Business Valuation Buffalo New York
How to Find the Value of Your Buffalo, New York Business
Do you know how much your Buffalo business is worth? Assessing the value of your Buffalo business can be more complicated than just working out the value of its assets. While the precise “value” of a business is a somewhat nebulous concept, there are consistent methods of assessment that can set you on the right track if you’re trying to find the value of your business. If this sounds technical, don’t worry. At Redwood Valuation, we built our foundation on years of experience that we leverage to assist our customers seeking business valuations.
409A Valuation in Buffalo, NY plus IRC 409A Valuation, and Purchase Price Allocation
Call Redwood Valuation Partners for your next business valuation (206) 660-1295
Why Get Your Buffalo Business Valued?
A business valuation could be conducted for several reasons, but often it is done because a business’s owner wants to know how much the company is worth. Don’t try to go into business negotiations about selling a business before you’ve gotten a valuation from a skilled accountant who’s an expert in the field.
In addition to how much a business is worth, a valuation can show which parts of a business are valuable. The value of any one business could come from entirely different sources than a different business. A business that is important for a particular city, such as Buffalo, may have high value there, but not elsewhere. By the same token, the hidden value may lurk in a business that doesn’t seem as impressive at first glance. It comes down to the details.
That’s why expertise is crucial in a business valuation. Getting your business valued requires knowledge of finance, tax law, venture capital and the audit process, as well as of your business. But the benefits of a business valuation come in many forms, from stock compensation to expenses to selling prices. However, any advantages of doing a valuation are up to you and your business. A free consultation from Redwood may help you clarify the reasons for your valuation and the best approach for your particular business.
Approaches to Business Valuation
There are three main approaches to business valuation that an accountant or business valuator will use. There could be other approaches to business valuation, but the three described here encompass the most common methods. These methods apply to an array of businesses, whether they’re in Buffalo or elsewhere. The best approach for your business depends on your reason for getting a valuation and your long-term goals for your company.
Determining Value Based on Assets
There are several asset-based approaches possible for business valuation. The aim of an asset-based approach is to total the investments of a business. An accountant going forward with an asset-based mindset is theoretically attempting to imagine what it would cost to set up another, identical business. Assets and liabilities are much easier to see through this theoretical new business. The next step involves balancing the assets and liabilities in order to calculate how much value the business holds.
Of course, this approach is deceptively simple. The difficulty lies in the details, where figuring out the worth of a business and sorting through assets and liabilities becomes more complicated. Additionally, there are two different ways of going about this process: a going concern asset-based approach and a liquidation asset-based approach.
One method is to look at assets with a going concern. The value here is determined based on the value of the assets the accountant finds in the business contrasted with the cost of any liabilities. In a liquidation-focused approach to valuation, it is important to imagine the business is liquidated before determining its value. After a real liquidation, the business would receive cash; this now becomes the business’s value in a valuation.
The type of asset-based approach you choose depends on your business. There are other approaches if focusing on assets is not right for your situation and goals. As one example, a business that is owned in the name of a single person” a sole proprietorship” should be advised not to take this approach. A corporation, in which all assets are owned by the company as a whole, is a much better candidate for an asset-based approach.
Looking at the Market
A market-based approach looks at the market as a whole and not solely at your business. This includes looking at other businesses in Buffalo. Viewing your business side-by-side with other, similar ventures can provide crucial information for figuring out the value of a business.
An approach that is concerned with the market as a whole takes a much more detailed view of factors outside of just the details of your business’s finances. Some important considerations for this approach include the current fair market value of similar businesses and what price buyers are paying right now for businesses like yours.
It would be great if the sort of information necessary for this approach was easy to obtain, but it is not always the case that competing businesses will divulge the necessary figures. Private and protected information such as non-competition clauses can prove a barrier to obtaining some of the information needed to make a valuation.
Income- or Earning-Based Approach
This approach to business valuation looks at potential and future value in order to draw conclusions. An income-based approach tries to use current income and earnings to predict how much a business will be worth in the future.
Obviously, this invites an element of risk in that the accountant or valuator is attempting to determine value based on a prediction. There is, however, reliable data to back up the value assessment made through this method. Often, a valuator will “normalize” current earnings, removing abnormal costs and windfalls, to try to get a reliable set of figures to work with. The market itself can produce spikes and dips that require an additional capitalization factor to be figured into the assessment.
How a business is run and who owns it is an important consideration here, as with other approaches to valuation. If a business is strongly linked with its owner and that owner sells or leaves the business, an evaluation based on past performance could lose its validity depending on how customers react to the change.
Different Kinds of Business Valuations
A valuation has benefits beyond just figuring out what a business is worth and there is therefore a lot of variety in types of valuations. Business valuations are just one type of valuation that is possible. Others focus on things such as patents and intellectual property.
What is a 409A Valuation?
A 409A valuation is conducted for the purpose of evaluating the stocks associated with the company. Many businesses offer stock to their employees and contractors. When compensation comes in the form of stocks like this it is considered a special type of deferred payment that has to be reported.
This sounds complicated. It simply means those stocks have to be accounted for. Businesses that need this form of valuation need it in order to determine the fair market value of their business. Any employee offered stock as part of their compensation must be able to buy equity in your company at or above the fair market value determined through this valuation. In addition to stock, a 409A valuation is required if your company issues bonus plans, salary deferral arrangements, and other agreements involving deferred compensation for employees.
