Business Valuation Blog | Understanding Buying / Selling a Company

Many small business owners often wonder what their company is actually worth when they review each year’s performance results, growth patterns, and future outlook. Why not take this process a step further and definitively determine the overall value of your business?

You may answer this by claiming there is no benefit to having a formal appraisal completed until you absolutely have to. If there is no requirement such as for bank/SBA financing, new investor buy-in, partner dissolution, sale of the business, or other ownership shifting events, then is it really necessary? Won’t it require a lot of extra time and effort I don’t have? Isn’t it expensive?

The answers might surprise you. Working annually with a certified business appraiser can become a seamless part of your regular tax accounting processes and provide additional backup to your financial statements in the event any internal or external third parties ever want to review them with you. Minority partners, shareholders, key employees, new investors, banks, tax authorities, and others may knock on your door one day and ask about the state of the business.

Having an annual appraisal to complement the rest of your data will go a long way to efficiently address these issues. If an insurance, compliance, or tax audit is required down the road, you will be several steps ahead toward resolving these as painlessly as possible.

From an expense perspective, the cost will vary depending on the size and complexity of your business, however, you should be able to find a reputable valuation firm that understands your business and has the experience to provide a reasonable fee level in line with your expectations. Committing to an annual review and update with your valuation professional may enable you to receive some type of discount on future appraisal work.

Ensure you engage with a certified, experienced appraiser who will provide a high level of service and integrity with their work product. There are a handful of inexperienced and disreputable companies in the marketplace offering cut-rate prices, so be sure to research your options before you make a decision based solely on cost.

In summary, the overall value of having an annual business appraisal completed in tandem with your normal accounting and tax filings far outweighs the incremental costs involved. Planning ahead is always a good practice to instill in your business, so you will always be prepared for whatever may happen in the future.

Believe it or not, Millennials are now in their late 20s and 30s and have become the most sought-after consumers of products and services for most commercial providers across all industries. Gen X and late-stage Boomers are still in the picture, however, over the last couple of years, it has become evident Millennials are making tremendous strides in gaining buying power due to a variety of circumstances.

In the valuation world, I have recently seen a growing number of young entrepreneurs and next-generation family members running companies with fresh perspectives that can’t be ignored, and will likely set the pace for the next 20-30 years of business development across the world. Many of these individuals have patiently bided their time during unprecedented events that have forever reshaped our future over the past few years.

Others have mocked them in the past for their habits and preferences, while underestimating their potential, and not realizing the vast majority of this generation are nothing like the stereotypical picture painted by so many who are engrained in “old school” mentality.

While it is generally true that Millennials had a tougher time breaking into the mainstream workplace a decade ago in a much different business landscape, they used conservative tactics in an effort to save money, such as living at home and holding off on marriage and family plans until more financially secure. This is somewhat of a unique circumstance created by this generation, however, we are now seeing the emergence of a hungry, wizened group that accounts for over 20% of the populace, well over $2 trillion in spending power, and 90+% employed.

Virtually every major entertainment event, both live and virtual, sees its advertising revenue campaigns geared toward these consumers, while the majority of the workplace is inhabited by those that fall into the Millennial generation. These trends, which have quickly grown over the last 5 years, are the building blocks for the future leadership of our nation’s business, economic, and political climate. It is not a surprise then, that this generation is becoming the focus of many service industries and product developers who realize that staying ahead of the competition will equate to favorable ratings from this group of individuals.

Millennials are the original masters of social media, and with venues such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram becoming dominant platforms for advertising, it makes total sense that the two are becoming entwined with how future businesses will be run.

In summary, if you own a small business, and are looking for growth opportunities that have otherwise been difficult to develop, consider targeting the Millennial generation as a potential expansion to your client base, and look to keep up with this new and exciting group as they continue to take over the future.