For independent shop owners
Build an autorepair businessbuyers want to buy
Your shop may be worth more than you think: buyers are paying real money for well-run independent shops, and preparation determines how much of that you capture. We help you find the gaps that suppress your value, fix them on your timeline, and walk into any buyer conversation from a position of strength. Whether you'd sell next year or never.
The stakes
Two shops. Same revenue. Very different checks.
The spread between what an unprepared seller takes and what a prepared one negotiates is the widest number in this industry. Owners who clean up the gaps 18–24 months before a sale are reported to walk away with dramatically better outcomes, because buyers do the math on your weaknesses, whether you've done it or not.
2–3x
earnings: what unprepared single shops typically sell for
30–50%
better outcomes reported for owners who prepared early
18–24mo
the preparation runway that captures the difference
Valuation multiples and preparation figures are attributed to CT Acquisitions' 2026 M&A guides. An assessment result is not a business valuation.
What buyers screen for
The six things every buyer checks first
Revenue per location
Many national buyers begin screening around $1.7M–$2M in annual revenue per location. Below that range, fewer institutional buyers will engage, but the gaps are often fixable.
Service & customer mix
Buyers want retail-heavy revenue with the right tire/service balance. Too much heavy mechanical or wholesale work and the profile breaks.
The facility
Buyers look at bays, tire storage, and a location their customers can find. Physical capacity is one of the first screens, not a nice-to-have.
Real estate & lease
Buyers want owned real estate or long lease control. A short lease is one of the fastest deal-killers we see, and one of the most fixable when you start early.
A team that stays
Buyers want W-2 staff they can keep, low turnover, and a shop that runs without you turning wrenches. Owner dependence caps value hard.
Momentum & reputation
Active buyers we track typically look for a growth trend and strong ratings. Many screen around the mid-4s with hundreds of reviews. Buyers read your Google reviews before they ever read your P&L.
The free assessment scores your shop on all six, and shows you which gaps are fixable before a buyer ever sees them.
Our approach
We don't guess. We measure.
01
Assess
Score your shop against what buyers actually look for.
02
Identify gaps
See exactly what is suppressing your value, ranked by impact.
03
Create the plan
We build a clear, sequenced plan to close those gaps.
04
Improve metrics
Raise the numbers that move your multiple.
05
Prepare to exit
Walk in ready: clean numbers, full leverage, on your timeline.
The arc is simple: assess where you stand, improve what buyers screen for, prepare on your own timeline. And, when you want it, connect with the right buyer.
Wherever you are on the road
Selling in 1–3 years
The runway matters most right now. We find and fix the gaps buyers will price against you, so you control the conversation when it starts.
Selling someday, maybe
Know your number and keep it growing. Every improvement pays you twice: in profit today and in price whenever the day comes.
Never selling
A shop a buyer would want is simply a great business: owner-independent, well-run, and profitable. Build it for you, not for them.
When you're ready
Ready shops get introduced, not listed.
We work with the private equity firms and strategic acquirers consolidating this industry, and we track their deals and the patterns in what they buy. When an owner becomes acquisition-ready and wants to explore a sale, we can facilitate confidential introductions to appropriate buyers. That happens only with your explicit permission, and never before. Your information is never shared with a buyer without your consent.
150-store case study · 30-day assessment
What the assessment found: $30.3M
A national, multi-location service brand let us analyze 30 days of their phone calls: 102,577 conversations across 150 locations. Every number below came out of their real, paid invoices. Not a projection.
150
Locations
102,577
Calls analyzed
30
Days
$542
Avg order value
The demand isn't the problem. The conversation is.
$30.3M
in unconverted revenue opportunity identified in a single month: 55,838 missed opportunities × a $542 average order value, sourced from real, paid invoices. This is exactly the kind of hidden value we find and fix.
That $30.3M is unconverted revenue opportunity identified in a single month, across one 150-store network. Recovering even 5–20% of that is meaningful money for a single shop. The same analysis runs on one location, and converting more of the demand you already have is one of the fastest ways to raise the numbers buyers screen for.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Who is buying independent tire and auto shops?
The buyers are the private equity firms and strategic acquirers consolidating this industry. We work with them, and we track their deals and the patterns in what they buy. Buyers are paying real money for well-run independent shops, and preparation determines how much of that an owner captures.
What revenue do buyers screen for?
Many national buyers begin screening around $1.7M–$2M in annual revenue per location, and below that range fewer institutional buyers will engage. Revenue is only one of the six screens buyers check first, and the gaps are often fixable.
How much more is a prepared shop worth?
Unprepared single shops typically sell for around 2–3x earnings, while owners who prepared early are reported to achieve 30–50% better outcomes, figures attributed to CT Acquisitions' 2026 M&A guides. The difference is the 18–24 month preparation runway, because buyers do the math on your weaknesses whether you have done it or not. An assessment result is not a business valuation.
Do I have to be ready to sell to take the assessment?
No. The process works wherever you are on the road: selling in 1–3 years, selling someday, or never selling. A shop a buyer would want is simply a great business: owner-independent, well-run, and profitable, so every improvement pays you twice.
Is my information shared with buyers?
Never without your explicit consent. When an owner becomes acquisition-ready and wants to explore a sale, we can facilitate confidential introductions to appropriate buyers, but that happens only with your explicit permission, and never before.
Know where your shop stands
It is free, it takes five minutes, and it shows you exactly what a buyer would see: your Acquisition Readiness Score, your gaps, and the plan to fix them. It is not a valuation, and your information is never shared with a buyer without your explicit consent.
Take the Assessment