💒 Wedding Services Business Making $190k/yr!

Here’s what we have for you today:

Cool Business Idea: 

Concrete Leveling ⚠️

Confusing Corporate Sayings:

“We’re all wearing multiple hats here.”

Professional Translation
“Our team is versatile and resourceful.“

Corporate Pivot Translation
“We’re understaffed, and everyone is doing three people's jobs.“

Sam’s Perspective (1st Time Buyer)

🆕 Status Update: Automations

This week, I worked with a prospective business that Tyler and I are considering investing in. This opportunity is unique because it’s a minority investment with someone we know well, and they’ve asked for help implementing automations into their business. I nerd out on systems and automations in my free time, so this is a total win-win: I get to do something I enjoy, and it increases the business’s value if we invest.

I use Make.com for automations, Airtable (which is basically Excel on steroids), and good ol’ Outlook. The first project we’re tackling is setting up a CRM and automating emails to go out 90, 60, and 30 days before a client’s recertification is due. The data for these automations is pulled straight from Calendly when someone books. This business is fantastic because clients are required to recertify every two years, practically guaranteeing repeat customers. However, there was no system in place to track clients or encourage them to return. That’s where the automation comes in—personalized emails sent automatically save the business owner tons of time while boosting retention.

Another request was for one-time-use discount codes, which were previously too time-consuming to create manually. With the new automation, personalized codes can now be generated directly within the emails, making it easy to drive repeat business. It’s a simple change but provides immediate value, which made it an easy “yes” for the owner.

Automations, systems, and technology are huge components of what we plan to bring to any business we buy. They don’t just save time—they drive growth, improve efficiency, and add value.
Automations, systems, and technolgy are a uhge components that we plan to add to any business that we buy.

Tyler’s Perspective (Experienced Buyer)

🚨 Update of the Week: Well, as we talked about before, the holidays bring people together. This past week I was visiting my better half’s family as we were in town for an event. I guess I should take my own advice and pay better attention to the people around me as possible operators. As it turns out, I was talking to my girlfriend’s dad and he is looking to make a switch from his current position. Throughout his career he has worked in the same industry, and at one point ran his own small business in the industry before jumping back to the corporate world. Not only is he interested in getting back to the ownership side, but he is interested in being an operator and has other recommendations in the event we need multiple. It looks like I will have plenty of work to do over the holidays now, but it’s a nice early present to be able to narrow in on some searches. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

💰 Deals < $500k 💰

Business Name: Wedding Services Business
Revenue: $300,000
Asking Price: $390,000
Profit: $190,000 (Profit Margin = 63.3%)
Location: Key West, FL
Established: 2004

✅ Pros:

• Established Reputation: Over 20 years in the business has built trust, vendor relationships, and a loyal customer base, making it easier to maintain consistent bookings.

• Low Overhead: Minimal rental and inventory requirements mean higher profit margins and reduced operational complexity.

⚠️ Cons:

• Highly Seasonal Business: Demand may fluctuate significantly depending on the tourist season and local wedding trends.

📈 Growth Opportunities:

• Destination Marketing: Expand social media campaigns targeting couples seeking destination weddings to drive additional bookings.

• Value-Added Services: Introduce premium packages, such as all-inclusive décor and planning, to increase revenue per customer.

💰💰 Deals $500k - $2m 💰💰

Business Name: Commercial Cleaning Services
Revenue: $1,600,000
Asking Price: $1,250,000
Profit: $410,000 (Profit Margin = 25.6%)
Location: Wake County, NC
Established: Recent

✅ Pros:

• Diverse Client Base: No single client accounts for more than 8% of revenue, reducing dependency on any single contract.

• Rapid Growth: Adding 2-5 new buildings per month demonstrates scalability and strong market demand.

⚠️ Cons:

• Labor Intensive: Managing a workforce of 40 employees may present challenges in retention, training, and payroll management.

📈 Growth Opportunities:

• Specialized Cleaning Services: Expand post-construction cleaning or introduce eco-friendly cleaning options to attract premium clients.

• Franchise Potential: Systematize operations and offer franchise opportunities to scale the business regionally.

💰💰💰 Deals $2m-$10m 💰💰💰

Business Name: Municipal Landscaping Business
Revenue: $2,600,000
Asking Price: $2,500,000
Profit: $700,000 (Profit Margin = 26.9%)
Location: King County, WA
Established: N/A

✅ Pros:

• Recession-Proof Contracts: A majority of clients are municipalities, ensuring steady income even during economic downturns.

• Strong Backlog: Over $2 million in upcoming projects provides immediate income for the new owner.

⚠️ Cons:

• Project-Based Revenue: Dependence on winning new bids may lead to inconsistent cash flow.

📈 Growth Opportunities:

• Private Sector Expansion: Diversify revenue by targeting private sector clients and expanding marketing efforts.

• Recurring Maintenance Contracts: Offer ongoing maintenance services to establish recurring revenue streams.

**If today is your first day reading, go to Chapter Recaps to get up to speed!

The Lean Startup: Ch. 11 Recap

Chapter 11 is all about adapting and moving away from the chaos of large, slow batches toward smaller, iterative ones. It’s like realizing your group project strategy from high school—"just wing it"—won’t cut it when real stakes are involved.

Eric Ries walks us through the painful lessons of when startups grow and need some structure but can’t drown in bureaucracy. At IMVU, he learned you can’t just wing it forever; startups need "adaptive organizations" that organically evolve their processes. Think training programs, feedback loops, and yes, even speed regulators to avoid crashing the whole operation.

QuickBooks serves as the cautionary tale here: stuck in waterfall-style annual product launches that basically “achieved failure” by shipping giant updates no one wanted, late feedback and all. It took three years for them to embrace smaller batches, shorter cycles, and upfront customer involvement. Big lesson? Don’t treat customer feedback as an afterthought, and for the love of startups, don’t over-plan. Instead, focus on small, cross-functional teams, faster feedback, and ideas that come from your customers and employees working together.

Oh, and don’t forget the Five Whys—the tool every over-curious toddler already knows. Ask "why" five times to find the root cause of problems. But beware: if your team starts pointing fingers and playing the “Five Blames” game, shame on you for making it so easy to mess up in the first place. The solution? Make mistakes once, learn from them, and build trust so everyone works together to fix bad processes—not blame bad people.

At its heart, Chapter 11 reminds us that speed is critical, but so is quality. Shortcuts today will slow you down tomorrow, so take the time to build systems that grow with your team and your customers. QuickBooks got there eventually, and so can you.

Read more at corppivot.com!