How To Select The Right Professional To Value Your Business

If you are reading this web site you probably need or want to find out how much your business is worth. You are looking for someone to do a small business valuation. Not just anyone. A qualified professional that has experience valuing businesses like yours. But there are some problems. First, you don't know how to find small business valuation (BV) professionals. Then once you find a few, you have no idea how to evaluate them.

That's why you need a Guide to Selecting the Right Professional to Value Your Business.

The Guide will help you:

• Make a decision based on facts and research
• Hire the best small business valuation professional possible
• Save money 

The Guide answers questions like:

• What is a small business valuation?
• Who does small business valuations and where can I find them?
• What are the main BV certifications and what do they mean?
• How do I find professionals that have them?
• Once I find some, how do I evaluate them?
• Should small business valuation experience in the same industry be a primary consideration?
• What combination of credentials and experience are best for me?    
• What are the average fees for a small business valuation?
• How do I choose the best one from a group of qualified professionals?
• What should I expect after selecting a professional?
• What information about my business will I need to provide?
• How long does it take to get a completed small business valuation?

The first step in this process is educating yourself about the basics of small business valuations and the professionals that do them. In the Introduction to Business Valuation section the Guide explains what a small business valuation is, who does them, and what the various business valuation certifications are.

The next step is finding a pool of qualified BV professionals to choose from. The Guide describes a number of easy and effective ways to find qualified professionals. Once you have found them, the Guide shows you how to cull the list using information from each professional's directory listings, marketing materials, and web site. 

The most helpful part of the Guide is the Business Valuation Professional Scorecard. It is a convenient and logical tool to help you choose the best one from your pared down list. Just follow the instructions and complete one Scorecard for each professional. You will give each professional a numerical rating in each of dozens of important factors. The factors are grouped in the sections shown below. Simply total the scores and choose the professional with the highest score.    

New Expanded Second Edition

• Includes The 5 Biggest Mistakes Made When Getting a Business Appraised

• More detailed instructions on how to use the Business Valuation Professional Scorecard

• Revised Business Valuation Professional Scorecard

• New section on what to expect after you hire a BV professional

• Sample BV engagement letter

Guide to Selecting The Right Professional to Value Your Business Second Edition Table of Contents The 5 Biggest Mistakes Made When Getting A Business Appraised ....................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................... 6 Business Valuation Basics ...............................................7 What is a business valuation? .............................. 7 Types of valuation professionals .......................... 7 Valuation credentials ........................................... 8 Finding Valuation Professionals ................................... 11 Referrals ........................................................... 12 Directories of Holders of BV Credentials .......... 12 Internet Search Engines .................................... 13  Local Business Directories ................................ 14 Gathering Preliminary Information ............................... 15 Culling the List ........................................................... 16 Interviewing the BV Professional ................................ 17 Making the Final Selection ..........................................18 Using the BV Professional Scorecard ......................... 18 How to Use It ................................................. 18 The Scorecard ................................................ 23 Appendix A What to Expect After You Hire a BV Professional .... 29   Appendix B Sample BV Engagement Letter ................................. 32

 

 

The value of your small business is a critical number. The opinions of business valuation experts can vary by tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. So hiring the right professional is essential. You won't ever regret investing a few bucks and some of your time to make the best choice. If you make the wrong choice you will never forget it because it can cost you big bucks. Why risk it?

Order your copy of the Guide to Selecting the Right Professional to Value Your Business - Now for only $17.95!

 Also Available From Business Valuations & Strategies

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Scorecard For Small Business - How to analyze the performance and risks of your business like a pro.