Business Valuation For Dummies

Your hands-on guide to calculating — and understanding — business value

Want to determine the value of a business, but not sure where to start? This plain-English guide gives you step-by-step directions for the major valuation methods, supporting them with real-world examples. You'll work with easy-to-understand valuation models and apply them to different types of businesses to achieve the fairest, most affordable valuation solution.

• Business valuation 101 — learn what it is, why it's a challenge, and the approaches that experts take to uncover value (or the lack of it)

• Grasp key valuation tools — understand valuation reports, financial statements, and "rule of thumb" guidelines for specific businesses

• Get to the heart of it — analyze historical performance, evaluate assets and income value, and estimate cost of capital

• If you're selling a business — see how to conduct due diligence and increase your company's value

• If you're buying a business — incorporate valuation into the necessary prep before negotiation

• Seek help from the experts — from divorce to estate planning to attracting outside investors, know when and why you should get outside valuation help

Open the book and find:

• Real-world advice on planning and executing valuation

• The role of the supporting players in the valuation process

• Detailed case studies on buying and selling businesses

• How forensic accounting fits into valuation

• The soft and hard skills needed for successful valuation

• What to build into a partnership agreement

• Why you should pause before transforming your company into an ESOP