DJ Waddell is a Certified M&A Professional (CM&AP), licensed business broker, and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), and the principal of Waddell Mergers & Acquisitions in Fort Myers, Florida. He represents owners of lower middle market companies — generally $2M to $20M in revenue — across Southwest Florida and the Southeast.
The focus is sell-side. DJ works primarily with owners of home services and trades businesses — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, and landscaping — along with professional services firms and other established, cash-flowing companies. That specialization matters. He knows how strategic acquirers, private equity platforms, and individual buyers actually value recurring service agreements, fleet, licensing, and technician retention in these industries, and he knows what quietly erodes a multiple long before a buyer says it out loud.
Every engagement runs on the same four principles:
Confidentiality first. Your employees, customers, competitors, and vendors don't learn you're selling until you decide they should.
A defensible valuation, not a number to win the listing. You get the recast, the comps, and the math behind them.
Qualified buyers over buyer volume. Financially vetted buyers, including SBA 7(a)-ready individuals, family offices, and PE add-on groups.
Negotiation that survives diligence. A strong headline price means little if the structure, seller note, or escrow gives it back at closing.
For buyers: every listing DJ brings to market is priced off real recast financials and prepared for lender review, so you're not spending 60 days discovering the numbers don't hold.
Serving Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, and business owners throughout Florida and the Southeast.
Considering a sale in the next 6 to 36 months? Start with a confidential, no-obligation valuation conversation. Even if an exit is years away, knowing what your business is worth today — and the two or three things suppressing that number — is the highest-leverage hour you'll spend this year.
