Business Valuation Spokane Washington
Assessing Business Value in Spokane
Have you ever assessed the value of your Spokane business? Assessing the value of your Spokane business can be more complicated than just working out the value of its assets. 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 Spokane business. If this sounds technical, don’t worry. 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 Spokane, WA
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. The value of any one business could come from entirely different sources than a different business. It might be surprising to learn that a business with a very high value in Spokane is perhaps not as highly valued in a different city. Likewise, a business that seems like a tiny startup could have a ton of hidden value for the right buyer. 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. But the reasons and advantages of a valuation are different for every circumstance. 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 accountant doing a business valuation will likely take one of three main approaches to assessing the value of a business. While there may be other approaches, these three encompass the main methods of assessing a business’ value. These approaches to business valuation are applicable whether your business is located in Spokane or not. Each business has its own particulars that will ultimately determine the approach that is the most appropriate for it.
Determining Value Based on Assets
While it may sound obvious, there are actually a few approaches to looking at a business’s assets 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 next step involves balancing the assets and liabilities in order to calculate how much value the business holds.
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. 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 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 specifics of your business may reveal whether this sort of approach is right for you. It is possible that a different method is more suitable for your particular 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.
Looking at the Market
A market-based approach looks at the market as a whole and not solely at your business. This includes looking at other businesses in Spokane. 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. 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. 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
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.
Of course, assessing value this way comes along with the risk of assumptions and predictions that invite uncertainty. There is, however, reliable data to back up the value assessment made through this method. The accountant doing the valuation can even “normalize” figures to remove unusual spikes or dips that could make the assessment less precise. Sometimes, these predictions are divided by capitalization factors that fluctuate based on the market.
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. A different reason for a valuation could include something such as intellectual property.
What is a 409A Valuation?
A 409A valuation is conducted for the purpose of evaluating the stocks associated with the company. It is common for employees in many fields to receive stocks as compensation. 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.
It’s not as confusing as it seems. 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. Fair market value is especially important here because employees with stock need to be able to sell it at or above that mark. 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.
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. Perhaps you are interested in finding the likely selling price of your business on the market. Others desire a business valuation when researching things such as tax liability.
A practiced accountant can help navigate enterprise and equity valuations for businesses. At Redwood, we’ve seen our clients’ needs expand as our own business has expanded. Regardless of your specific reasons for seeking out a business valuation, we can work with you to reach your goals. 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.
How to Assess IP and Patents
Patents and intellectual property also require their own valuations. Patent and IP valuations come from many different industries in the business world. 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. 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. 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.
What is a Purchase Price Allocation?
You may be required to do a purchase price allocation. In the course of negotiations for a business acquisition, things such as liabilities, assets and fair market value need to be assessed objectively. Purchase price is the crucial outcome of such an evaluation of a business.
This type of business valuation looks at all the different parts of a business to determine its value. 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.
Getting a Business Valuation Done Right
At Redwood Valuation Partners, we are experts in business valuation. Whether you are comparing your business to others in Spokane 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. Don’t get overwhelmed by the details. That’s where experienced accountants come in to help inform and guide you. Our team has worked for years in business, finance and tax issues, allowing us to meet the needs of a wide range of businesses.
We understand the ins and outs of venture capital and auditing and take a teamwork-focused approach. 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.
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. We go beyond the standard valuation to offer a free consultation, as well as audit defense and customized reports. 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. 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.
If you do want to find the value of your business or assets, having skilled assistance can be a boon. Get Redwood’s experienced team to assist you as you work through a business valuation for any reason. 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 Spokane, WA.
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 Spokane
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
