Sell a Specialty Manufacturing Business

Show what production earns without you

A full order book is useful only when the work produces a margin. Separate repeat production from one large custom order before discussing a price.

Build an earnings schedule that reconciles with your tax returns. Identify unusual tooling costs and explain which expenses will continue under a buyer.

If you run production yourself, show the cost of replacing that role. A buyer cannot treat your entire salary as extra profit while also hiring a plant manager.

Turn shop knowledge into transferable records

Document machine condition, maintenance, capacity and the people who know each process. A worn machine may require cash soon after closing even when depreciation looks like a convenient addback.

Customer concentration deserves its own review. If a few purchasing managers control most of the revenue, prepare contract terms and evidence of repeat orders without promising that every account will stay.

Set the boundaries of the sale

List owned equipment separately from leased machines, inventory and property. Agree how unfinished jobs and deposits will be handled at closing.

A buyer will also examine supplier dependence, quality records and the lease. Organize these before granting exclusivity so a late discovery does not reset the negotiations.