Business Valuation Miami Florida
How to Find the Value of Your Miami, Florida Business
Have you ever wondered how much your business is actually worth? 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. The value of a business might change depending on who you ask, but luckily there are certain consistent principles applied to any business valuation that is performed. This might seem complicated, but we can help. The accountants and valuators at Redwood Valuation have the expertise and knowledge necessary to make a business valuation a smooth and seamless process for you.
409A Valuation, IRC 409A Valuation, Purchase Price Allocation in Miami, FL
Call Redwood Valuation Partners for your next business valuation (206) 660-1295
Top Reasons to Seek a Business Valuation
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. If you are considering selling your business, it’s critical to get a valuation first so that you can go into negotiations with potential buyers armed with knowledge and data.
A business valuation can also help show you where your business’ value comes from. There are as many factors involved in the value of a business as there are businesses themselves. A business that is important for a particular city, such as Miami, 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 all depends on your perspective.
That’s why expertise is crucial in a business valuation. An accountant doing a valuation needs to know tax law, the audit process, and finance, as well as information about your business. But the benefits of a business valuation come in many forms, from stock compensation to expenses to selling prices. Ultimately, the reason for a business valuation depends on your particular circumstances. If you need help determining if a business valuation is right for your circumstances, get a free consultation from Redwood.
Approaches to Business Valuation
An accounting doing a business valuation will likely take one of three main approaches to assessing the value of a business. 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 Las Vegas 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
While it may sound obvious, there are actually a few approaches to looking at a business’s assets The overall goal is to add together all the investments in the 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. 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.
Don’t be fooled by how simple this approach seems at first glance. In practice, determining which assets and liabilities to include, and how, is a tricky process. A going concern asset-based approach or a liquidation asset-based approach will help you move forward with this appraisal.
The first option is a going concern asset-based approach. 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 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 type of asset-based approach you choose depends on your business. Asset-based approaches are not appropriate for all businesses. 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.
Market-Based Approach
A market-based approach looks at the market as a whole and not solely at your business. For example, you could compare your business to others located in Miami. The goal is to see what your business would be worth by comparing it to other similar businesses.
This approach has the benefit of viewing overall market conditions rather than having a more narrow focus. An accountant using this approach will try to determine the fair market value of your business and what a buyer is likely to pay for it in the current climate.
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.
Looking at Income or Earnings
An income- or earning-based approach is different from the other two in that it is concerned with future potential. However, this method starts in the present, looking at the earnings of the business today to try to predict its future earnings.
Obviously, this invites an element of risk in that the accountant or valuator is attempting to determine value based on a predication. However, they can use hard data to back up this prediction. Often, a valuator will “normalize” current earnings, removing abnormal costs and windfalls, to try to get a reliable set of figures to work with. Sometimes, these predictions are divided by capitalization factors that fluctuate based on the market.
There are, as with other methods, additional considerations here, such as the type of business you run. Sole proprietorship could mean that a business’s identity is so closely linked to its owner that selling it incurs particular risks that can not be predicted based on earnings alone.
What Kinds of Valuations Exist?
The types of valuations possible go beyond those meant strictly for businesses trying to sell. There are other value assessments that serve difficult purposes. Someone with a patent, for example, may also seek a valuation of their property.
409A Valuations
A 409A valuation looks at stock as it relates to the value of your business. Stocks are frequently given to employees and contractors as part of their earnings from working. 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. For one thing, this type of valuation can help a business find its 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. Other deferred compensation that requires a 409A valuation includes salary deferral arrangements and bonus plans the company issues.
Often, you will know you need this type of valuation because it will be legally required of your business. Additional 409a valuations could be required at the end of a new round of funding or once a year, even if you have gotten this type of valuation in the past already.
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. You may be hoping to see how much you could make by selling your company. 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 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.
It takes an experienced team to understand the intricacies of business and finance, as well as IRS regulations. While you’re concerned with your business running smoothly, let experts tackle the ins and outs of a getting a valuation done.
How to Assess IP and Patents
Intellectual property and patents have separate valuation concerns. However, this type of valuation can impact a wide range of businesses. IP and patents are always under threat from competing trademarks and leaked trade secrets, as well as tax concerns. But you might also seek an IP and patent valuation in order to plan, and 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. Defining assets that are not necessarily tangible can be complex, though. Despite the difficulty, IP and patents are extremely valuable assets that every business should seek to protect as well as they can.
Assessing Purchase Price Allocations for Business
Another requirement businesses encounter is ASC 805. In the course of negotiations for a business acquisition, things such as liabilities, assets and fair market value need to be assessed objectively. Of course, the overall goal is to figure out the purchase price for an acquisition.
A purchase price allocation ultimately comes down to determining what various parts of a purchased business are worth, including assets and liabilities. 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.
What’s the Bottom Line?
Here at Redwood Valuation Partners, you will find the expertise you need for your valuation. Whether your business is in Miami 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. You also could seek a business valuation in order to protect a patent. Assets and liabilities are complicated. That’s where experienced accountants come in to help inform and guide you. 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. At Redwood, we have built a team grounded in years of expertise and business knowledge. Many of the people we work with come from high-pressure environments with tough deadlines. We let you get to the important work of running your business while we take care of the intricacies of business valuation.
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 a customized report. We will even help you get started if you aren’t sure. Take a deeper look at your business with the customized report we provide as part of our valuations. See both subjective and objective elements of your valuation with an in-depth look at your business. Plus, you can take one less burden off your plate with an audit defense that guarantees audit defense at any time without high additional costs.
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 you time, and allow you to focus on what matters – growing your business. Get a quality company appraisal in Miami, FL.
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 Miami
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
