We Acquire Essential Services Businesses in South East Queensland

Lumina Ventures is a business acquisition firm founded by Sandi Xian (Canva, KPMG, Suncorp) and Marcus Hahnheuser (RACQ, Virgin Australia, ATO). We're a Brisbane-based couple acquiring one essential services business in South East Queensland in 2026. We also offer Business Audits to help owners grow EBITDA through AI, automation, and operational improvements.

We're seeking one established essential services business in South East Queensland. Target industries include HVAC & air conditioning, electrical (commercial), pest control, building management systems (BMS), fire protection services, plumbing, cleaning & facilities management, landscaping & grounds maintenance, IT services / managed service providers (MSP), and registered training organisations (RTOs, both domestic and CRICOS). Our criteria: EBITDA $400,000-$700,000, annual revenue $1.5M-$3M, 30%+ recurring revenue (50%+ preferred), 10+ years established, 5-25 employees, and an owner-operator looking to transition.

Our Business Audit ($6,500-$8,500) is a comprehensive operational assessment for essential services businesses. It covers AI and automation opportunity mapping, operational efficiency, cost reduction, software consolidation, owner-dependency reduction, resourcing, and financial improvements. You receive a 10-12 page professional report with a 30/90/180-day implementation roadmap. Whether you're preparing to sell or simply want a stronger, more profitable business, the audit gives you a concrete plan to grow your EBITDA. We limit audits to 5-6 per year.

We're not private equity or a roll-up fund. We're a local Brisbane couple who will personally operate the business we acquire. We care about legacy preservation, we'll work alongside your team, and we bring enterprise expertise from Canva, KPMG, Suncorp, RACQ, and Virgin Australia. We're transparent, fair, and committed to South East Queensland long-term.

Yes. We're pre-qualified buyers with capital ready and we respond to any IM or listing within 48 hours. We also offer Business Audits at special broker pricing ($3,500-$5,000) to help vendor clients optimise their business before going to market. We're happy to sign NDAs and work within your process.

The fastest way to get an indicative value for your business is to use our free Business Appraisal tool at luminaventures.com.au/business-appraisal. It takes 3–5 minutes and provides an EBITDA-based value range and exit-readiness score tailored to your industry and SEQ region. For a formal valuation, you would need a registered business valuer.

Exit-readiness is how prepared your business is to sell at its maximum value. It covers four areas: owner dependency (can the business run without you?), process documentation (are systems written down?), customer concentration (is revenue spread across many clients?), and technology (how scalable are your operations?). A business with high exit-readiness typically commands a higher EBITDA multiple and attracts more serious buyers.

Most small to medium business sales in Queensland take between 6 and 18 months from first approaching the market to settlement. The timeline depends on business complexity, buyer readiness, due diligence depth, and finance conditions. A well-prepared, exit-ready business typically transacts faster and with fewer price renegotiations.

In South East Queensland, HVAC and mechanical services businesses typically sell for 3.0x–5.0x EBITDA. Fire protection services businesses typically achieve 3.0x–5.0x EBITDA. Electrical contracting businesses typically trade at 3.0x–4.5x EBITDA. Pest control businesses, which often have strong recurring contract revenue, can achieve 3.5x–5.5x EBITDA. The actual multiple depends on recurring revenue percentage, owner-dependency, team stability, contract quality, and exit-readiness. Use our free Business Appraisal tool at luminaventures.com.au/business-appraisal for an indicative range specific to your business.

Yes. Our free Business Appraisal tool at luminaventures.com.au/business-appraisal covers cleaning & facilities management (typically 2.5x–4.0x EBITDA), landscaping & grounds maintenance (2.5x–3.5x EBITDA), and IT services / managed service providers (3.5x–6.0x EBITDA). It also covers HVAC, electrical, plumbing, pest control, fire protection, building management, and registered training organisations (RTOs, domestic and CRICOS) businesses across South East Queensland including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Logan, and Moreton Bay. The tool takes 3–5 minutes and provides an EBITDA-based value range and exit-readiness score.

Yes. Lumina Ventures is actively looking to acquire essential services businesses across all of South East Queensland, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Logan, Moreton Bay, and Redlands. We are a Brisbane-based firm and operate across the full SEQ region. Our free Business Appraisal tool supports all SEQ regions with location-specific benchmarks.

Start by getting a clear picture of your business from a buyer's perspective. Key steps: reduce owner dependency (the #1 deal-killer), document your processes and SOPs, consolidate your software and systems, ensure QBCC licence compliance (for trades), build recurring revenue, and address any customer concentration risks. Lumina Ventures offers a Business Audit ($6,500-$8,500) that covers all of these areas and gives you a prioritised 30/90/180-day roadmap to maximise your sale price. Most businesses need 6-12 months of preparation to achieve their best outcome.

Before selling a trades business in Queensland, focus on: (1) reducing owner dependency, because buyers pay less for businesses that can't run without the owner, (2) ensuring your QBCC licence is transferable and compliant, (3) documenting all processes and standard operating procedures, (4) cleaning up your financials with 3+ years of accountant-prepared statements, (5) building recurring revenue through service contracts and maintenance agreements, and (6) consolidating your technology stack. A Lumina Ventures Business Audit evaluates all of these areas and benchmarks your business against comparable recent sales in your industry and SEQ region.

The biggest levers for maximising your sale price are: increasing your EBITDA (through cost reduction, automation, and operational efficiency), reducing owner dependency, building a strong recurring revenue base, and presenting clean, well-documented operations. Businesses that are 'exit-ready' typically achieve 0.5x-1.0x higher EBITDA multiples than comparable businesses that go to market unprepared. Lumina Ventures' Business Audit identifies specific, costed improvements. Most clients find $50-150K in annual EBITDA improvements through AI, automation, cost reduction, and software consolidation alone.

Yes. Plumbing businesses in South East Queensland typically achieve 2.5x–4.0x EBITDA multiples, with higher multiples for businesses with strong service agreements and commercial client bases. Electrical businesses (commercial focus) typically achieve 3.0x–4.5x EBITDA. If your plumbing or electrical business has EBITDA of $400K–$700K and is located in SEQ, we'd encourage you to start a confidential conversation with us or use our free Business Appraisal tool to get an indicative value range.