Case Study: The Unicorn Business: How Patrick Bombardiere Helped a Landscaping Company Achieve the Very Best Sale Price

When selling a business, getting the very best price, terms, and structure can make a tremendous difference in the outcome. That is exactly where the right business broker can create extraordinary value.

Patrick Bombardiere of Transworld Business Advisors has built a reputation for recognizing the unique qualities that can make a business worth substantially more to the right buyer than a traditional valuation might suggest.

The Challenge: A Business That Didn't Fit the Typical Valuation

A large, successful landscaping company came to market with many of the characteristics buyers and lenders typically look for.

At the time, most brokers, buyers, and banks were valuing businesses like this in the 3.5x to 4x SDE range.

On the surface, that might have seemed like the appropriate benchmark.

But Patrick saw something others were overlooking.

This wasn't simply another landscaping company.

It was a unicorn.

The company had incredible margins, consistent year-over-year growth, a strong team already in place, and a meaningful recurring revenue component through lawn maintenance contracts. Even more importantly, the owner was willing to provide a long-term training and transition period to ensure a smooth handoff to the new owner.

Individually, these characteristics are valuable.

Having all of them together is rare.

Seeing the Value Beyond the Formula

Traditional valuation methods can provide an important starting point, but Patrick understood that a business should not be evaluated solely by applying a multiple to its historical earnings.

He recognized that buyers would see the same things he saw:

• Exceptional margins
• Consistent, upward growth
• Recurring revenue
• A capable team already in place
• Reduced owner dependence
• A seller committed to a long-term transition
• A business positioned for continued success

Patrick believed those qualities would create strong competition among qualified buyers.

Rather than automatically accepting the conventional 3.5x–4x valuation range, he recommended testing the market at a higher multiple and letting actual buyer demand determine the business's true market value.

The Result: Multiple Offers and a Strong Sale

The strategy worked.

The business generated multiple offers almost immediately.

Ultimately, the seller had the opportunity to choose between four full-price offers.

The transaction closed quickly, giving the seller an outstanding result while providing the buyer with a high-quality business that had the characteristics needed to justify the premium.

The key wasn't simply putting the business on the market.

It was recognizing what made this particular business special—and positioning it accordingly.

The Lesson for Business Owners

A traditional valuation can tell you what businesses typically sell for.

It doesn't necessarily tell you what your business could be worth to the right buyer.

When a company has exceptional margins, strong growth, recurring revenue, an excellent team, and a seller willing to make the transition easier for the buyer, those factors can dramatically change the equation.

Had this business simply followed a traditional valuation without considering what made it exceptional, the seller could have left a substantial amount of money on the table.

Patrick Bombardiere understood that the goal wasn't to achieve an average result.

It was to identify the unique value of the business, create competition among buyers, and negotiate the very best sale price, terms, and structure possible.

The Bottom Line

Your business may be worth more than a formula suggests.

The difference between an average sale and an exceptional one can come down to recognizing what makes your business different—and knowing how to present that value to the marketplace.

Patrick Bombardiere's approach is simple: don't leave money on the table. Get the very best sale price possible.