📡 SMB Signal: Optometry practice, general contractor business and bathroom remodeler

Hello, and welcome to 📡 SMB Signal by Mainshares! Each week, we spotlight high-quality small business deals, operator insights, and tactical playbooks for buying, running, or investing in Main Street businesses. Join 12,000+ investors and operators staying sharp and deal-ready.

🔍 What’s in the Deal Depot?

Established Optometry Practice

📈 Investment Opportunity
Location: Virginia
Cash Flow: $1.2M
LTM Revenue: $8.2M

TLDR: An established optometry group is raising capital to continue scaling a $8.2M revenue practice that’s already generating $1.27M in adjusted EBITDA. With over 25 years of brand equity and local trust, the practice has demonstrated steady growth, even while investing heavily in infrastructure, onboarding new doctors, and transitioning the founder out of day-to-day care.

Why is this interesting?

• Strong foundation, recent reinvestment—11% YoY growth from 2022 to 2023 and ongoing momentum in 2024 despite major upgrades in staffing, systems, and operations.

• Operational upside—Current EBITDA margins leave room for optimization: improved doctor utilization, better retail capture rates, expanded medical & cosmetic services, and expense streamlining offer a clear path to 18% margins.

Commercial General Contractor & Carpentry Services

🔑Buyer Opportunity
Location: Minneapolis–St. Paul Metro
Cash Flow: $920K
LTM Revenue: $4.5M
Asking Price: $3M

TLDR: This well-established general contractor provides tenant improvement, build-out, maintenance, and finish carpentry services to a recurring base of commercial clients across the Twin Cities. With 50+ years of history, a skilled union crew, and key customers spanning banking and retail (some 20+ years strong), the business is both resilient and well-positioned for continued growth.

Why is this interesting?

• Strong SDE & asset base—$927K SDE and over $700K in equipment included in sale.

• Skilled, unionized labor force—Six full-time employees and subcontractors provide scalable execution capacity.

• Versatile service offering—Mix of GC work and finish carpentry enables flexibility in job type and margin mix.

• Real estate leased—3,446 sq ft facility in Minneapolis with workshop, office, and parking; leased through 2026 at $1,853/mo.

Franchise Bathroom Remodeler

🔑Buyer Opportunity 
Location: Alabama & Georgia
Cash Flow: $570K
LTM Revenue: $2.6M

TLDR: This is a turnkey bathroom remodelling franchise covering two attractive metro markets in the Southeast. With 13 employees, a fully built-out showroom, and consistent year-over-year demand, the business delivers complete bath transformations, including tub/shower conversions and full renovations. Backed by a nationally recognized brand, this is a high-reputation, systemized service business ready to scale.

Why is this interesting?

• Two mature territories with brand recognition—Franchise covers exclusive areas in Georgia and Alabama with proven demand.

• Solid team & process—13 employees and full back-office systems already in place; includes warehouse and showroom assets.

• Recurring demand drivers—Aging housing stock, increased property values, and consumer demand for modern, accessible bathrooms.

• Seller and franchisor training included—Includes hands-on and operational training for the buyer; ideal for operators new to remodelling.

• Real estate optional—Current showroom and warehouse leased at $2,500/mo and $800/mo, respectively.

Deal summaries above are for informational purposes only. Detailed financials and confidential information are shared only with vetted buyers under an executed NDA.

🎥 Upcoming events

🗓️ Thursday, July 17th
👤Host: William Fry, Founder and CEO at Mainshares
🕛 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
👉Register now

Should you acquire an existing business or build one from the ground up? In this live session, Mainshares CEO Will Fry dives into the strategic trade-offs between buying and building in the small business space.

He’ll share lessons learned from both paths, break down when each strategy makes sense, and offer a framework for evaluating risk, timeline, and value creation. Whether you're an operator in motion or an entrepreneur still deciding your next move, this conversation will give you the clarity and confidence to chart your course.

👉Register now

🔑 Top questions asked this week

Every week, we pull real questions straight from Mainshares Network, where small business buyers, investors, and operators swap notes, deals, and advice in real time. Here are some of the top insights from the week.

When is the right time to submit an LOI?

Q: From the #AskSMB channel

A: Mark B. (Mainshares Network Member)

I’d flip the question: what’s the downside to submitting an LOI if it’s non-binding?

As long as you’re transparent that your offer is based on limited info and subject to further diligence, the LOI is just a tool to get access to better data and test the seller’s seriousness. If you revise your offer later and they walk, that’s a good signal that the deal probably wasn’t going to work anyway.

I used to hesitate too, but I’ve learned that waiting for “perfect” info often just gets you left behind. Submit the LOI, get the docs, and be ready to adjust. When should you send a verification of funds to brokers?

At what stage in the search should you start finalizing your deal team?

Q: From the Interest to Acquisition Webinar

A: Jedd Morris, Managing Partner at Sunset Coast Partners

I would recommend getting your search team together as soon as possible. Especially the lawyer. You wanna make sure you go through every single service professional in the space. Some are better for you, some are not. And you need to take the time to actually meet with people and figure out if this is somebody who understands my strategy.

Because the truth is that I need service professionals who understand the space in that vertical way better than I do. I'm the one signing the purchase agreement. I'm the one taking all the responsibility. So I need someone smarter than me, who can tell me exactly what's happening, and walk me through my purchase agreement and LOI.

So I'm very aware of everything I'm signing and why I'm signing it, because I'm the one taking responsibility. So have your deal team together as soon as possible. Start networking with these people. Figure out who you wanna work with.

That doesn't mean you need to have it down pat before you start sending out LOIs, because you're right. They are nonbinding except for the NDA portion. So be very clear about that.

Got a question? Submit your question in the community!

📑 More Resources

• Buy vs. Build: Should you buy or start a plumbing business? 👉 Read the article

• Best practices for announcing the sale of your business 👉 Read the article

• Custom home builder business: 5 things to know to start and stay alive 👉 Watch the video

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