When most business owners think about the value of their company, they focus on sales growth, profit margins, and customer numbers. Yet, when it comes to selling or valuing a business, it’s often the hidden risks  that have the biggest impact — wiping out value faster than a drop in turnover ever could. Whether you’re preparing for a sale, an employee ownership transition, or simply building long-term shareholder value, understanding and addressing these risks early is crucia

Valuing a growing business is relatively straightforward — profits rise, demand increases, and future earnings look promising. But valuing a business in decline is far more complex. Whether the decline is temporary or structural, buyers, investors, and advisers all want to understand the same thing: how much of the current performance is recoverable, and how much has permanently gone? Understanding that distinction is key to producing a fair and realistic valuation. 1. Start

When valuing a business, most owners immediately think of tangible assets — equipment, property, or stock. However, in many modern SMEs, intellectual property (IP) can represent a far greater source of value. From brand reputation and software code to designs, data, and know-how, intellectual property is often the hidden engine that drives profitability and competitive advantage. At BusinessValuation.co.uk , we help owners understand how IP contributes to overall business val

Valuing a high-growth start-up is not about finding a single “correct” number. It’s about framing a sensible range anchored in evidence, explaining the assumptions behind that range, and stress-testing the outcomes under different growth and funding scenarios. For founders and investors alike, the objective is to reach a defensible view of value that reflects growth quality, scalability, and risk. Why traditional valuation tools often fall short Classical methods such as a si

When business owners begin exploring a potential sale, one of the most common questions is: what is my business worth? The truth is, there are several recognised methods for valuing a business, but one of the most widely used is the market approach. This method looks beyond spreadsheets and forecasts to focus on what similar businesses have actually sold for in the open market. In many ways, it mirrors how property is valued – by examining recent, comparable transactions. Wha