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- ☕ Coffee Distribution Business making $587k/yr!
☕ Coffee Distribution Business making $587k/yr!
The Corporate Pivot
March 17, 2025
Welcome Back to The Corporate Pivot!
If March means blocking off your calendar as “Busy” so no one schedules a meeting during the tournament, it might be time to rethink things.
Because let’s be honest—you’re not glued to your laptop out of dedication. You’re just trying to catch the first-round upsets without your boss asking for a “quick update” on something that can definitely wait.
If sneaking in games between emails feels like a win, maybe it’s time to aim higher. Owning or starting a business is one of the few ways to actually reclaim your time—and, spoiler: make more money too.
At The Corporate Pivot, we break down what it actually takes to get out. Stick around. It beats pretending to take notes while secretly watching the last two minutes.
Here’s what we have for you today:
Pivot Perspectives: Sam talks about refining automation with Make.com, focusing on email tracking and customization to improve outreach efficiency and engagement. Tyler talks about how the rise in small business acquisitions is bringing both stronger competition and new vendors that could streamline deals. | Acquisition Alerts:
| Bare Minimum Bulletin: Vinny talks about adding some extra stakes to March Madness—betting on every game, running for every loss, and questioning how to explain midday runs to his boss. |
Cool Business Idea:
Pool service companies are still using spreadsheets and texts to manage their schedules. 🏊📅
What if there was a Calendly-style app built just for them—automating routes, reminders, and billing?
Read more in this week’s Cool Business Idea. ⬇️
If you haven’t already, go subscribe to this newsletter here!
Confusing Corporate Sayings:
"I respect you putting yourself first and taking lunch when there’s so much important work that has to be done."
Professional Translation:
“They acknowledge the importance of work-life balance and self-care.”
Corporate Pivot Translation:
"Hope that sandwich is worth it… you might not have a job when you come back."
Sam’s Perspective (1st Time Buyer)
🆕 Status Update: This week was all about refining automation—because if something can be done faster and smarter, why not?
Lately, I’ve been diving deeper into Make.com to fine-tune automation for business outreach, specifically tracking email engagement and improving customization. The goal is simple: if I’m reaching out to potential leads, I want to know who’s actually interested and how to tailor follow-ups more effectively.
Click tracking has been a big focus—understanding which emails get opened, which links get clicked, and whether a lead is engaging at all. The more insight I have, the better I can adjust messaging or refine targeting. I also worked on making email customization more seamless so that outreach feels personalized at scale instead of just blasting generic messages.
Not the flashiest week, but these small improvements make a huge difference when it comes to efficiency. If automation can save time and boost response rates, that’s a win in my book.
Tyler’s Perspective (Experienced Buyer)
🆕 Status Update: You may have noticed that small business acquisitions are becoming increasingly popular, attracting more sophisticated players into the space. While this means more competition (and, more importantly, more competent competition), it also brings more vendors offering services to streamline acquisitions.
Sam and I are considering using one or more of these vendors to support our operations. The key question is whether they can provide something we can’t—or if they can do it significantly better. This could help us refine our systems, and we’d definitely take the opportunity to pick their brains on market trends. If we decide to test any of these vendors, we’ll report back on our experience.
💰 Deals < $500k 💰
Business Name: St. Petersburg Pool Route
Revenue: $138,000
Asking Price: $126,000
Profit: $117,300 (Profit Margin = 85%)
Location: Saint Petersburg, FL
Established: 2022
✅ Pros:
Recurring Revenue Model: Pool service routes generate guaranteed monthly income, providing steady cash flow.
Low Overhead & High Margins: Very few expenses beyond vehicle costs, chemicals, and labor, leading to an 85% profit margin.
⚠️ Con:
Owner-Dependent: Until an additional technician is hired, the route requires hands-on work, limiting growth potential.
📈 Growth Opportunities:
Expand to Commercial Pool Accounts: Securing contracts with hotels, apartment complexes, and HOAs could significantly boost revenue.
Introduce Additional Services: Upselling repairs, chemical automation systems, or premium maintenance packages could increase profit per customer.
💰💰 Deals $500k - $1m 💰💰
Business Name: Indoor Air Quality Testing Company
Revenue: $500,000
Asking Price: $650,000
Profit: $325,000 (Profit Margin = 65%)
Location: Pinellas County, FL
Established: 1992
✅ Pros:
In-House Testing Lab & Nationwide Reach: Having its own certified lab facilities allows for faster turnaround times, giving it a competitive advantage.
Recurring Revenue from Contracts: The company services quarterly and annual contracts, ensuring steady, predictable income.
⚠️ Con:
Regulatory Compliance & Industry Knowledge Needed: The business operates in a specialized field that requires expertise in environmental health and testing protocols.
📈 Growth Opportunities:
Expand Government & Healthcare Contracts: With the rise in health regulations, targeting hospitals, schools, and government buildings could create new long-term clients.
Increase Marketing & Digital Presence: Enhancing SEO, local service ads, and partnerships with HVAC companies could increase lead flow.
💰💰💰 Deals $1m+ 💰💰💰
Business Name: Coffee Distribution Business
Revenue: $1,516,071
Asking Price: $1,500,000
Profit: $587,534 (Profit Margin = 38.7%)
Location: Pompano Beach, FL
Established: 1996
✅ Pros:
Established Customer Base & Brand Reputation: With nearly 30 years in business, the company has a loyal client base in offices, cafés, and retailers.
