Business Valuation Nashville Tennessee
How to Find the Value of Your Nashville, Tennessee Business
Do you know how much your Nashville business is worth? There are a number of intricate details that you have to evaluate in order to find your business’ fair market value. The value of a business means different things to different people, but there are some core principles of business valuation that can help you get the right valuation done for your Nashville business. This seems like it could be overwhelming, but it shouldn’t be. 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 Nashville, TN
Call Redwood Valuation Partners for your next business valuation (206) 660-1295
Why Do Businesses Get Valuations?
If you want to know exactly how much your business may be worth if you sold it, you should seek a business valuation. 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.
In addition to how much a business is worth, a valuation can show which parts of a business are valuable. There are as many factors involved in the value of a business as there are businesses themselves. A local business that is important to the community in Nashville may have a high value for that particular community, but not for a potential buyer. Likewise, a business that seems like a tiny startup could have a ton of hidden value for the right buyer. The particulars of a business will determine the outcome.
That’s why expertise is crucial in a business valuation. In addition to understanding your business, an accountant doing a valuation should know the ins and outs of finance, venture capital, tax law, and other fields. 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. If you need help determining if a business valuation is right for your circumstances, get a free consultation from Redwood.
Different Ways of Approaching Business Valuation
When assessing the value of any business, there are three broad approaches that are considered standard. These three approaches are not the only possible ways of looking at a business’s value, however. These methods apply to an array of businesses, whether they’re in Minneapolis or elsewhere. Each business has its own particulars that will ultimately determine the approach that is the most appropriate for it.
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. This exercise can reveal a lot of information about a business, including its liabilities and assets. Then, the valuator can simply subtract the liabilities from the assets to figure out the worth of the business.
Of course, this approach is deceptively simple. This process gains complexity when the accountant has to decide which assets to include. Additionally, there are two different ways of going about this process: a going concern asset-based approach and a liquidation asset-based approach.
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 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 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. Asset-based approaches are not appropriate for all business. There are certainly some businesses, such as those that are in a sole proprietorship, that would be well-advised to take a different approach. By contrast, corporations spread out the ownership of assets throughout the company and could benefit more greatly from a valuation based on assets.
Determining Value Based on the Market
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 Nashville. Viewing your business side-by-side with other, similar ventures can provide crucial information for figuring out the value of a business.
The advantage of 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.
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. Non-competition clauses and private information can hinder this approach, making it difficult or potentially even impossible to get the information necessary for this type of valuation.
Making a Valuation Based on Income or Earnings
The difference between an income or earnings-focused approach and other approaches is that this means of valuation is concerned with the future. 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 predication. Some of this uncertainty is offset by the ability to use concrete data to calculate this valuation. The accountant doing the valuation can even “normalize” figures to remove unusual spikes or dips that could make the assessment less precise. Additionally, capitalization factors may indicate abnormalities in the market itself that should be considered during a valuation.
There are, as with other methods, additional considerations here, such as the type of business you run. 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.
Types of 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.
Getting a 409A Valuation
A 409 a valuation looks at stock as it relates to the value of your business. It is common for employees in many fields to receive stocks as compensation. When compensation comes in the form of stocks like this it is considered a special type of deferred payment that has to be reported.
It’s not as confusing as it seems. What it comes down to is stock options. For one thing, this type of valuation can help a business find its fair market value. 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. 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. Even if you have gotten a 409A valuation in the past for your business, the law could require that you get another one each year or every time a new round of funding closes.
An accountant such as the ones at Redwood can be a crucial ally in trying to sort through the 409A valuation process any time you find you need to do one. Experience and expertise are key benefits that only an accountant can offer if you have to work through a 409A valuation.
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. Figuring out your tax liability is another common reason for seeking out a business valuation.
Equity and enterprise valuations are best handled by a talented accountant. Redwood’s expert team has grown to keep pace with our increasing client needs. We have experienced accountants prepared for whatever your business’ specific valuation needs entail. 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 a getting a valuation done.
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. Some of our clients have concerns about trademarks and trade secrets, while others want to make sure they stay in compliance with taxes. 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. But the value of IP and patents cannot be understated, especially in recent times when so much of a business’s value comes from these assets in particular.
What is a Purchase Price Allocation?
Purchase price allocations, or ASC 805, may be necessary for your business. During a purchase or acquisition, businesses seek to find their fair market value, including their intangible assets and liabilities, to bring to the transaction. Purchase price is the crucial outcome of such an evaluation of a business.
A purchase price allocation ultimately comes down to determining what various parts of a purchased business are worth, including assets and liabilities. In a transaction, a lot of smaller pieces of a company can be traded and purchased and it’s important to understand the value of all of these.
The Last Word on Business Valuations
Come to Redwood Valuation Partners when the time comes for your business valuation. Whether your business is in Nashville 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.
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. Maybe you are seeking a business valuation for tax reasons or to assess the value of a patent. Don’t get overwhelmed by the details. A helping hand through the process of business valuation can make the process easier. Our team has worked for years in business, finance and tax issues, allowing us to meet the needs of a wide range of businesses.
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.
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. We can assist you from the very beginning if you don’t know where to start. 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. 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. 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 Nashville, TN.
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 Nashville
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