Sometimes it is a matter of compliance with the law to get a 409A valuation for your business. And if you’ve already gotten a 409A valuation, ensure you are getting re-evaluated once a year and/or any time your company closes a new funding round, in accordance with the law.
It is advised that you don’t try to do a 409A valuation yourself, even though you can, and instead, let an accountant deal with unforeseen difficulties that you aren’t prepared to handle. A Redwood valuator will know the ins and outs of this type of valuation, as well as the best approach for you and your business as you undergo this process.
Valuations for Businesses
A business valuation is a general term and can be suitable for a myriad of situations, including during negotiations, while planning a business or during entity conversations. Maybe you are wondering how much your business can sell for right now. Or you might be hoping to assess your tax liability by looking at your business’ value.
Whatever the reason, a skilled valuator can help you get equity and enterprise valuations. Redwood’s expert team has grown to keep pace with our increasing client needs. Regardless of your specific reasons for seeking out a business valuation, we can work with you to reach your goals. Perhaps you want to ensure compliance with tax reporting or, conversely, find the fair market value of your business.
The intimate details of IRS regulations, business, and finance can be a complex maze to try to sort through. While you’re concerned with your business running smoothly, let experts tackle the ins and outs of getting a valuation done.
IP and Patent Valuations
Patents and intellectual property also require their own valuations. Most businesses do have some sort of intangible property that want to protect and value, though. Some of our clients have concerns about trademarks and trade secrets, while others want to make sure they stay in compliance with taxes. Other reasons for IP and patent valuations include business planning, mergers and acquisitions, and litigation support.
Make sure your patent or intellectual property is protected by understanding what it’s worth on the market. These assets can be difficult to appraise as they are often intangible and difficult to define. Despite the difficulty, IP and patents are extremely valuable assets that every business should seek to protect as well as they can.
What is a Purchase Price Allocation?
Another requirement businesses encounter is ASC 805. During a purchase or acquisition, businesses seek to find their fair market value, including their intangible assets and liabilities, to bring to the transaction. Of course, the overall goal is to figure out the purchase price for an acquisition.
The goal of a purchase price allocation is to tease apart the pieces of a business, such as liabilities and assets, to find its fair market value. Sometimes a business is sold in pieces and in such cases it’s important to find the value of those pieces before any transaction takes place.
The Last Word on Business Valuations
At Redwood Valuation Partners, we are experts in business valuation. Whether your business is in Buffalo or somewhere else entirely, we can help you find the value of your business or intellectual property and stay in compliance with the tax code and other laws and regulations.
Often, you will need to know the fair market value of your business. Whether you are looking to assess your value for the sake of selling or have yearly tax considerations, a business valuation will help. Intellectual property can be assessed and protected through a business valuation. Assets and liabilities are complicated. Get experts on your side who know how to cut through the complicated legal language to get you the information you need. Whether it’s finance, tax issues, or business, our accountants are prepared to navigate the technicalities with you.
One of our core values is teamwork, which we believe can help even in the complex world of venture capital and auditing. At Redwood, we have built a team grounded in years of expertise and business knowledge. We know the pressures and stress of running a successful business. We value your time; let us minimize the burden of complicated valuation details while you focus on what you know best ” your business.
Whether you want a valuation for selling, taxes, or any other reason, we can promise client focus and years of experience when working alongside you. Along with the obvious, our valuations include customized reports, audit defense, and free consultations. If you aren’t sure where to start, we can guide you through the process right from the start. Take a deeper look at your business with the customized report we provide as part of our valuations. Get a deeper look at your business that includes objective factors as well as subjective ones during the assessment. And if an audit should come up, you can rest easy knowing our audit defense has your back at any time.
The bottom line is that a business valuation, for any reason, is best approached with help. Get Redwood’s experienced team to assist you as you work through a business valuation for any reason. Begin your process with a free consultation.
Our clients have direct access to Redwood’s managing partners and directors. You know your business better than anyone, and the valuation process includes subjective assessments that require your input. We guide you through this process, save your time, and allow you to focus on what matters – growing your business. Get a quality company appraisal in Buffalo, NY.
The Redwood team has performed many IRC 409A Valuation Seattle engagements, and we offer a wide variety of business appraisals to Seattle. Other services include ASC 805 valuation (purchase price allocations), IP valuation, patent valuation, impairment valuation, carried interest valuation, portfolio valuations, IRC 382 valuations, and many other types of stock valuations and business valuations.
With over 50 years of combined valuation experience, we provide top-tier expertise and client service at a reasonable price. Our experience as CFOs and Controllers of venture firms and startups separates us from our competitors who lack the boots-on-the-ground experience that our clients have, which we also share.
If you plan to issue stock options in the next twelve months or have any questions about potential valuations, give us a call for a free consultation and we will give you candid advice about whether a valuation may be needed and how we might help. Our goal is to help our clients achieve their desired goals with minimal burden.
409A Valuation Buffalo
Redwood Valuation Partners was formed behind an idea of service positioning us as one of the most well-respected companies in the industry. Our expert knowledge of finance, tax, venture capital, and the audit process helps us understand the difficulties of start-ups. We speak your language! Give us a call and learn how we can help. For information on Business Valuations follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook and find us on Google+ too! (206) 660-1295
