How to Get a Business Valuation in Florida
How to Get a Professional Business Valuation in Florida
Before you can sell your business, price it for a partner buyout, settle an estate, or even plan your retirement, you need to know what it’s worth. A business valuation is the starting point for all of these decisions. Here’s how the process works in Florida, and who should do it.
Why You Need a Professional Valuation
Online calculators and industry rules of thumb are useful for ballpark estimates, but they can’t account for the specific factors that make your business more or less valuable than the average. A professional valuation analyzes your actual financials, normalizes owner compensation, benchmarks against real comparable transactions, and produces a defensible number that you can present to buyers, lenders, or courts with confidence.
Who Can Value a Business in Florida?
In Florida, business valuations can be performed by several types of professionals:
- Certified Business Appraisers (CBA), certified by the Institute of Business Appraisers
- Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV), a CPA credential from the AICPA
- Certified Valuation Analysts (CVA), certified by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts
- M&A advisors and business brokers, provide opinion-of-value assessments for sale purposes (not formal appraisals, but often more market-oriented)
For a business sale, a broker or M&A advisor’s opinion of value is usually sufficient to establish an asking price and negotiate with buyers. Formal appraisals (more expensive and detailed) are typically required for litigation, estate planning, shareholder disputes, or SBA loan purposes.
The Three Valuation Approaches
Every business valuation uses one or more of three standard approaches:
- Income approach: Values the business based on its earnings capacity, normalizing SDE or EBITDA and applying an appropriate multiple. Most common for small businesses.
- Market approach: Compares your business to actual recent sales of similar businesses using transaction databases like DealStats, BizComps, or PeerComps.
- Asset approach: Values the underlying assets (equipment, inventory, real estate, receivables) less liabilities. Used for asset-heavy businesses or those with minimal profitability.
What Information Is Needed for a Valuation?
To value your business, an advisor will typically need: 3 years of tax returns (business and personal), 3 years of profit and loss statements, a current balance sheet, a list of business assets and equipment, any outstanding loans or liabilities, a description of your customer base and contracts, and information about your role and any key employees.
How Much Does a Business Valuation Cost in Florida?
Formal certified appraisals typically cost $3,000–$10,000+ depending on complexity. Many M&A advisors and business brokers offer a free or low-cost opinion of value as part of an initial consultation, with the understanding that they’ll earn a commission if you proceed with a sale.
Get Your Business Valued by Ryan C. Winter
Ryan C. Winter provides confidential business valuations for owners in St. Augustine and throughout Northeast Florida. Contact us to discuss what your business is worth and what steps would increase its value before a sale.
Related Reading
- 7 Ways to Increase Your Business Value Before Selling in Northeast Florida
- 5 Financial Habits That Increase Business Value in Northeast Florida
- How to Increase the Value of Your Business Before You Sell
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