Business Valuation Denver Colorado
How to Find the Value of Your Denver, Colorado Business
Have you ever assessed the value of your Denver business? Finding that number can be a difficult process involving a whole slew of factors, from where you’re located to what “value” means to you. 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. This might seem complicated, but we can help. At Redwood Valuation, we built our foundation on years of experience that we leverage to assist our customers seeking business valuations.
409a Business Valuation Services in Denver
Call Redwood Valuation Partners for your next business valuation (206) 660-1295
Why Do Businesses Get Valuations?
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.
A business valuation shows not just overall worth, but also where that value originates from. 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 Denver, may have high value there, but not elsewhere. In contrast, a business that seems modest and small may actually hold a lot of value for a buyer. It comes down to the details.
Therefore, getting experienced accountants to do a valuation is critical. An accountant doing a valuation needs to know tax law, the audit process and finance, as well as information about your business. The advantages of doing a business valuation correctly include understanding your selling price and stock compensation. Ultimately, the reason for a business valuation depends on your particular circumstances. A free consultation from Redwood may help you clarify the reasons for your valuation and the best approach for your particular business.
What Approaches Are There to Business Valuation?
There are three main approaches to business valuation that an accountant or business valuator will use. These three approaches are not the only possible ways of looking at a business’s value, however. No matter where your business is located, these methods can help you find your business’s value. The right approach for you depends on you, your business and what you hope to get out of a valuation.
Looking at 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. One way to go about looking at a business’s assets is by figuring out how much it would cost to set up a brand new business that mimics the existing one. This reveals what that original business is worth (what kinds of assets it has) and what liabilities it has. The next step involves balancing the assets and liabilities in order to calculate how much value the business holds.
It sounds straightforward, but there are hidden complexities. 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 accountant looks at the company’s net balance sheet to find the value of its assets and then deducts the value of its liabilities. In the other approach, a liquidation asset-based approach, the accountant first imagines that all the assets and liabilities were paid off, as though the business was liquidated. After liquidation, the accountant can see clearly the value of the business.
Choosing an asset-focused method of business valuation may be right for your business. It is possible that a different method is more suitable for your particular business. For example, a sole proprietorship in which assets are in the name of the business owner are not good candidates for 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
Sometimes it is important to take in the whole picture, meaning the entire market, and not just your one business. The value of other businesses in Denver could provide insight on your own. A method that uses comparison to determine value take into account other factors impacting the market as a whole.
The advantage to this approach is that it looks more comprehensively at the overall business climate for your particular field. In this approach, it is also very important to consider what a buyer in the market would currently pay for your business and what the fair market value would be.
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.
Making a Valuation Based on Income or Earnings
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.
Of course, assessing value this way comes along with the risk of assumptions and predictions that invite uncertainty. Some of this uncertainty is offset by the ability to use concrete data to calculate this valuation. One method to smooth the bumps in the road in this method is to “normalize” a business’s earnings so there are no remarkable costs or windfalls that could skew figures. The market itself can produce spikes and dips that require an additional capitalization factor to be figured into the assessment.
Again, sole proprietorship and the exact style of business can impact the ultimate valuation here. How customers view a business is a factor that is not captured in income figures or market values but that can impact a business’s value.
What Kinds of Valuations Exist?
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. There are other value assessments that serve difficult purposes. Others focus on things such as patents and intellectual property.
Getting a 409A Valuation
This type of valuation is concerned with the stocks connected to your business. 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 may seem overwhelming. 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. Fair market value is especially important here because employees with stock need to be able to sell it at or above that mark. If your company issues other forms of deferred compensation, including things like bonus plans, then this type of valuation may be required by law.
Often, you will know you need this type of valuation because it will be legally required of 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.
While you can do a 409A valuation yourself, a skilled accountant can guide you through the process with expertise to make sure you don’t hit any bumps along the way. 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
Some of the reasons for a business valuation include things such as entity discussions and business negotiations, but they are also useful while planning a business or estate. Perhaps you are interested in finding the likely selling price of your business on the market. Or you might be hoping to assess your tax liability by looking at your business’ value.
Equity and enterprise valuations are best handled by a talented accountant. As our clients have expanded, so has Redwood, increasing the size and expertise of our team. We years of experience and a comprehensive team, we are prepared to take on a host of business valuations needs. Whether you want to find your fair market value or do tax or financial reporting on your business, we are prepared to help you through the process.
The intimate details of IRS regulations, business and finance can be a complex maze to try to sort through. A valuation is an added complexity on top of keeping your business running, so allow our accountants to handle valuations for you.
IP and Patent Valuations
Finding the value of intellectual property and patents is a specialized field. However, this type of valuation can impact a wide range of businesses. Taxes are complex when it comes to IP and patents, but it is also important to make sure trade secrets and trademarks can be protected. But you might also seek an IP and patent valuation in order to plan, secure a merger or acquisition, or during litigation.
Make sure your patent or intellectual property is protected by understanding what it’s worth on the market. It is sometimes complicated to find the value of these intangible assets. Yet for many businesses, understanding those assets and their precise worth can add value and keep the company in compliance with all applicable laws.
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. It is not always the case that a business is sold as one whole entity; it may be sold in smaller pieces.
The Last Word on Business Valuations
Here at Redwood Valuation Partners, you will find the expertise you need for your valuation. Whether you are comparing your business to others in Denver or looking elsewhere, a business valuation can show you the fair market value of your business and assets and keep you in compliance with any tax code regulations.
Fair market value is a crucial piece of information you should have about 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. You also could seek a business valuation in order to protect a patent. The intricacies can seem overwhelming. That’s where experienced accountants come in to help inform and guide you. Whether it’s finance, tax issues or business, our accountants are prepared to navigate the technicalities with you.
While venture capital and auditing can be complicated, we believe teamwork and expertise can help manage the process of a valuation. Our team consists of experts who have worked in their specialties for years. Many of the people we work with come from high-pressure environments with tough deadlines. We value your time; let us minimize the burden of complicated valuation details while you focus on what you know best ퟀ�” 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 audit defense, we will give you a free consultation before beginning your valuation, which comes with customized report. If you aren’t sure where to start, we can guide you through the process right from the start. The customized reports we include with our valuations give you insight into the details of all of your businesses assets. See both subjective and objective elements of your valuation with an in-depth look at your business. And if an audit should come up, you can rest easy knowing our audit defense has your back at any time.
In the end, if you need a business valuation, you will likely need help with that valuation. 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 Denver, CO.
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 Denver
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
