How to Get Your Business Ready for a Business Valuation

A business broker Orange County will not just help you sell your business and manage your expectations but can also help with a business valuation. Whether you plan on using an independent valuation expert or seeking help from a business broker, there are a number of things you need to do in order to get the best valuation. In this post, we shall be covering the things you need to do when preparing your business for a valuation.

Get your financials ready
A business valuation involves going through your financial records. With that in mind, the first thing you need to do is to prepare your financials. Preparing all the company’s financial statements is the key to determining how much your business is really worth. You need to ensure all your books are current and entered correctly. Your business valuation expert will want to go through your financial records for the last 3 to 4 years. This includes profit and loss, balance sheet as well as ‘go away’ expense list. The case is the same if your business brokers Orange County will be handling the valuation.

Know the asset value of your company
In addition to the financials, the value of your company’s assets will be considered. The trickiest part of any business valuation process is determining the exact value of your assets. Don’t hesitate to get an appraiser to value your equipment before the valuation starts. Valuing you assets also includes estimating the replacement value of tangible assets. You also need to assign value for the intangible assets such as trademarks and patents. Most of the intangible assets will fall under ‘goodwill’. Your business broker will help you determine of your tangible and intangible assets. Involve him early enough.

Improve the value of your business
If you want the final business valuation report before putting your company on the market for sale, it is good to search for ways to improve the overall value of your business. Again a business broker Orange County will help with that. There are many things you can do to boost the value of your business. How much you end up doing will depend on the time that you have.

Operation documents
Another very important thing you will have to do is to find all the operation documents. This will help smooth the transition. Operation documents show that your business is organized, legal and running smoothly. Some of the documents you will need to gather include the following:

Insurance policies
Copy of your current lease
Distributor and supplier contracts
Professional certificates
Employment agreements
Financial agreements

It is after doing all the above that you should go ahead and contact a professional appraiser and get a formal valuation. Business brokers Orange County that offer valuation services will also be a good option. The best thing is that their valuation services are free/cheaper and based on both textbook calculations and market trends.

Business broker Orange County

What Client’s Say

We Couldn’t Be Happier

"When we thought about selling we had no idea what our business was worth or how to go about selling. What you were able to do was to cut through the fog so that we understood the valuation issue and had a comfort level with the process. As you know we ended up selling for somewhat more than the original valuation and we got all cash and our CPA loved the way our tax liability was minimized. We couldn’t be happier!"

Over $250,000 More

"Our first contact with you shocked us when you suggested that we wait 18 months before selling because you believed that if we hit our projections that the value would be significantly greater. As it turned out we not only followed your advice but also got slightly over $250,000 more than we originally had hoped for. It is seldom that we have had the opportunity to deal with a firm that doesn’t want both money and a commitment NOW. It was clear and obvious that you had our best interests at heart."

You Got the Valuation We Agreed On

"You did a great job on the sale of our business in really beating the bushes for buyers, including a UK company that was an active suitor. You managed to get the valuation that we had all agreed upon and got it substantially all in cash and got the transaction closed with little to no problems or expensive lawyers involved."

Thank You for Handling Our Business

"Our business was smaller than what your firm normally handles but it was a BIG part of our net worth and savings. Thank you for handling our business and we were very pleased and delighted with the results."

More Than Anticipated

"Our transaction was involved as we had different corporate entities located in different states. Our only regret is that we didn’t retain your services before 2012 when we paid $25,000 to a firm in Texas that did a valuation and market analysis for us before then failing to do anything in the way of trying to sell our business. You got it sold for more than anticipated."

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