Business Valuation New Orleans Louisiana
How to Find the Value of Your New Orleans, Louisiana 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. 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. 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 in New Orleans, LA plus IRC 409A Valuation, and Purchase Price Allocation
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. 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 local business that is important to the community in New Orleans may have a high value for that particular community, but not for a potential buyer. 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.
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. If you are interested in stock compensation, expenses or selling price, you will see a lot of benefits from a well-done business valuation. 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
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 New Orleans or elsewhere. The best approach for your business depends on your reason for getting a valuation and your long-term goals for your company.
Asset-Based Approach
While it may sound obvious, there are actually a few approaches to looking at a business’s assets 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. 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.
It sounds straightforward, but there are hidden complexities. 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.
A going concern asset-based approach is a little more straightforward. 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. A liquidation approach to determining worth is concerned with paying off liabilities before figuring out the value of a business. After liquidation, the accountant can see clearly the value of the business.
The specifics of your business may reveal whether this sort of approach is right for you. 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. A corporation, however, could find value in an assessment that is asset-based, as its assets are owned by the entire company and not one person.
Determining Value Based on 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 New Orleans 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.
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.
This approach encounters difficulties in that often other businesses are not eager to share their worth with competitors. Some of the difficulty with a market-focused approach arises when you encounter non-competition clauses and other information a business has decided to make private.
Income- or Earning-Based Approach
The difference between an income or earnings-focused approach and other approaches is that this means of valuation is concerned with the future. However, this method starts in the present, looking at the earnings of the business today to try to predict its future earnings.
It is not an exact science to predict the future of a business and therefore an earning-focused approach can invite an element of risk. However, they can use hard data to back up this prediction. 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.
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.
409A Valuations
A 409A valuation looks at stock as it relates to the value of your business. Many businesses offer stock to their employees and contractors. 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 may seem overwhelming. 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. 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. 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. Experience and expertise are key benefits that only an accountant can offer if you have to work through a 409A valuation.
Business Valuations/Looking at Business Valuations
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.
A practiced accountant can help navigate enterprise and equity valuations for businesses. Redwood’s expert team has grown to keep pace with our increasing client needs. We years of experience and a comprehensive team, we are prepared to take on a host of business valuations needs. Business valuation could include tax or financial reporting, assessment of fair market value or for purchase price allocations.
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.
IP and Patent Valuations
Finding the value of intellectual property and patents is a specialized field. Patent and IP valuations come from many different industries in the business world. Some of our clients have concerns about trademarks and trade secrets, while others want to make sure they stay in compliance with taxes. But you might also seek an IP and patent valuation in order to plan, secure a merger or acquisition, or during litigation.
Don’t neglect to protect your valuable intellectual property or patent by getting a valuation of it. These assets can be difficult to appraise as they are often intangible and difficult to define. 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?
You may be required to do a purchase price allocation. During a purchase or acquisition, businesses seek to find their fair market value, including their intangible assets and liabilities, to bring to the transaction. This is particularly important for assessing purchase prices in an acquisition.
This type of business valuation looks at all the different parts of a business to determine its value. It is not always the case that a business is sold as one whole entity; it may be sold in smaller pieces.
Getting a Business Valuation Done Right
Here at Redwood Valuation Partners you will find the expertise you need for your valuation. Whether your business is in New Orleans 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. Assets and liabilities are complicated. A helping hand through the process of business valuation can make the process easier. We know how to assist you with a business valuation whether it is for tax issues, value assessment or any other reason.
We understand the ins and outs of venture capital and auditing and take a teamwork-focused approach. At Redwood, we have built a team grounded in years of expertise and business knowledge. 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.
Whatever your reason for getting a business valuation, we can offer client focus, experience and expertise that can make the process as easy as possible for 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. Plus, you can take one less burden off your plate with audit defense that guarantees audit defense at any time without high additional costs.
In the end, if you need a business valuation, you will likely need help with that valuation. Redwood has the experts on hand to make your business valuation a painless process with lots of benefits. Find out how to get started with a 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 New Orleans, LA.
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 New Orleans
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
