Think Amelia is an independent research institute for small and mid-sized business opportunity in Northeast Florida. We find the gaps, test them against hard numbers, and structure them into businesses with real margins, real moats and a clear path to exit.
Every thesis we publish starts as a question about a local market, and it has to survive our full method before we call it an opportunity.
Many profitable trades and service firms in Northeast Florida are run by owners nearing retirement who have no successor and no exit plan. We map which categories carry the most succession risk, what those businesses are actually worth, and which structures (owner-stays-on, seller financing, buy-and-build) let a sale close without leaving value on the table.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Nassau County, Florida, Vintage 2024 population estimates. census.gov/quickfacts
Each program is a standing area of research. We track it continuously, so when an opportunity shows up we already know the market.
Finding profitable owner-operated businesses with no exit plan, and structuring transitions where the seller, the buyer and the employees all come out ahead.
Recurring-revenue categories driven by coastal climate, new construction and an aging housing stock: water, envelope, pest, pools and maintenance.
Nearly one in four Nassau residents is 65 or older. We study the services their families will pay for, from care coordination to household administration.
New rooftops arrive before new businesses do. We map where demand is landing in Yulee, along SR-200 and US-17, and north Duval, ahead of the supply.
Seasonality, short-term rentals, hospitality labor and the island’s premium consumer. We look for the businesses that win in the off-season, too.
How a 10-person company runs like a 30-person one. We build and test the automation, intake and back-office systems that make lean businesses possible.
An opportunity isn’t real until it has cleared the numbers, the competition, the regulations, the operating model and the exit. Every engagement runs through the same eight-stage process, and every stage produces something you can use.
Demographics, permits, listings, reviews and owner-age data that point to an underserved market.
Bottom-up estimate of local buyers, frequency and spend. No borrowed national averages.
Every existing player, their pricing, reputation, capacity and the weak spot in their service.
Pricing, cost of delivery, labor, customer acquisition cost and margin at three volume levels.
What stops a competitor from copying it: licensing, relationships, data, reviews, contracts or scale.
Licensing, permitting, insurance and compliance requirements checked against current rules.
Start, buy or partner. Deal terms, seller financing and owner roles that limit cash at risk.
A lean operating model built on systems, plus the buyer profile and exit timeline from day one.
We rate each opportunity on six factors. A high score on demand alone isn’t enough: an idea with no moat or no path to a buyer doesn’t move forward, however popular it is.
Illustrative example · not a live client score
“No one cares more about your business than you. Our job is to care about the numbers just as much.”
Dan Streitz spent thirteen years building a multi-location healthcare group from the ground up. He opened two locations, acquired and merged six practices into them, built a reputation that grew from zero to nearly 1,000 Google reviews, and exited by selling to his partners. He has also exited multiple startups.
That operating background is the basis for Think Amelia. Dan has done the acquisitions, integrations, hiring, marketing and financial modeling himself, and he has negotiated a sale. He uses AI-driven research and automation to analyze markets at a depth that small businesses have never been able to afford, then turns the findings into businesses built to run on systems instead of the owner’s hours.
Dan also holds a Florida real estate license and runs Drop Bear Digital, a practice that helps small businesses with growth and ownership transitions.
We take on a small number of engagements at a time, so each one gets the full method. Our work is confidential: research we do for a client is never published without their approval.
Find the next stage of growth, prepare the business for a buyer, or plan your own exit on your timeline.
Independent diligence on a local acquisition or market entry, from someone who has operated in the same environment.
Commissioned research on local demand, workforce and service gaps for organizations planning around growth.
One question, answered. A focused analysis of a single market, business or idea, with a go or no-go recommendation and the numbers behind it.
The full eight-stage method: market model, competitor dossier, financial model, compliance map, deal structure and operating playbook.
For opportunities we believe in, we stay on through launch or acquisition and help build the systems, team and reporting that let it run.
A short monthly note on the opportunities, data and shifts we’re tracking across Nassau County and North Florida.
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