Services

Small Business Valuation  |  Debt and Equity Financing  |  Small Business Acquisitions  |  Business Succession Planning

Business owners face a barrage of decisions to be made for today—and tomorrow. Whether you want to explore what your business is worth, need debt financing or want to develop a succession plan, we have the expertise to help you make the right decision at the right time.

Small Business Valuation

It’s a natural question asked by every business owner: how much is my business worth?

We have consulted on business valuations for more than 20 years, including for government contractors, insurance agencies, accounting firms, sports managers, nano-technology, software developers and even a steel fabricator.

Business valuations are a combination of art and financial comprehension. For sellers, valuation becomes a sensitive subject and can become quite emotional. This is understandable since many founders have taken years to build their businesses into profitable enterprises. Our job, however, is to provide an honest valuation, based on hard data, sound methodology and excellent documentation.

Our valuation reports can be used for stock options, buy and sell opinions, mergers or acquisitions, fairness opinions, employee equity offerings (including stock ownership plans) and estate planning.

Debt and Equity Financing

We use our extensive knowledge of the banking industry to find lenders who fulfill your financing requirements. We find partners who can provide the funding you need based on the specifics of your industry and your repayment ability. We can help you secure financing in about 30 to 60 days, but have successfully obtained financing in a shorter period of time for emergencies.

We take the time to review numerous lenders to ensure their culture fits with your business and the unique challenges of your industry. We compare fees, interest and terms and let you know when the results are not favorable to your business. We may even suggest negotiations to secure better terms. The savings to you are real and often cover our fees.

And because we work to secure terms that exceed one year, we can save you overhead costs in staff time spent on renewals.

Small Business Acquisitions

If you are looking to grow your business, you may have thought about acquiring another business. But these transactions can be very time consuming, especially since many small companies do not have financial statements that are easily reviewed or audited.  

We understand that seller financing has a significant impact on the seller’s asking price. Many consultants use a simple earnings multiplier to get an estimated ballpark value, but we take additional factors into consideration, including the size of a business. A large company may sell for a certain multiple, but a small company must discount that number since it has less ability to increase revenues.

We collaborate with your legal and financial accounting teams to ensure that your best interests remain the focus of our efforts.  

Business Succession Planning

For many entrepreneurs, one of the most difficult decisions they will make is the decision to sell their business and move on to the next stage of their life.

If you are ready to make the transition now or simply want to plan for the future, we can help you determine the best way to “pass the baton.” We take into consideration the current value of your business as well as how factors such as employee stock ownership plans (ESOP) affect the valuation of your business. We examine tax considerations, industry trends and your own business culture to determine the best path to take.