1. Start with the business –  Value Drivers:  Size, growth rate, management, niche, history –  Value Detractors:  Customer concentration Poor financials Outdated M&E Few assets Lack of agreements with employees, customers, suppliers Poor exit possibilities Small market Potential technology changes Product or service very price sensitive 2. Financial analysis: Market Value – comparables Multiple of Earnings – based […]

“There are many reasons for valuing an entity, and those circumstances can lead to different outcomes…For instance, a business’s value for sale on a going-concern basis will differ from its value for liquidation purposes.  It similarly makes a difference if the valuation is for an orderly liquidation as opposed to a forced one.  For example, […]

Many courts and the Internal Revenue Service have defined fair market value as: “The amount at which property would exchange between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell and both having a reasonable knowledge of relevant facts.” You may have to read this several times to […]

Is there pricing elasticity? What’s proprietary? What’s the company’s competitive advantage? Status of employment agreements and non-competes? Post-Acquisition: Are there cost savings after purchase? Are there significant capital expenditures pending? Is there synergy with the seller? Is it perceived the integration will go smoothly? Are there substantial cross-selling possibilities? Will the cultures blend? The Financials: […]

What is the value of your business? There are many ways to approach that question — based on complex formulas or just a good hard look at the balance sheet, but no answer based purely on numbers is going to be exactly right. Even factoring in that most popular of abstracts — goodwill — the […]

This question can only be answered by addressing other related questions, specifically: Who’s asking and for what purpose? From the perspective of the owner, prospective buyers, the IRS, lenders and divorce & bankruptcy courts, the value of a business for purposes of a sale, estate planning, orderly or forced liquidation, gifting, divorce, etc. can be […]

If you are considering entering the world of franchising, an important consideration is assessing the value of the business. All of the following factors either affect or help determine valuations of typical franchise operations: 1. Franchise Agreements: Typically, franchise agreements can cover a period of twenty years; sometimes with added options. In most situations where […]