Buying a manufacturing business in Southwest 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 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.