How Do You Value Your Business? Essential Steps!

Are you asking, ‘How Do I Value My Business’? A business valuation is crucial for raising capital, selling, merging, or purchasing a company. It provides a clear and pragmatic assessment of the company's market value, which is essential for financing, attracting investors, or selling the business. The process involves several recommended steps, which are as follows:

1. Get your business data ready.

To accurately value your business, you'll need a variety of business information. If you can't afford to hire a professional to prepare your documents, consider asking friends or family who have bookkeeping or business experience. If you're selling, potential buyers may want to assess the value of your business on its own. So it's a good idea to have all of your business documents organised and up-to-date. You will need the following information:

• Your financial statement for the previous five years

• Details about physical and other assets

• Legal documents

• Registration papers

• details of competitors

• Sales information 

• Business History

• Business procedure documentation

• Business plan

• Employee details

• Supplier details

• Customer details

2. Choose whether to seek professional guidance.

If you can afford it, seek professional advice on how to value your business from your accountant, a business adviser, or a business broker. These professionals can assist you in analysing your finances, identifying trends in your industry's market, calculating the goodwill value of your business, estimating your company's future profit, and determining a value for your business. They may also have clients who would be interested in purchasing your business. This may save you the cost and hassle of advertising.

3. Select a method of valuation.

There's no single standard valuation method, and a professional can advise on the best approach, including market values, return on investment, asset value, startup costs, and future profits. Here are these approaches in brief:

• Understanding your industry and its market value is crucial for valuing your business, as industries have their own rules and formulas for business valuation.

• The return on investment (ROI) method is used to value a business based on its net profit, either at a specific selling price or a set ROI. Use the following formula:

Value (selling price) = (net annual profit/ROI) x 100

• Calculate business asset value by accounting for tangible and intangible assets, and use the total value to determine the desired selling price. You can consult with a business advisor or accountant.

• Starting a business from scratch involves a range of expenses, including stock purchases, equipment, licences, staff recruitment, product development, marketing, premises, and online setup, which determine its value in the current market.

• Future profits are crucial for investors, influencing financing and selling prices. Analyse financial trends and industry comparisons to estimate future profits and negotiate favourable prices.

In the end, 

At MSI Taylor, we hope you get the answer to ‘How Do I Value My Business?’ Valuing a company is crucial for various processes like raising money, selling, merging, or buying another business. It involves gathering company records, seeking expert advice, and choosing a suitable valuation technique. The process includes industry analysis, startup cost estimation, asset evaluation, future profit projection, and return on investment computation.