Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial

Selling your commercial cleaning business? We buy them.

Stockton Ventures acquires profitable commercial cleaning and janitorial companies generating $500K–$4M in annual revenue. We work directly with owners — no brokers, no auctions, no public listings.

A category we know inside-out

Commercial cleaning is one of the most attractive service categories for long-term owners. Here's why it's our anchor focus.

01

Recurring contract revenue

Office, medical, retail, and industrial accounts are typically on 1–3 year contracts with monthly billing. Switching costs are real — rekeying, retraining, supply chain rewiring — which makes well-run accounts genuinely sticky.

02

Predictable economics

Margins compress when accounts are concentrated or pricing is stale, but they expand quickly with route density, supervisor leverage, and basic add-ons (floor care, windows, pressure wash). The unit economics are knowable on day one of diligence.

03

Light on depreciating capex

Unlike businesses that turn on heavy equipment, commercial cleaning runs on labor and consumables. That means cleaner balance sheets, less working-capital drag, and less surprise capex post-close.

What a Stockton fit looks like

If most of these are true, we should talk. None of them are dealbreakers individually — but together they tell us a business is ready for a long-term owner.

$500K–$4M annual revenue
Established, real infrastructure. Not a side project, not a multi-state platform.
Mostly contract-based work
Recurring monthly billing on commercial accounts. One-off jobs are fine but shouldn't be the core revenue.
A supervisor or GM in place
Day-to-day operations don't depend on you specifically. We invest in retaining and developing that person.
Multi-year profitability
Three years of clean financials with healthy SDE margins (typically 12–25%).
No single account >25% of revenue
Concentration is the most common reason a deal falls apart in diligence. Diversification protects valuation.
A reason you're ready to sell
Retirement, succession, partnership exit, or simply ready for the next chapter. We respect that this is a personal decision.

Three steps. Sixty to ninety days.

We keep the process simple and respectful of your time. No hidden steps, no surprise terms.

1

Initial conversation

30 minutes, fully confidential, no NDA required. We learn what you've built and what you're looking for. If there's no fit, we'll tell you on that call.

2

Diligence + offer

Three years of financials, customer contract review, operations walkthrough. We know what to ask and what to skip. A real number, not a range.

3

Close + transition

Cash at close. Clean structures — no convoluted earnouts. Flexible transition support, on whatever timeline works for you and your team.

Selling a commercial cleaning business: FAQ

What multiple do commercial cleaning businesses typically sell for?
Most commercial cleaning businesses in the $500K–$4M revenue range sell for 2–3.5× SDE (seller's discretionary earnings), or roughly 3–5× EBITDA for the larger end of that range. The exact number depends on contract quality, customer concentration, owner dependence, and how much of the team operates without you. We walk through the math transparently — no black-box valuations.
Do my commercial contracts transfer when I sell?
Most do, but it depends on the change-of-control language in each contract. We review your top accounts in diligence to flag anything that needs proactive client outreach. In our experience, well-handled transitions (with you making the introductions) keep the vast majority of accounts intact.
What happens to my crew and supervisors after the sale?
They stay. The team is what makes the business valuable. We typically pay a retention bonus to key supervisors and GMs at close, and we invest in giving them better tools, more visibility, and clearer growth paths. We have not let go of an inherited team in our acquisitions to date.
Do I need a business broker to sell to you?
No. You're welcome to use one if you want representation, but the typical 6–10% broker fee comes out of your proceeds. We work directly with owners every day. Direct sales also tend to close faster and stay more confidential — your competitors and clients don't see the listing.
How do you handle customer concentration risk?
We don't avoid concentration outright — many great cleaning businesses have one or two anchor accounts. We adjust the offer structure: more upfront if the relationship is institutional and well-documented; some seller financing or rollover if the relationship is owner-tied. We're transparent about how concentration affects price.
I'm not ready to sell yet — is it worth talking now?
Yes. Many of the owners we eventually buy from start the conversation 12–24 months before they're ready. Knowing what your business is worth and what it would take to get a higher number is useful regardless of timing. The call costs you 30 minutes and a coffee.

Adjacent service businesses we acquire

Ready to talk about your business?

Whether you're ready to sell now or 18 months out, the first conversation is the same: confidential, 30 minutes, no obligation.

Book a confidential call