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A Gulf Coast electrical contractor acquired for about $1.7M, then rebuilt around service work, marketing, and tighter operating discipline.
Purchase price: about $1.7M
An acquisition can buy you decades of customer memory and still leave you with lawsuits, stale reviews, thin working capital, and a silent phone; diligence the operating reality as hard as the seller's numbers.
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Zach, a Navy veteran, explored business listings on BizBuySell, and bought Jeff Masters Electric, a long-running Florida electrical contractor, in 2025. The roughly $1.7M purchase was in his target range. He used an SBA 7(a) loan, put in $83,500, and the seller contributed another 5%; Zach bought out that stake three months after closing. The deal took nine months to close. Zach and his wife joined the company, which had ten employees, and inherited a difficult handoff, two lawsuits, aging vehicles, sparse materials, customer concentration, and a weak review profile. The seller transition was expected to last three months but lost momentum within weeks. After closing, the phone stayed quiet for several months. Zach spent time in the field with crews, tracked leads and job economics in spreadsheets, and began using Facebook ads. He reported revenue growth of 29% year over year; the host later summarized the figure as 27%, so the precise growth rate is inconsistent in the conversation. The business is developing generator and new-construction divisions and wants to expand across Florida once it has a stronger operating lead. The story is a useful acquisition case because growth followed real operational cleanup, not a turnkey handoff.
Jeff Masters Electric’s inherited customer base is valuable only if people know who answers the phone now. Zach kept the old number, and panel stickers installed as far back as 1987 still brought in calls, but he also describes several months when work was quiet after closing.
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Data credibility: Founder interview; Zach reported 29% year-over-year revenue growth, while the host later referred to 27%, so the stated rate is inconsistent. The transcript provides no revenue dollars, profit, or margin and shows no financial statements or third-party verification. The purchase, debt, staffing, and operating figures are founder-reported; treat them as self-reported rather than audited.
For this acquired contractor, make first cash a dispatch and collection problem. Keep the legacy phone number live, route calls to someone who can schedule quickly, and put the technicians on profitable service work before spending heavily on a rebrand or expansion.
The compounding loop for Jeff Masters Electric is local trust converted into repeat service, then into enough booked work to keep good crews and vehicles productive.
A quiet phone after an acquisition can make every decision feel like a verdict, so give the team a short operating cadence instead of waiting for a dramatic breakthrough.
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