Buying a manufacturing business in Orlando and Central Florida

• Products the company owns, with registered trademarks and documented designs that competitors can't easily copy.
• Several sales channels, so one retailer or marketplace can't sink the business by changing its terms.
• Steady reorders from long-standing accounts, and a few products that sell year after year without redesign.
• A known cost for each product, with prices that cover it after shipping and returns.
• Equipment and tooling that the company owns and maintains, including molds and dies kept at suppliers.
• Backup suppliers for key materials and parts.
• Production that runs without the owner on the floor.
• A customer email list and reviews that keep selling without constant advertising.

• Sales by product, channel and customer for three years. Trends matter: a product line that peaked two years ago may still be carrying today's numbers.
• Gross margin by product: what's left after materials, labor, shipping and returns.
• Trademarks, patents, domain names and marketplace accounts registered to the company. Marketplace accounts can be hard to transfer, so check each platform's rules.
• Product liability insurance and any claims, recalls or safety complaints.
• The equipment list and its condition, and tooling kept at suppliers, with proof the company owns it.
• Retailer agreements: chargebacks, return rights and payment terms.
• An inventory count, with slow-moving stock valued realistically.
• Test reports and certificates for products that need them.

• Which products make most of the profit?
• Who are your largest customers, and how long have they been buying from you?
• Does the company own the trademarks and designs?
• What's your backup if a key supplier can't deliver?
• Have you had any recalls, injuries or complaints about your products?
• How much do you spend on advertising for online sales?
• Who could run production if you stepped away?

This region covers Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Sumter and Marion counties: Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Sanford, Clermont, Leesburg, Ocala and the large retirement communities of Sumter and Lake counties. Tourism is what the area is best known for, built on the theme parks, the hotels, the vacation rental homes around Kissimmee and the Orange County Convention Center. It's far from the only business. The University of Central Florida and the military simulation and training offices near it support a technology base, and health care is a major employer.

Marion County is horse country, with thoroughbred farms around Ocala, and it has added warehouses and distribution centers along Interstate 75. Retirees in Sumter and Lake create steady demand for medical practices, home care, home maintenance and auto services. The building trades, restaurants, and companies that serve hotels and rental homes do well across the region.

Central Florida is inland, so storm surge isn't the worry it is on the coasts. Hurricanes still bring wind damage and flooding, though: Hurricane Ian flooded neighborhoods in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties in 2022. Ask whether the business or its customers were affected.

Tourism keeps demand steadier through the year than in markets that depend on winter residents, with busy stretches around school holidays. Hotels, parks and restaurants compete hard for workers, which pushes up wages for any company that hires hourly staff. New homes have spread fast in Osceola, south Lake and southeast Orange counties and around Ocala, so check whether a company's customers are in growing areas or older ones. Traffic on Interstate 4 limits how much ground a service company can cover in a day.