Should I buy an existing shed building business or start one?

Many people who search for shed businesses are really asking whether to build one from nothing. The honest answer rests on your skills, your savings and your patience, not on a rule. This page sets out what each route gives you so you can compare them against your own situation, and it makes no call on which is better.

What an existing builder brings

A going business can come with tested designs, a trained crew, a display lot, accounts with lumber suppliers, equipment and an order book. It also brings a name that customers already recognize. Some of that may not pass to you, so ask what the seller can actually hand over.

What a start-up leaves you to build

Starting means finding a yard or shop, buying tools and a delivery trailer, setting up supplier credit and learning what customers will pay for. You also build the first orders from scratch. In return you choose your own designs, your own location and your own pace, and you take on no history.

Questions that settle the choice

• Can you build and deliver, or would you hire someone to do it?
• How long could you go without an income while sales build?
• Does the existing business depend on the owner’s name?
• Is the seller willing to train you and introduce you to customers?
• What problems would you inherit that a new business would not have?

Use outside help

An accountant can help you compare the two routes on your own figures, and a lawyer can review what you would take on. If you lean toward buying, what to check before buying a shed building business lists what to ask.