AI-Driven Pre-Sale Value Optimisation

Use AI and Automation to Increase EBITDA Before You Sell

We deploy targeted AI and automation into owner-led businesses to improve profitability, reduce operational risk, and position the company for a stronger exit.

For owner-led service businesses ($10M–$30M revenue) considering a sale in the next 1–3 years.

Valuation Is Determined by More Than Earnings

In a transaction, buyers are not simply acquiring earnings. They are underwriting sustainability, transferability, and risk.

Two businesses with similar EBITDA will often transact at materially different valuations.

The difference is typically driven by:

Earnings quality and consistency

Operational structure and visibility

Reliance on key individuals

Process maturity and repeatability

These factors are assessed rigorously during diligence and directly influence both valuation and deal certainty. AI and automation can address every one of them — systematically and within a pre-sale timeframe.

Where AI and Automation Create Value

We identify the operational areas where AI can deliver measurable EBITDA improvement — not as a technology project, but as a commercial intervention with clear financial outcomes.

Service Delivery Automation

Automating scheduling, dispatching, and job allocation to reduce idle time, improve utilisation, and lower the cost of each job delivered.

Workforce Scheduling & Utilisation

AI-driven rostering and demand forecasting to match labour to workload — reducing overtime, underutilisation, and reliance on manual coordination.

Quoting, Billing & Revenue Capture

Automated quoting engines and billing workflows that eliminate revenue leakage, accelerate cash collection, and improve margin accuracy.

Financial Reporting & Visibility

Real-time dashboards and automated reporting that give buyers confidence in earnings quality and reduce diligence friction.

Customer Handling & Response

AI-assisted triage, follow-up automation, and response management that reduce customer churn and lower the cost of service.

Process Standardisation

Replacing ad-hoc, owner-dependent processes with documented, automated workflows — directly reducing key-person risk.

Each implementation is selected for its direct impact on EBITDA. We do not deploy AI for its own sake — only where the financial case is clear and the improvement is measurable.

What the Improvements Look Like

AI implementations translate into measurable operational and financial gains that buyers can verify during diligence.

Operational Gains

Reduced labour cost per unit of output

Lower variability in service delivery

Faster quoting-to-cash cycles

Decreased reliance on manual coordination

Automated compliance and documentation

Reflected In

Higher EBITDA

Direct cost reduction and revenue improvement

Greater earnings reliability

Reduced volatility through automated, repeatable processes

Lower key-person risk

Operations that run on systems, not individuals

Increased buyer confidence

Transparent, auditable performance data

From Assessment to Exit

Our engagement follows a defined process — from initial assessment through AI implementation, EBITDA improvement, and optionally, buyer sourcing and sale.

01

Assess

A detailed review of financial performance, operational workflows, and organisational structure to identify where AI and automation will have the greatest impact on EBITDA.

02

Implement

Targeted deployment of AI and automation across the areas identified — service delivery, scheduling, quoting, reporting, and customer handling. Each implementation has a defined financial objective.

03

Improve

Ongoing measurement of EBITDA uplift as implementations take effect. Refinement of systems and processes to maximise financial impact over the engagement period.

04

Evidence

Building a clear, auditable record of improved performance — earnings quality, operational consistency, and reduced risk — that will withstand buyer scrutiny during diligence.

05

Position & Exit

Preparation for transaction, including alignment with buyer expectations. Where engaged to do so, we source buyers, manage the sale process, and support negotiation through to completion.

Illustrative Scenarios

Every business is different — in structure, maturity, and the operational issues that suppress its value. The scenarios below illustrate the types of improvements that are possible when AI and automation are applied to common operational challenges. They are not projections or guarantees.

Facilities & Building Services

Cost Reduction

Scenario: $22M facilities company

AI scheduling, automated billing, and real-time dashboards addressed overtime waste, revenue leakage, and reporting gaps — the types of issues common in multi-site facilities operations.

Read full scenario

HVAC, Electrical & Plumbing

Cost Reduction

Scenario: $17M HVAC & electrical contractor

Optimised dispatching, automated quoting, and job-level costing targeted the margin erosion and founder dependency typical of trade services businesses at this scale.

Read full scenario

Field Service & Maintenance

Cost Reduction

Scenario: $14M equipment maintenance company

Digital job management and AI-driven scheduling addressed paper-based processes, unbilled work, and the reactive operations that suppress margins in maintenance businesses.

Read full scenario

Industrial & Commercial Services

Cost Reduction

Scenario: $28M industrial services provider

Digital compliance, AI labour scheduling, and project cost tracking tackled the complexity, compliance risk, and margin erosion common in large industrial service operations.

