Valuing a Business Through Business Valuation

Business owners spend considerable time and energy trying to enhance company value by developing growth plans with well-defined goals.  These plans are designed to maximize value over time, but it’s hard to achieve those goals without knowing where to begin.

FREMONT, CA: It is typical for business owners to spend a great deal of time and energy on improving the value of their firm by creating growth plans that are oriented toward clear objectives. In general, these plans strive to maximize the value of assets over time, but achieving those goals may prove difficult if companies don't know where to begin. Owners must realize not just how much their company is worth today, but also what supports and generates that value. This stage is frequently overlooked or underestimated, or at the least, based on insufficient facts or supposition, due to owner overconfidence or disinterest. Often, a valuation serves to awaken business owners who have an idea of what their company is worth that is skewed or inaccurate.

The standard response is that valuations are required to address tax or legal matters. However, valuations are carried out for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the sale or acquisition of a corporation. Valuations are required in the event of death, disability, disaster, or divorce to equitably decide the business assets according to parameters specified in legal files. Valuations are frequently required when gifting or donating company stock as part of a charity contribution, settling IRS or shareholder issues, or converting a C-corporation to an S-corporation. There may be a need for a business valuation in a buy-sell agreement, a partnership agreement, or a shareholder agreement. Additionally, while attempting to attract strategic capital or obtain a Small Business Association loan, owners would often conduct a valuation. Implementing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan would likely require an initial and yearly valuation. Also, a formal business valuation can aid in the reconciliation of differing perspectives on value, and when combined with a marketability analysis, it can assist a business owner in determining relative market value.

The business valuation process and procedures entail determining the economic value of an owner's interest in a company. As a business owner plans for future growth and eventual transition, an accurate valuation of a closely held corporation is a crucial tool for assessing both potential and opportunity costs. It can be used to determine an owner's relative value at a specific point in time, or it can be used to determine the price at which a buyer would be willing to purchase the business. Taking comparable transactions, industry ratios, and other quantitative and qualitative data into account, a professional analyzes the financial statements of the company in question. The relevant modifications are then made to bring the subject company into line with an industry standard or benchmark. The result is a realistic estimate of fair market value, which is normally done following the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Despite the advantages, many business owners are concerned about what they may encounter during the appraisal process. In some situations, valuations can reveal aspects of a company that detract from its worth, such as lax financial and accounting controls, underperforming assets, and worse operating ratios than its peers. It is possible to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a company through the entire appraisal process.

According to statistics, most business owners don't plan for their exit or even perform business planning, and as a result, many transactions leave sellers unsatisfied. A detailed valuation, on the other hand, might provide that crucial beginning point in strategic growth planning, as well as some key visibility for an owner thinking long term. It can also be used as part of a gap analysis of a company to assist identify and eliminate the numerous anchors to value growth during the exit preparation process. A valuation that is part of a thorough business assessment should result in stronger business growth, as well as higher terminal values and selling prices over time.