Business Valuation Indianapolis Indiana
How to Find the Value of Your Indianapolis, Indiana Business
Have you ever wondered how much your business is actually worth? There are a number of intricate details that you have to evaluate in order to find your business’ fair market value. 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. Our experts at Redwood Valuation Partners have years of experience in business valuation and are eager to help you through the process from start to finish.
409A Valuation, IRC 409A Valuation, Purchase Price Allocation in Indianapolis, IN
Call Redwood Valuation Partners for your next business valuation (206) 660-1295
Why Do Businesses Get Valuations?
There are a myriad of reasons to get your business valued, but perhaps the most obvious one is in order to see how much it will sell for. Anyone hoping to sell a business will be better positioned during negotiations if they have gotten a thorough business valuation before any talks began.
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 Indianapolis, 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.
Therefore, getting experienced accountants to do a valuation is critical. 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. We at Redwood offer a free consultation for clients who need advice getting started with a business valuation.
What Approaches Are There to Business Valuation?
An accounting doing a business valuation will likely take one of three main approaches to assessing the value of a business. 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 best approach for your business depends on your reason for getting a valuation and your long-term goals for your company.
Looking at Assets
Finding the value of a business based on its assets isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. In this approach, a business’s investments are added up to determine value. 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 difference between the assets and the liabilities of the company is the business’ value.
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. Typically, one of two methods will be chosen for proceeding: either a going concern asset-based approach or a liquidation asset-based approach.
The first option is a going concern asset-based approach. 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 liquidiation-focused approach to valuation, it is important to imagine the business is liquidated before determining its value. The net cash received from such a liquidation is the business value.
The specifics of your business may reveal whether this sort of approach is right for you. Asset-based approaches are not appropriate for all businesses. As one example, a business that is owned in the name of a single person ퟀ�” a sole proprietorship ퟀ�” should be advised not to take this approach. By contrast, corporations spread out the ownership of assets throughout the company and could benefit more greatly from a valuation based on assets.
Market-Based Approach
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 Indianapolis could provide insight on your own. Viewing your business side-by-side with other, similar ventures can provide crucial information for figuring out the value of a business.
The advantage to this approach is that it looks more comprehensively at the overall business climate for your particular field. 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.
Unfortunately, it is not always easy to get competitors with your business to reveal the sort of information needed for a market-based valuation. 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.
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
The types of valuations possible go beyond those meant strictly for businesses trying to sell. A business valuation is not the only type of assessment that is possible. Others focus on things such as patents and intellectual property.
Getting a 409A Valuation
A 409a valuation is conducted for the purpose of evaluating the stocks associated with the company. Stocks are frequently given to employees and contractors as part of their earnings from working. Such businesses need a 409A valuation because that stock is considered a form of income offered in one year but paid out in a different year.
This sounds complicated. It simply means those stocks have to be accounted for. A benefit of this form of business valuation is that it can determine a company’s fair market value. The fair market value determined by this valuation is a benchmark at or above which employees given stock must be able to sell. 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.
It is important to know whether or not your business is legally required to get this form of valuation. 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.
Business Valuations/Looking at Business Valuations
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. 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. As our clients have expanded, so has Redwood, increasing the size and expertise of our team. We have experienced accountants prepared for whatever your business’ specific valuation needs entail. 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.
IRS regulations, business needs and finance are complex fields that call for knowledge and specialization. While you’re concerned with your business running smoothly, let experts tackle the ins and outs of a getting a valuation done.
IP and Patent Valuations
Patents and intellectual property also require their own valuations. Patent and IP valuations come from many different industries in the business world. IP and patents are always under threat from competing trademarks and leaked trade secrets, as well as tax concerns. Litigation, mergers, acquisitions and business planning provide additional cause for an IP and patent valuation.
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.
Purchase Price Allocations (ASC 805)
Purchase price allocations, or ASC 805, may be necessary for your business. This requirement relates to the acquisition of businesses and includes determining the fair market value of the transaction consideration, intangible assets, liabilities and certain tangible assets as of the date of acquisition. Purchase price is the crucial outcome of such an evaluation of a business.
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.
Getting a Business Valuation Done Right
Here at Redwood Valuation Partners you will find the expertise you need for your valuation. Whether you are comparing your business to others in Indianapolis 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.
Knowing the fair market value of your business can help your future. This may be because you intend to sell your company or because you want to stay in compliance with 409A. Intellectual property can be assessed and protected through a business valuation. The intricacies can seem overwhelming. Get experts on your side who know how to cut through the complicated legal language to get you the information you need. We know how to assist you with a business valuation whether it is for tax issues, value assessment or any other reason.
One of our core values is teamwork, which we believe can help even in the complex world of venture capital and auditing. Our team consists of experts who have worked in their specialties for years. We understand that many of our clients come from high-pressure startups and growth-focused companies with tight 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.
Our principles when working with clients include intense focus, long experience and grounded expertise, no matter the cause for the valuation. Along with audit defense, we will give you a free consultation before beginning your valuation, which comes with customized report. We will even help you get started if you aren’t sure. The customized reports we include with our valuations give you insight into the details of all of your businesses assets. Get a deeper look at your business that includes objective factors as well as subjective ones during the assessment. Finally, you will have nothing to fear from audits, as our audit defense is prepared to protect you should the occasion arise.
The bottom line is that a business valuation, for any reason, is best approached with help. Don’t try to tackle this task alone when Redwood is ready and able to help you with the process. A free consultation may be the perfect starting point.
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 Indianapolis, IN.
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 Indianapolis
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
