Business Valuation for Selling a Business, Before You List
Before you take a lowball offer or an inflated broker pitch at face value, get a grounded range. Businessappraisal estimates what your business could be worth and shows you the levers that move the number.
Estimated business value
Method breakdown
What moves this number
Estimate, not a certified appraisal. Your figures are not stored.
In short
A business valuation for selling estimates the price range a buyer might reasonably pay, so you can set expectations before you list. Businessappraisal takes your financials and estimates worth three ways at once, a revenue multiple, an EBITDA or SDE multiple, and a discounted cash flow, then benchmarks the result against comparable sales in your space. Most owner-operated small businesses land somewhere near 2x to 4x SDE, though the range shifts with growth, margins, and how dependent the business is on you. The result is an educational estimate presented as a range, not a certified appraisal, so you walk into a sale with a defensible number and a clear view of what raises or lowers it.
Questions
Selling and valuation questions people actually ask
Should I get a business valuation before selling?
Yes. Owners who list without an independent number either anchor too low and leave money on the table or anchor too high and let the listing go stale. A grounded estimate before you talk to brokers or buyers tells you whether offers are fair and which value drivers are worth fixing first.
How do buyers value a business for sale?
Buyers start from normalized earnings, apply a multiple from comparable transactions, and then discount for risk: customer concentration, owner dependence, declining margins, or a weak lease. They rarely pay for potential. Knowing that math before you list lets you present the business the way a buyer will actually analyze it.
How long does it take to sell a small business?
Six to nine months from listing to closing is typical, and a year is not unusual. Preparation time matters too: cleaning up financials and reducing owner dependence before you list can shorten the market time and raise the price at the same time.
How can I increase my business value before selling?
Work the drivers a buyer discounts: document processes so the business runs without you, diversify revenue away from your biggest client, push recurring revenue where your model allows it, and clean up the books so earnings are easy to verify. Twelve months of focused work on those levers routinely moves a business up within its multiple band.
What is my business worth if I sell it now?
For most owner-operated businesses, somewhere between 2x and 4x seller discretionary earnings, benchmarked against what comparable businesses in your industry actually sold for. Enter your real financials and the calculator returns that range in minutes, with the drivers that raise or lower it spelled out.
Why it fits
Owners preparing to sell who want a grounded worth range before they list or talk to a broker.
Three methods, one range
Seeing revenue multiple, EBITDA/SDE multiple, and DCF side by side keeps a single flattering number from setting your expectations.
Benchmarked to real sales
Your estimate is compared against comparable sold businesses, so the range reflects what buyers actually pay, not a wish price.
Know what to fix first
Driver explanations show whether owner dependence, customer concentration, or thin margins are holding your number down before you go to market.
More use cases
Related features
Find out what it is worth
Enter your numbers and get an estimate from three methods in minutes, benchmarked against comparable sales, with the drivers explained. An educational estimate, not a certified appraisal.