There are a dozen reasons to know what your business is worth. You probably have one.
A valuation isn't something you do because an advisor told you to. It answers a specific question you're already asking — about a sale, a partner, your estate, or just whether the years have added up to what you think. Tell me which one is yours.
The common thread
Every one of those situations turns on the same fact: your business is almost certainly the largest asset you own, and the one you check on least. You know your home's value within a few thousand dollars. Most owners couldn't put a defensible number on the company that funds their entire life.
That's the gap worth closing. Not because a number is magic, but because every decision above — when to sell, what to accept, how to plan — gets made better when you're working from a real figure instead of a hopeful one.
Common questions
It tells you what the business is worth on a defensible basis, which is where the conversation starts. The final price is set at the table, by a buyer who has seen the financials. The valuation is what keeps that negotiation honest.
If a transition is years out, once a year is plenty — enough to watch the trend and catch problems early. If you're inside two years of a sale, you want it current and you want a plan to move it.
No. The first read is complimentary. No one calls you, nothing is owed, and what you do with the number is your decision.
Whatever the reason, the first step is the same: a clear, honest read on what the company is worth.