How do I hand over my millwork shop’s builder accounts without losing them?

List your builder accounts and rank them by how much of your work each one brings and how much of the relationship sits with you personally. The accounts that depend on your handshake need the most care. Plan to introduce the new owner at those first, not by letter, but in person at a job site or a quote meeting.

Stay involved for a stretch after the sale. Offer to be on the phone when a builder has a question, and let the new owner take the lead while you back them up. Builders want to know that deliveries will keep arriving on time, that the quality will not slip, and that their usual contact will still pick up.

Check the money side as well. Look at which builders pay promptly and which stretch their payment, and tell the buyer honestly. A new owner who inherits a slow-paying account without warning feels misled. Ask your accountant how outstanding invoices are handled at closing, and agree in writing who follows up on them. Think about what builders fear most: a missed delivery date during the change. Tell them in advance how projects already under way will be finished, and who they should call if something slips.

Key takeaways

• Rank accounts by size and by how much depends on you personally.
• Introduce the successor in person, on real jobs, before you leave.
• Be honest about slow payers and agree who collects outstanding invoices.