Inspired by Baton's owner success stories, here's how Duncan Scott went from 23 years of running FloorCare Specialists to a $3.1 million exit, a 5% stake, and a new commission sales role he loves.

About the Business

• Industry: Commercial & Specialty Flooring Services

• Location: Alpharetta, GA

• Sale price: $3.1 million

The Challenge: Ready for Retirement

After a 15-year corporate career, Duncan Scott founded Floor Care Specialists. But after 23 years, Duncan was ready for a change.

"I loved the business, I loved the employees, I loved the customers, but for me personally, it was time for a change." 

Duncan had already fended off years of inbound interest from what he called "the venture capitalist crowd," four or five emails a week that always ended in "not quite the right fit for us right now."

Many of his employees had been with him almost since day one, and some of his customers had stayed with him for all 23 years. So before he'd take any deal, Duncan had two non-negotiables. Any buyer had to:

1. Look after his employees and keep them on

2. Respect and protect the customer relationships he'd spent two decades building

Price mattered, but the right buyer mattered more, and for a specialized niche business like his, finding that buyer was going to be the real challenge.

"I want somebody who's gonna come in here and look after my employees, keep my employees, and I want someone who's gonna look after and respect the relationships that I have with my customers. I'm not gonna sell it to somebody who's not gonna do those two things."

From First Offer to Closing: How Baton Kept Duncan in Control

A retired friend gave Duncan advice that stuck: find a company that's good at representing small businesses. He found Baton that same night. From valuation to close, here’s how the process kept him in the driver's seat.

What happened at every stage

1. Valuation: The speed impressed him first. He uploaded his financials around 6 or 7 p.m. and was told he'd have something the next day "I sent a quick email, 10 minutes later I have a phone call with one of your representatives. And the next day I have a valuation." It solved a problem he'd been stuck on for months. He'd once asked a room of ten business-owner peers how to value his company, and they concluded all ten would land on a different number. With Baton, a deeper analysis got him to a number he was confident bringing to market.

2. Buyer Outreach: Baton put him in front of real, high-intent buyers fast. He interviewed somewhere between 20 and 30. His advisor, Serena, kept the process out of the "black box" so many sellers fear. "Everything was tracked, everything was monitored." The moment a buyer showed interest, a meeting was on the calendar. 

3. Offer Selection and Negotiation: Duncan's first offer was all cash, close in 30 to 60 days. But during a quality-of-earnings review, the buyer's CPA began quietly chipping the number down, "with the intention of whittling it down over a period of the next two to three weeks." When a call turned contentious, Duncan didn't flinch: "No, you're not the right buyer for me, so let's move on." He could say that because Baton had kept a second serious buyer in play. 

4. Diligence and Closing Support: The right buyer turned out to be Brendan, whose thoroughness won Duncan over. "He's very analytical, very bright, very quick, very responsive." Duncan never felt stranded. "It was never at any point did I feel unsupported, ever. Serena was always available."

The Results

Duncan sold FloorCare Specialists on his own terms to a buyer he trusted, with a structure that fit his life. The final deal came together in three parts: cash at close, a retained 5% equity position, and a 10% seller-finance note.

Through Baton's competitive outreach, intuitive platform, and end-to-end support, Duncan:

• Walked away from a deteriorating all-cash offer without losing momentum, because Baton kept a second qualified buyer engaged

• Closed with a buyer who met both of his non-negotiables, protecting his employees and his customer relationships

• Structured a deal across cash, equity, and a seller note that matched his goals rather than forcing an all-or-nothing exit

"I'm very pleased with how we did everything, because I get to stick around and stay involved, but I can do it as a salesperson now and not the full-time operations."

What's Next for Duncan?

Duncan didn't fully walk away. Instead, he went back to what he loved most. He stays on in a commission-based sales role, working from Florida, doing the customer-facing work that first drew him to business decades ago. He kept his equity, and he and his wife have started buying charter yachts in the British Virgin Islands. 

Months in, his two conditions have held. "My customers like him. My employees like him. So the two criteria that were very important to me were met."

But the best part isn't on any balance sheet. “I don't wake up in the middle of the night anymore worrying about this or that. I don't have those headaches. My blood pressure's a lot lower than it's been the last 23 years."

Advice and Lessons for Future Sellers

1. Get your tax house in order before you list. Duncan restructured to move his proceeds from ordinary income into capital-gains treatment, including an F-reorganization, and looked into a charitable remainder trust, though he ran out of runway to use it. His hardest-earned lesson is that bad advice is expensive. "My personal CPA gave me the wrong answer. And so he's no longer my personal CPA." His advice: "Get your ducks in a row, maybe even before you list."

2. You don't have to race to the bottom. The all-cash offer looked perfect until it started shrinking. Because Baton had built competition, Duncan had the leverage to walk. "I knew it was worth a hell of a lot more than what he was trying to pay for it... I'm not racing to zero with anybody."

3. Find a firm that actually represents small businesses. After years of PE inbound that never fit, the right partner made the difference. "Find somebody who knows what they're doing, who understands the market, who understands the buyers and the sellers, and can put you in front of a lot of people quickly. And Baton did that for me. I wholeheartedly recommend Baton.”