How Much Is Your Business Actually Worth? (2024)

FAQs

How Much Is Your Business Actually Worth? ›

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.

Add up the value of everything the business owns, including all equipment and inventory. Subtract any debts or liabilities. The value of the business's balance sheet is at least a starting point for determining the business's worth.

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.

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.

Factors affecting small business valuation

Thus, buyers have to approach the deal as if they are purchasing a job. Businesses where the owner is actively-involved typically sell for 2-3 times the annual earnings of the company. A business that earns $100,000 per year should sell for $200,000-$300,000.

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.

Under the times revenue business valuation method, a stream of revenues generated over a certain period of time is applied to a multiplier which depends on the industry and economic environment. For example, a tech company may be valued at 3x revenue, while a service firm may be valued at 0.5x revenue.

Generally, a small business is worth 1-2 times its annual profit. However, this number can be higher or lower depending on the circ*mstances. If the business is in a high-growth industry, for example, it may be worth 3-5 times its annual profit.

The times-revenue method can be calculated forward or backward. You can divide the purchase price by annual revenue to arrive at the multiple, or you can multiple annual revenues by a desired times-revenue target to arrive at a potential target price.

How much is the average small business worth? ›

Annual revenue for a self-employed business with no employees in the US is $44,000. The average revenue for a business with employees can range from $387,000 to $40.7 million, depending on the number of employees. The average small business profit margin is anywhere from 7% – 10%.

Market-based business valuations calculate your business's value by comparing it to similar businesses that have previously sold. This method applies well to a business with no assets, but comes with the challenge of identifying sufficiently comparable competitors (who would presumably also have no assets.)

However, a revenue of $100 million per year is a significant amount, and it suggests that the company has established a solid customer base and is generating significant income. Based on this information, it's possible that the company could have a valuation in the hundreds of millions of dollars, or even higher.

A $100,000 salary is considered good in most parts of the country, and can cover typical expenses, pay down debt, build savings, and allow for entertainment and hobbies. According to the U.S. Census, only 15.3% of American households make more than $100,000 annually.

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.

The median salary for Americans is around $70,000 a year, according to the most recent census data from 2021. A salary of $100,000 a year, with the assumption that you are an individual without dependents, would classify an individual as upper-class — but many of these people don't feel rich.

The industry of the business being valued can also have an effect on the choice of an appropriate multiple. SDE multiples usually range from 1.0x to 4.0x. The range of EBITDA multiples (for EBITDA between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000) is 3.3x to 8x, with the averages ranging from 4.5x to 6.5x.

Our top reps make over 500K a year, our average sales rep makes over 100K a year with an average tenure of over 15 years at GGR.

Fewer than five percent of all businesses in the US grow to be more than $1 million in annual revenues. And fewer than one percent make it to $10 million. There are great number reasons why companies fail to scale to an Owner's desire or their dreams.