Valuation

The Factors That Determine and Improve Business Value

The value of a privately held businesses typically comes down to a simple equation – Profit times a Multiple equals business value. The multiple depends on the operational strength of the business as measured on both internal and external factors. Duke Business Advisors uses a tool developed at MIT and endorsed by The National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA)

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Will this be the year you seriously drive up the value of your company?

If you have resolved to make your company more valuable in 2017, you may want to think hard about how your customers pay. If you have a transaction business model where customers pay once for what they buy, expect your company’s value to be a single-digit multiple of your Earnings Before Interest Taxes, Depreciation and…

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One Tweak That Can (Instantly) Add Millions To The Value Of Your Business

If you’re trying to figure out what your business might be worth, it’s helpful to consider what acquirers are paying for companies like yours these days. A little internet research will probably reveal that a business like yours trades for a multiple of your pre-tax profit, which is Sellers Discretionary Earnings (SDE) for a small…

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The Downside of Being Upfront with Employees

One of the core principles of creating a more valuable business is ensuring it can run without you by getting managers to think like owners. The theory goes that empowered employees are the best positioned to solve your company’s thorniest issues, as they are the ones closest to the problems. In theory, people feel more…

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3 Ways To Make Your Company More Valuable Than Your Industry Peers

3 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR COMPANY MORE VALUABLE THAN YOUR INDUSTRY PEERS

Have you ever wondered what determines the value of your business? Perhaps you’ve heard an industry rule of thumb and assumed that your company will be worth about the same as a similar size company in your industry. However, when we take a look at the data provided by The Value Builder System™, we’ve found…

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Thinking Vs. Doing: The Owner’s Dilemma

There’s a steady breeze from the northwest, which cools the warm Caribbean afternoon. Framed between a palm tree and the turquoise water, you notice a man reading. He appears to be working, which seems strange given his appearance: shaggy blonde hair, linen shirt, surf shorts and flip-flops. You squint and realize the man is Richard…

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3 Surprising Reasons To Offer A Subscription

3 SURPRISING REASONS TO OFFER A SUBSCRIPTION

You can now buy a subscription for everything from dog treats to razor blades. Music subscription services are booming as our appetite to buy tracks is replaced by our willingness to rent access to them. Starbucks now even offers coffee on subscription. Why are so many companies leveraging the subscription business model? The obvious reason…

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The Surprising Secret To A Big Exit

We get to see a lot of company founders who are contemplating an exit. Some of our customers get lucky early in life, but in the vast majority of examples where a founder is getting a seven- or eight-figure offer, it is not their first rodeo. In fact, most owners have had multiple failures and…

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5 Lessons From Home Depot’s Acquisition of Blinds.com

Jay Steinfeld built Blinds.com into a $100 million e-tailer before selling out to Home Depot. Here are five things that made it a spectacular exit. Win The Make vs. Buy Battle Companies like Home Depot have a “make or buy” decision when they see a competitor winning market share. They can opt to buy the…

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Have You Discovered Your Recurring Revenue Model?

When it comes to the value of your business, what happened in the past is much less important than what is likely to happen in the future. One of the most important ways you can shape the future of your business is to create some recurring revenue. Recurring revenue comes from those magical sales you…

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