How to establish a fair valuation when buying a business (2024)

Earnings are key to valuation

The most common method used to determine a fair sale price for a business is calculating a multiple of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), which is a measure of a company’s ability to generate operating earnings.

The multiples vary by industry and could be in the range of three to six times EBITDA for a small to medium sized business, depending on market conditions. Many other factors can influence which multiple is used, including goodwill, intellectual property and the company’s location.

After arriving at the EBITDA based figure, a professional business valuator typically seeks to confirm it by applying other valuation approaches—first, calculating the value of the company’s tangible and intangible assets and, second, checking what comparable businesses sold for.

How is a company valued?

Professional valuators typically use a mix of three methods to confirm the value of a business.

  1. Income-based approach—calculating a multiple of EBITDA
  2. Assets-based approach—calculating the value of tangible and intangible assets
  3. Market-based approach—checking what comparable companies sold for

Part science, part art

If the three valuation approaches yield different numbers, the valuator investigates why and may adjust the EBITDA multiple, if appropriate. This requires a lot of judgement and estimates.

A business may also be more valuable in pieces than as a whole. For example, you may find the target company’s real estate holdings more attractive as an asset than the entire business.

Differing expectations can cause conflict

Complicating matters is the fact that many entrepreneurs have an unrealistic idea of how much their company is worth.

This means you, as a potential buyer, may have a different value in mind than the company’s owner. That can cause conflict and derail a potential acquisition.

Because of the complexity and stakes, it can be very helpful for both sides to hire a professional valuator to set a fair price for the company. (It can also be helpful to consult a tax expert, who can explain how the various valuation options impact your tax liability in the purchase.)

An outside valuation may also help you identify weaknesses in the finances of the acquisition target and show you ways to maximize its value after the transaction goes through.

Finally, keep in mind that the price you finally settle on may differ from the appraised market value and can be affected by unexpected factors. For example, you may decide to pay a premium for the business because it’s a good fit with your existing company’s culture or because of competing bids.

How to establish a fair valuation when buying a business (2024)

FAQs

How to establish a fair valuation when buying a business? ›

The most common method used to determine a fair sale price for a business is calculating a multiple of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), which is a measure of a company's ability to generate operating earnings.

How do you calculate fair value of a business? ›

DCF is the most widely accepted method to calculate the fair value of a company. It is based on the premise that the fair value of a company is the total value of its future free cash flows (FCF) discounted back to today's prices. FCF is the company's incoming cash flows less its cash expenses.

How do you calculate what a business is worth to buy? ›

Take your total assets and subtract your total liabilities. This approach makes it easy to trace to the valuation because it's coming directly from your accounting/record keeping.

How much is a business worth with $1 million in sales? ›

The Revenue Multiple (times revenue) Method

A venture that earns $1 million per year in revenue, for example, could have a multiple of 2 or 3 applied to it, resulting in a $2 or $3 million valuation. Another business might earn just $500,000 per year and earn a multiple of 0.5, yielding a valuation of $250,000.

How do you evaluate if a company is worth buying? ›

Discounted cash flow analysis is the process of estimating the value of a company or investment based on the money, or cash flows, it's expected to generate in the future. Discounted cash flow analysis calculates the present value of future cash flows based on the discount rate and time period of analysis.

What is the rule of thumb for valuing a business? ›

A common rule of thumb is assigning a business value based on a multiple of its annual EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). The specific multiple used often ranges from 2 to 6 times EBITDA depending on the size, industry, profit margins, and growth prospects.

How many times profit is a business worth? ›

The FME used in the valuation can be based on net profit after tax or alternatives to this such as EBIT or EBITDA. EBIT multiples can range from 0.8 times FME to over 5 times, depending upon the industry, performance, and relative risk of the subject business.

How much is a business worth that makes 100k a year? ›

Business Value Based on Sales

For example, if you are selling a law firm that made $100,000 in annual sales, the industry sales multiplier is 1.03, and the approximate value is $100,000 (x) 1.03 = $103,000.

How much is a business worth based on revenue? ›

Times-revenue is calculated by dividing the selling price of a company by the prior 12 months revenue of the company. The result indicates how many times of annual income a buyer was willing to pay for a company.

How does Shark Tank calculate valuation? ›

A revenue valuation, which considers the prior year's sales and revenue and any sales in the pipeline, is often determined. The Sharks use a company's profit compared to the company's valuation from revenue to come up with an earnings multiple.

How much is a business worth with $500,000 in sales? ›

Use Revenue or Earnings as Your Guide

For example, if the industry standard is "three times sales" and your revenue for last year was $500,000, your revenue-based valuation would be $1.5 million. Multiplying your earnings, or how much your business makes after subtracting its costs, is another valuation method.

How many times revenue is a small business worth? ›

The average revenue multiple of businesses sold on BizBuySell is about 0.6 – so the average business sells for around 60% of annual revenue. Going one step further, we can look at revenue multiples for distinct types of business.

How much is a business worth with 200k sales? ›

A business will likely sell for two to four times seller's discretionary earnings (SDE)range –the majority selling within the 2 to 3 range. In essence, if the annual cash flow is $200,000, the selling price will likely be between $400,000 and $600,000.

How to calculate valuation? ›

Methods Of Valuation Of A Company
  1. Net Asset Value or NAV= Fair Value of all the Assets of the Company – Sum of all the outstanding Liabilities of the Company.
  2. PE Ratio= Stock Price / Earnings per Share.
  3. PS Ratio= Stock Price / Net Annual Sales of the Company per share.
  4. PBV Ratio= Stock Price / Book Value of the stock.
Feb 29, 2024

How many multiples of EBITDA is a business worth? ›

For most businesses with EBITDA of $1,000,000 - $10,000,000, the EBITDA multiple will be in the general range of 4.0x to 6.5x, increasing as EBITDA increases.

What multiplier to use for business valuation? ›

Common Multiples

Retail businesses: 1.5 to 3.0 (i.e., cash flow x 1.5-3.0 multiple) Service businesses: 1.5 to 3.0 (i.e., cash flow x 1.5-3.0 multiple) Food businesses: 1.5 to 3.0 (i.e., cash flow x 1.5-3.0 multiple) Manufacturing businesses: 3.0 to 5.0+ (i.e., cash flow x 3.0-5.0+ multiple)

How do you calculate fair market value of a private company? ›

The company's enterprise value is sum of its market capitalization, value of debt, (minority interest, preferred shares subtracted from its cash and cash equivalents.

What are the three methods of calculating fair value? ›

For both privately held businesses and real property investments, there are three basic approaches to determine FMV:
  • The Asset or Cost Approach.
  • The Market Approach, often called comparable sales in real estate.
  • The Income Approach.

How do you determine the fair market value of an LLC? ›

With the income method, your LLC is valued based on the average monthly income for the last 24 to 36 months. Then, add the amount of cash reserves and subtract any debts. The result should be multiplied by a factor established by the members to arrive at the company's value.

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