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ScoutDesk | Issue no. 7
This week’s mix spans routes, restaurants, contractors, and specialty retail. But the deeper theme isn’t lease terms or even margins. It’s reputation — whether customer trust, brand goodwill, and recurring demand actually transfer when ownership changes.
Food and beverage
This set is mostly “repeatable demand with a physical footprint,” which means the surface story is food, but the diligence story is reputation and consistency. The real risk is reputation-risk: reviews, local goodwill, and whether customers stick around through a transition. If you’re skimming, look for businesses that feel resilient even if you’re not the face of the brand.
Snyder’s-Lance route (Napa) — asking $135,000.00; gross revenue $441,844.00 (as listed); profitability $75,113.00 (as listed); tag: platform risk
Paris Baguette (Pleasanton) — asking $1,800,000.00; gross revenue $1,800,000.00 (as listed); profitability $2,500,000.00 (as listed); tag: platform risk
Charcuterie trailer (Morgan Hill) — asking $65,000.00; gross revenue $30,000.00 (as listed); profitability $15,000.00 (as listed); tag: owner dependent
Mexican taqueria (Berkeley) — asking $130,000.00; tag: owner dependent
Artisan bakery with established clients — asking $425,000.00; gross revenue $2,387,940.00 (as listed); tag: customer concentration
Fully-equipped restaurant (Fremont) — asking $180,000.00; tag: lease sensitive
Vietnamese restaurant (Dublin) — asking $340,000.00; gross revenue $620,000.00 (as listed); profitability $160,000.00 (as listed); tag: lease sensitive
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Local services you can operationalize
This set is mostly operational machines: crews, routes, and repeat service. The real risk is reputation-risk in a different form: in local services, reputation is what keeps the phone ringing when the owner changes. If you’re skimming, look for businesses where trust is built into process, not just a person.
Roofing contractor (Santa Rosa) — asking $895,000.00; gross revenue $2,167,733.00 (as listed); profitability $382,000.00 (as listed); tag: owner dependent
Dry cleaners and alterations (Redwood City) — asking $230,000.00; gross revenue $340,000.00 (as listed); tag: customer concentration
Self-serve car wash (Dixon) — asking $795,000.00; tag: owner dependent
ATM route (San Jose) — asking $116,800.00; tag: regulated transfer
Dry cleaners (Vallejo) — asking $170,000.00; tag: owner dependent
Retail
Retail this week is thin but clear: you’re buying local trust and repeat behavior. The real risk is reputation-risk: once a neighborhood decides you’re “the place,” it’s valuable; if that breaks, the business is just inventory and rent.
Furniture store — asking $75,000.00; tag: customer concentration
Established pet store and real estate (San Francisco) — asking $498.85; profitability $19,020.00 (as listed); tag: customer concentration
Professional services
Professional services are reputation products first and operational products second. The diligence question is whether the trust transfers with the business or stays with the person.
Longevity business (Woodside) — asking $650,000.00; tag: customer concentration
Indoor air quality consultant (San Francisco) — asking $750,000.00; tag: owner dependent
Senior care facility (Martinez) — asking $270,000.00; gross revenue $432,000.00 (as listed); profitability $118,000.00 (as listed); tag: lease sensitive
Online/software
This is the “trust + pipeline” version of software: reputation with parents and consistent enrollment demand matters at least as much as the curriculum.
Code Ninjas business (Fremont) — asking $260,000.00; tag: customer concentration
Deal math of the week
Roofing contractor (Santa Rosa)
$895,000 asking on $382,000 profitability (as listed). That’s about a 2.3x multiple — roughly a 2.3-year pre-debt payback.
What that multiple is really saying: you’re paying for crew stability and project pipeline. If those are tied to the current owner’s relationships, that multiple can widen quickly.
Three diligence questions I’d ask before getting excited:
How many active contracts are secured for the next 12 months?
What percent of revenue comes from repeat versus new customers?
Who estimates jobs and manages client relationships today?
One useful lens for this week’s mix: platform risk
Several listings this week depend on infrastructure they don’t control.
The Snyder’s-Lance route is a distribution agreement. Even professional practices often depend on referral channels.
Buyer implication: platform dependence isn’t bad — it can create stability. But you’re underwriting not just the business, but the ecosystem it sits inside.
Practical takeaway: ask early what percentage of revenue depends on one brand, one supplier agreement, or one digital channel. If that relationship changes, your multiple changes.