How do I sell a solar installation company?

Buyers of solar installers know the company’s obligations outlast each job. They will ask what you have promised customers, what you rely on suppliers for and what work is already sold. If you can answer from clean records, the process moves faster and with fewer surprises.

Document the installed base

Make a list of past installations with the date, the customer, the warranty you gave and any open service calls. Note which warranties are yours and which belong to the equipment makers. Buyers will want to know who looks after these customers after closing, so decide with your lawyer how you will describe that obligation and how it should pass to the buyer.

Gather supplier and distributor agreements

Pull together every agreement with equipment suppliers and distributors, including any credit terms and installer-status arrangements. Read them for clauses that need the other side’s consent when ownership changes. If one does, speak to your lawyer about when and how to raise it, because a buyer will find it in their review and would rather hear it from you.

Show the backlog and where demand comes from

Prepare a schedule of signed jobs that are not yet installed, with deposits held and promised dates. Then be ready to explain how customers find you. If a lot of your demand has come from one outside driver or one referral partner, say so and show what else you have built. Buyers respect candour more than a story that does not hold up.

You can also read how to prepare an equipment rental business for sale, which shares much of the same preparation.