Large Asset Value Included in Sale: Comes with $500k worth of coffee equipment and $150k in inventory, reducing additional startup costs.
⚠️ Con:
B2B Sales Dependence: Revenue relies on business clients, meaning economic downturns or market shifts to remote work could impact orders.
📈 Growth Opportunities:
Expand Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Sales: Introducing an e-commerce model with subscriptions for home coffee deliveries could capture new revenue streams.
Develop Private Labeling Partnerships: White-labeling branded coffee for hotels, restaurants, and retail chains could boost long-term contract sales.
Bare Minimum Bulletin:
Note: This portion of the writeup is intended to be satirical. No one should ever listen to or follow this type of behavior. We are frankly surprised that anyone even reads these things.
With March Madness starting this week, I think we should do something for good. Sam and I have agreed to create a bracket, bet on every game, and for every loss, we’ll run one mile. This adds both a monetary risk and a physical one. (We’ll re-pick winners weekly so we can actively bet on teams that are still in the dance.)
I’ll place a live tracker at the end of each weekly writeup so you can see who’s going to have more money and who’s going to be in better shape after this week.
I guess the real question is: what is my work going to say when I have to go run mid-day? Do I need to lie and say it’s for “exercise”? Are they really going to believe the guy who says, “Running is for suckers” or “The only race I’m looking to win is a case race”?
Question Time:
Who do you think will have to run more miles?
Sam?
Vinny?
Neither—because they’re going to forget to fill out the bracket.
Neither—because they aren’t going to run regardless of what happens.
Looks like you’ll have to wait and see…
Note: This portion of the writeup is intended to be satirical. No one should ever listen to or follow this type of behavior. We are frankly surprised that anyone even reads these things.
💡 Cool Business Idea: Pool Service Scheduling App 🏊📅
We recently came across PetDesk, a scheduling app designed specifically for veterinarians. At first glance, it’s just Calendly—but because it’s marketed specifically for vets and includes pet-related features, it feels custom-built for them.
That got us thinking: what other industries rely on generic scheduling tools but could benefit from a hyper-specialized version?
One that immediately stood out? Pool service companies.
⬇️ Let’s break it down!
📌 The Problem: Pool Service Scheduling is a Mess
Most small and mid-sized pool service businesses struggle with:
❌ Manually tracking recurring maintenance schedules.
❌ Inefficient routing—techs drive back and forth between jobs.
❌ Customers forgetting service days, leading to missed visits.
❌ Billing issues—many still invoice manually.
💡 Solution: A pool service scheduling platform that:
✅ Automates weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly cleanings.
✅ Optimizes routes to reduce drive time.
✅ Sends customer reminders & service confirmations.
✅ Auto-bills customers after each visit.
💰 Monetization & Pricing Model
💵 Subscription Model:
$49/month per technician for small operators.
$149/month for multi-tech businesses.
Enterprise pricing for franchises & large operators.
📈 Add-On Revenue:
Credit card processing fees (small % per transaction).
Premium features (inventory tracking, expense management).
🛠️ Startup Costs (Lean MVP Model) 💰
Expense | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
ChatGPT API (AI Scheduling) | $20 |
Cursor AI Coding Assistant | $20 |
Hosting (Vercel, Supabase) | $25–$50 |
Web Scraping API (Weather Data for Scheduling) | $50–$100 |
Domain & SSL | $10 |
Stripe Fees (Per Transaction) | ~3% |
Total Monthly Cost | ~$150–$200 |
💡 For under $200/month, you can launch this niche scheduling platform.
📈 Revenue Projections
Scenario | Users | Monthly Revenue | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
Bad | 50 | $2,450 | $29,400 |
Good | 500 | $24,500 | $294,000 |
Great | 2,000 | $98,000 | $1.17M |
💡 With just 500 users, this is a $294K/year business.
🚀 Business Plan & Scaling Strategy
1️⃣ Launch MVP with Booking & Route Optimization – Focus on automating scheduling & billing first.
2️⃣ Target Small & Mid-Sized Pool Businesses – Market directly through Facebook groups, industry forums, and local trade shows.
3️⃣ Leverage Industry Partnerships – Partner with pool supply companies to promote the app.
4️⃣ Expand to Landscaping & Lawn Care – Once proven, expand into other service businesses that rely on recurring maintenance.
🔑 Why This Works
✅ Businesses Already Pay for Scheduling Tools – But they need something built specifically for them.
✅ Recurring Revenue Model – Every month, service businesses need the app to operate.
✅ Expands Beyond Pools – This can easily adapt to other service industries (lawn care, pest control, HVAC).
✅ Low Startup Cost, High Scale Potential – $200/month to start, but can scale into millions.
💰 ROI & Payback Period
At 50 users, you cover costs in the first month.
At 500 users, you’re hitting $300K+/year.
With national pool service partnerships, this could scale to $1M+ FAST.
This is Calendly for pool businesses—but with custom features they actually need. Would you build this? 🚀🏊💰
Corporate Memes: Click below to play the video on our Instagram account! |
Hope you enjoy this week's insights and happy deal hunting! Remember, if you find these updates helpful, share this newsletter with a friend!
🛠 USEFUL TOOLS 🛠
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