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What is a business worth?

Size up an acquisition target in seconds. Get an instant, defensible valuation range from a company's earnings and industry, using the same earnings-multiple method buyers, lenders, and advisors rely on. Private by design: the math runs entirely in your browser.

Estimate the value

Enter the figures you know. Everything is optional except earnings; we'll fill sensible defaults.

Trailing-twelve-month sales. Used for context and a sanity check, not the core driver.

Earnings basis

SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) suits owner-run small businesses. EBITDA suits larger businesses a buyer won't operate day to day. Default: SDE.

The base annual earnings on the selected basis, before the add-backs below.

Add-backs & normalizations (optional)

Normalize earnings: e.g. above-market owner pay or one-time, non-recurring costs. Added to base earnings to get adjusted earnings.

Sets the typical multiple range applied to your adjusted earnings.

Modifiers nudge the multiple within a sensible band; growth and lower risk push toward the high end.

The indicative valuation range will appear here.
Enter the earnings and press Calculate.

Indicative valuation range

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Mid-point estimate:

Low
Mid
High
Basis: Adjusted earnings: Multiple:

How we got here

Multiples are industry heuristics for the lower-middle market and small businesses; real value depends on the company's financials, growth, risk, and buyer competition. This mirrors how Acquiror builds defensible valuations, with every assumption transparent and ready to defend.

Indicative estimate only. This is an educational guide based on industry rules of thumb, not a formal valuation, appraisal, or financial advice. For a defensible, audit-ready valuation, talk to Acquiror.

Want this written up properly?

A range on a screen is not something you can hand to a lender. Leave your email and we will send you the write-up of this valuation: the method, every assumption behind the number, and what would move it up or down. That is the version you can put in front of a lender, or use to pressure-test the number a broker gave you.

Submitting sends the figures above to us so we can write up your valuation. We use them for that email and do not store them. No spam, ever, and your range is on screen whether or not you sign up.

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The method

An earnings-multiple valuation, made transparent

The same approach used across the lower-middle market: normalize earnings, apply an industry multiple, and frame the answer as a defensible range.

STEP 01

Normalize earnings

Start from SDE or EBITDA and add back owner-specific and one-time costs to get adjusted earnings a buyer can rely on.

STEP 02

Apply an industry multiple

Each sector trades in a typical multiple band. We apply that range to your adjusted earnings.

STEP 03

Adjust for growth & risk

Growth and lower risk nudge toward the high end; decline and concentration toward the low end, producing the range.

Want the fundamentals first? Read How to Value a Business.

FAQ

Questions about valuation

How is a small business valued?
Most small and lower-middle-market businesses are valued on a multiple of earnings. You normalize earnings (SDE for owner-operated businesses, EBITDA for larger ones) by adding back owner-specific and one-time costs, then apply an industry multiple range to get a valuation range.
What's the difference between SDE and EBITDA?
SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) is profit plus the owner's salary, benefits, and discretionary spend, used for owner-operated small businesses. EBITDA assumes a hired manager and is used for larger businesses where the buyer won't run it day to day.
Why a range instead of one number?
A single number implies false precision. Real value depends on growth, risk, customer concentration, and buyer competition, so a credible estimate is a range. The mid-point is a reasonable central estimate, not a guarantee.
Is this a formal business valuation?
No. This is an indicative estimate based on industry heuristics, for education and planning, not a formal valuation, appraisal, or financial advice. A defensible, audit-ready valuation requires a review of the actual financials and circumstances. Join the Acquiror waitlist to get one.