Buying a consulting firm in Southwest Florida

• Multi-year contracts or retainers, not only one-off projects that end and have to be replaced.
• Clients who work with several people at the firm, not just the owner.
• A known specialty that brings referrals and repeat work without constant selling.
• Staff kept busy on billable work, at rates that have risen over time.
• Written methods, templates and tools, so quality doesn't depend on one person's memory.
• For government work, contract vehicles (pre-approved contracts that agencies can order from) with several years left to run.
• A second-in-command who already leads client work and wants to stay.
• Revenue from more than one or two clients or agencies.

• Revenue by client and by consultant for three years. If one person's name sits next to most of the revenue, the price and transition plan should reflect it.
• How much revenue the owner personally brings in and bills, and how long they'll stay to hand it over.
• Contracts: time left, option years, and what happens if ownership changes. Moving a federal contract to a new company in an asset purchase needs the government's approval (novation).
• Independent contractors: whether they're classified correctly and have signed over the rights to their work.
• Utilization (the share of staff time that's billed) and the rates actually collected.
• Open proposals and how often the firm wins.
• Professional liability insurance and any disputes with clients.
• For defense work, the firm's CMMC cybersecurity status. From November 10, 2026, the Defense Department plans to require third-party assessments for many contracts involving controlled unclassified information.

• Which clients would follow you if you left?
• Besides you, who leads client work today?
• How much work depends on the firm's size or on certifications tied to you?
• When do your main contracts end or come up for rebid?
• How do new clients find you?
• What would it take to replace you?
• Have clients ever disputed the work or a bill?

This region covers Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties on the Gulf coast and Hendry, Glades and DeSoto inland: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, LaBelle, Clewiston, Moore Haven and Arcadia. The coastal economy runs on people who choose to live or spend the winter here: retirees, seasonal residents, and the construction, real estate, health care, financial and home services that follow them. Tourism, golf and boating add to it.

Inland, the economy is agricultural: sugarcane around Clewiston, citrus, cattle and vegetables, with Immokalee in Collier County a center for farm work. The building trades, pool, landscaping and pest control companies, property managers, medical and dental practices, and marine businesses tend to do well along the coast.

This is one of Florida's most seasonal markets. From roughly January through April, restaurants, shops and service companies run at full speed. Summers are slower, so look at monthly revenue, not only the yearly total. The coast has taken two major hurricanes in recent years: Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa in Lee County in September 2022, and Milton at Siesta Key in Sarasota County in October 2024. Rebuilding brought a wave of work for contractors that won't last forever, so ask how much recent revenue came from storm repairs. Insurance costs and flood zones weigh on every property.

Housing costs near the coast make hiring hard, especially around Naples. New communities east of Interstate 75 in Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Manatee keep service companies busy.