapshot (Rumored)
Gross Revenue | $4.5M – $6.2M |
Adjusted EBITDA | $1M – $1.4M |
Recurring Revenue | 75%+ via monthly contracts |
Client Retention | 85%+ |
Fleet | 25–30 vehicles/trailers |
Employees (Peak) | ~60 incl. part-time crew |
🕵️♂️ Why the Quiet?
This is a proactive whisper—not a reactive panic.
- Ownership is approaching retirement or life-stage transition
- No heirs interested in taking the reins
- Business is too big to run passively, but still privately held
Sources say ownership is open to structured transitions and valuation exploration under NDA.
🧩 What Makes It Attractive?
- Recurring Services: Mowing, cleanups, irrigation = predictable cash flow
- Commercial Contracts: Multi-year HOAs and commercial clients add stability
- Route Optimization: GPS-zoned routing boosts crew productivity and margins
- Tech-Enabled Ops: Full CRM, dispatch, and fleet tracking stack in place
- Brand Strength: Dominant in local search, 4.8+ star average, high referral rate
🔧 Growth Levers for the Next Owner
- Geographic Expansion: Add neighboring territories or metro areas
- Roll-Ups: Acquire smaller crews for routes, talent, and client base
- Ancillary Services: Add hardscaping, tree care, pest/fert, snow removal
- Real Estate: Sale-leaseback or include owned dispatch yard in the deal
📊 Valuation Talk
Buyer Type EBITDA Multiple Valuation Range
Owner-Operator | 3.5x – 4.5x | $3.5M – $6M |
Strategic Buyer | 5x – 6.5x | $5M – $9M+ |
PE / Family Office | 6x – 8x (if scalable) | $6.5M – $11M+ |
🚨 Red Flags to Vet
- Labor Dependence: Can they retain and incentivize top crew leaders?
- CapEx Timing: What’s the replacement schedule for trucks/equipment?
- Client Concentration: Are revenues overly dependent on a few big accounts?
- Licensing: Check compliance for pesticide/fert usage, irrigation, waste hauling
💼 Who Should Be Looking
- 🛠️ Blue-collar entrepreneurs or tradesmen seeking a scalable, proven business
- 👔 Corporate operators or searchers seeking stable cash flow + ops upside
- 🌿 Lawn care roll-up platforms looking for a 7-figure anchor deal
- 🏘️ Multi-unit service operators wanting to enter landscaping
- 📊 Family offices seeking low-CapEx, high-margin recurring-revenue assets
🔐 Final Word
This deal represents everything that Main Street M&A is quietly built on: strong fundamentals, steady demand, and systems that scale.
If you’re looking to buy an off-market, cash-flowing service business with $1M+ in EBITDA and real operational depth—this might be your only look.
📍 Status: Unlisted. Inquiries welcome under NDA. Conversations described as “exploratory but real.”
For curated, no-hype alerts like this one—keep your radar dialed in.