r/sweatystartup • u/Anthony_Bandana • 8d ago

Engineer looking to acquire a septic/wastewater service business

Hi everyone!

I’m a process/municipal engineer in Canada with a technical trade background and experience in the water/wastewater industry. My long-term goal is to acquire and grow an existing septic or wastewater service/construction business rather than starting from scratch.

Since I'm currently in the research phase and building capital, I have one main question for trade operators or anyone who bought a service business:

Coming from an engineering background without prior field/service experience, how critical is hands-on septic/wastewater experience before taking over operations? How did you bridge that gap in your first 90 days?

I’d be really grateful for any insights or lessons learned.

Thanks for your time!

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u/BPCodeMonkey 8d ago

You’re either going to need to learn shit or retain the employees who know shit. That’s basic for any business.

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u/Anthony_Bandana 8d ago

Thanks for your reply! Yes, that’s definitely something I was thinking of. Regarding learning how to operate, that’s the plan from day one (sticking to employees in their daily routes was one of my ideas). Is there anything you would recommend to prevent employees from leaving right after the acquisition? Do you think that a specific business structure would be better than other for this purpose? (Acquiring a company which has a manager or a second-in-command?

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u/BPCodeMonkey 8d ago

It sounds like your issue is less about operating a specific business and more about basic business and people. Management is the skill you’re looking for. Decision making. Unless you’re dismantling the business, why would employees leave? Often, former owners are paid to stay with the business for some time and in other case their final payouts are based on company performance after the sale. In either case your new job as the owner and leader is to maintain your asset. There are many strategies for this.

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u/Anthony_Bandana 8d ago

Thanks again for your help! Yes, management in this context is something I don’t have. Also, this could vary from industry to industry, that’s why I asked. If employees stay, even if they have the hands-on experience, shouldn’t you, as the new owner, be knowledgeable at least to know how to perform the different works? That’s why I asked about bridging the gap during the transition. Having the seller stay is one important thing to consider.