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Route-Based Services

Cost Reduction

Scenario: $12M pest control & grounds maintenance

AI route optimisation, automated upsells, and customer communication addressed the compounding inefficiencies that erode margins across route-based service models.

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Facilities & Building Services

Revenue Growth

Scenario: AI voice agents for lead conversion

A $19M facilities company deployed AI voice agents to capture after-hours enquiries 24/7, qualify leads instantly, and book site inspections — turning missed calls into new contracts.

Read full scenario

HVAC, Electrical & Plumbing

Revenue Growth

Scenario: Predictive maintenance upselling

A $15M HVAC contractor used AI to analyse service history and convert reactive repair customers into recurring maintenance agreements — shifting the revenue mix toward predictable income.

Read full scenario

Field Service & Maintenance

Revenue Growth

Scenario: AI-driven retention & contract expansion

A $16M maintenance company deployed AI churn prediction and automated contract expansion — reducing customer losses and growing average contract value from the existing base.

Read full scenario

Industrial & Commercial Services

Revenue Growth

Scenario: AI tender response automation

A $24M industrial services provider used AI to triple tender response capacity — winning more contracts without adding headcount by automating bid writing, pricing, and compliance.

Read full scenario

Route-Based Services

Revenue Growth

Scenario: AI outbound sales for territory expansion

A $10M pest control company used AI voice agents and hyper-local digital campaigns to expand into adjacent suburbs — building a repeatable growth playbook.

Read full scenario

These scenarios are illustrative and based on composites of common operational patterns. They are not case studies of specific clients, and the figures shown are not guaranteed outcomes. Every business has a unique set of circumstances, and results will vary depending on the nature, scale, and complexity of the issues involved.

Is This You?

You have built a profitable business, but you know it is not fully optimised. Processes still depend on you. Visibility across operations is limited. Workflows are admin-heavy, and the team coordinates through habit rather than systems.

The business works — but it would not withstand buyer scrutiny in its current state. You are thinking about selling in the next one to three years, and you want the business to be worth materially more when you do.

Revenue

$10M – $30M

EBITDA

$1.5M – $5M

Team Size

30 – 150+

Business Characteristics

Founder or owner-led, with meaningful day-to-day involvement

Service-based or field-driven operations with recurring work

Processes not fully systemised or documented

Limited financial and operational visibility

Profitable, but not yet optimised for sale

Considering a sale or exit within 1–3 years

Common Sectors

Facilities and building services

HVAC, electrical, plumbing (at scale)

Field service and maintenance companies

Industrial and commercial service providers

Route-based services (pest control, landscaping, waste)

Commercial Structure

Our fees are structured around the value we create. We are paid for results, not activity.

1

AI Implementation Fees

Project-based

We are paid for the AI and automation solutions we build and deploy into your business. These are scoped, costed, and delivered against defined operational objectives.

2

Performance Fee on EBITDA Improvement

Results-linked

A percentage of the measurable EBITDA uplift achieved during the engagement. We only earn this when the improvement is real and evidenced.

3

Commission on Business Sale

Success-based

Where we are engaged to source buyers and manage the sale process, we earn a commission on the completed transaction. This component is optional and agreed separately.

This structure ensures our interests are aligned with yours at every stage — from implementation through to exit.

Value Is Created Before the Sale Process Begins

Once a business is in market, there is limited opportunity to address structural issues. Buyers will assess the business as presented and price risk accordingly.

AI implementations require time to deploy, embed, and demonstrate impact. The earlier the engagement, the stronger the financial evidence available at the point of sale.

Engaging 6–24 months ahead of a sale allows:

AI-driven improvements to be implemented and measured

EBITDA uplift to be demonstrated over multiple reporting periods

Operational risk to be reduced and evidenced prior to diligence

The business to present as systematised, not owner-dependent

This materially influences both valuation multiples and transaction certainty.

Commercial Outcomes, Enabled by AI

This is not an AI initiative. It is a commercial engagement to improve your EBITDA and position your business for the best possible transaction outcome.

AI and automation are the mechanism — the means by which cost is reduced, efficiency is gained, and operational risk is removed. The objective is financial, not technological.

Every implementation we deploy is selected for its impact on earnings quality. If it does not improve EBITDA or strengthen the business for sale, we do not do it.

Initial Discussion

We begin with a confidential discussion to understand:

Current performance, team structure, and operational pain points

Where AI and automation could have the greatest EBITDA impact

Your timeline for a sale and what "ready" looks like for your business

This allows us to determine whether a meaningful improvement in EBITDA and exit value can be achieved.