Most owners find out what their business is worth at the worst possible moment.

Usually it's when an offer arrives unsolicited, or a partner wants out, or something in their life changes and the decision can't wait. By then the number is whatever it is. There's no time left to change it.

A rough number three years out is worth more than an exact one the week you need it.

How value gets determined

Any credible opinion of value for a business this size starts with the market approach and tests it against at least one other.

MARKET APPROACH

What comparable businesses actually sold for, applied as a multiple of your earnings. The main method at your size, because it's anchored to real sales.

INCOME APPROACH

Value based on the cash your business is expected to generate. A strong cross-check, and the lead method when growth outpaces history.

  • BOV - Broker’s Opinion of Value — $2,500

    What the business is worth today, and why.

    Someone made an offer and you have no idea whether it's reasonable. Or you're trying to figure out whether the timing works. Either way, you need a number you can plan around.

    • Three years of financials recast and normalized

    • Seller's discretionary earnings or adjusted EBITDA established, with a full add-back schedule

    • Market approach applied using comparable transaction data

    • A value range with the reasoning behind it — not a single number

    • Written report, delivered within 15 business days

    • A call to walk through the findings

    For owners who need a realistic number: to plan, to test an offer that arrived out of nowhere, or to decide whether the timing works.

  • Value & Opportunity Report — $5,500

    What the business is worth today, and what would make it worth more.

    Most owners assume the sale price is the number that matters. It isn't — how much of it arrives as cash at closing matters just as much, and so does which parts of the business are quietly holding the multiple down.

    • Everything in the Opinion of Value

    • Two approaches to value, with the difference explained

    • Value driver analysis — owner dependency, customer concentration, recurring revenue, margin trend, management depth, and how each is affecting your multiple

    • Deal structure view — how much of the value typically arrives as cash at closing, and how much doesn't

    • Scenario modeling — what the business is worth if your top two drivers improve

    • Buyer landscape — who would realistically acquire this business, and how different buyers would value it differently

    • A prioritized roadmap of what to address first

    • A 90-minute working session rather than a delivery call

    For owners two to five years out who want to increase the number before they sell — and for owners who aren't selling at all, but want to know which levers actually move value.

    $2,750 of the fee is credited toward a sell-side engagement if you decide to move forward. The credit doesn't apply to buy-side or advisory engagements.

    If you need a valuation for tax, legal, or lending purposes

    These reports are planning instruments. They are not certified appraisals, and they aren't prepared to the standards the IRS, a court, or a lender will require. If you need a valuation for estate or gift tax planning, a shareholder dispute, a divorce, or SBA or bank financing, you need a credentialed appraiser — tell us and we'll point you to one.

Why we charge for this

Most firms in this business will give you a number for free. That's not generosity — it's a sales call, and the number at the end of it is set by what will win the listing, not by what the business is worth. Owners have been told a high number, signed a twelve-month agreement, and spent a year discovering the market disagreed.

We charge because it removes that incentive entirely. We have no reason to inflate the number, and no reason to talk you into a process you aren't ready for. If the answer is that you should wait three years, we'll tell you that — and you'll have paid for a useful answer instead of a free one that cost you a year.

Not ready for that yet?

That's fine. Many owners, whether they're thinking about selling or buying, want to do some homework first.

We've put together free tools to help you get the facts, form your own view, and come to the conversation with better questions.

Start with a quick self-assessment, or browse our checklists and guides - all our found on our Resources page

Get Started