Whether you are thinking about selling, bringing in a new shareholder, setting up an employee share scheme or simply want to know what you have built, we produce clear, evidence-based valuations that stand up to scrutiny and give you the confidence to act.
Knowing what your business is genuinely worth is one of the most useful pieces of financial information you can have. Yet most small business owners either have no idea, or are working from a figure they arrived at intuitively, without any supporting evidence.
The consequences can be costly. Selling without a proper valuation means you may accept an offer that significantly undervalues your life's work. Entering a shareholder dispute without one puts you at an immediate disadvantage. Issuing EMI share options to employees without agreeing the value with HMRC can create unexpected tax problems for everyone involved.
We carry out professional, independent business valuations for a wide range of purposes. We draw on your actual financial data, apply the right methodology for your situation and produce a written report that explains our reasoning clearly. You leave knowing exactly what your business is worth today, why it is worth that, and what you could do to increase it.
Every valuation is different because the purpose shapes the methodology. We tailor our approach to the specific situation, whether that is a commercial sale, an HMRC submission, a legal proceeding or a long-term planning exercise.
If you are thinking about selling your business, or acquiring another one, a professional valuation gives you the independent evidence you need to negotiate from a position of knowledge. We produce a written report covering the valuation methodology, the supporting evidence and a realistic asking price range based on current market conditions.
Most commonIf your company wants to offer Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) or Company Share Option Plan (CSOP) options to employees, you need to agree the value of your shares with HMRC before granting them. We prepare the valuation report, calculate the Unrestricted Market Value and Actual Market Value, and submit your VAL231 application to HMRC's Shares and Assets Valuation team.
HMRCWhen shareholders disagree on the value of their company, or when one shareholder is being bought out, an independent valuation carried out by a qualified accountant provides an objective basis for negotiations or legal proceedings. We produce detailed reports that are robust enough to withstand challenge and support a fair resolution for all parties.
Business interests frequently form part of the asset pool in divorce proceedings. We provide independent share and business valuations for use in financial remedy applications and consent orders, in a format suitable for submission to the court and for review by the other party's legal and financial advisors.
When a business owner passes away, the shares in their company must be valued for inheritance tax and probate purposes. HMRC requires a properly reasoned valuation report that applies the correct methodology for unquoted shares. We prepare these valuations in line with HMRC's guidance and in the format required by the estate's solicitors.
If your management team is buying the business from its current owners, both parties need an independent view of what it is worth. We carry out the valuation, explain the methodology clearly to both sides and, where helpful, advise on how the deal might be structured to bridge any gap between the buyer's and seller's expectations.
If you are raising investment, bringing in a new partner or preparing for a future sale, understanding your current valuation and what drives it is an essential starting point. We assess your business through the lens of a sophisticated buyer or investor, identify the factors most likely to affect the multiple they would apply and help you address them before you go to market.
Transferring shares between shareholders, issuing new shares to family members or restructuring the share capital of a family business all require a defensible valuation, both to satisfy HMRC and to ensure the transaction is carried out on fair terms. We produce valuations in the format required for the specific type of transfer.
Some business owners commission a valuation every one to two years, not because they are planning to sell, but because tracking the movement in their business's value gives them a useful measure of how well their strategy is working. We carry out periodic reviews against a consistent methodology so the comparisons are meaningful.
There is no single correct method for valuing a business. The right approach depends on the type of business, the purpose of the valuation and the financial data available. We apply the most appropriate method and cross-check the result with at least one secondary approach.
This method values a business as a multiple of its Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation. We first normalise the earnings to remove the owner's personal salary above market rate, one-off costs and any non-commercial items, then apply a multiple that reflects the sector, growth trajectory and risk profile of the business.
For small UK businesses, EBITDA multiples typically range from 2x to 6x, though high-growth or recurring-revenue businesses can command higher multiples. We use comparable transaction data to justify the multiple we apply.
Best for: Profitable trading businesses, service companies, consultancies and businesses with a reliable earnings history.
DCF values a business by projecting its future cash flows over a three to five year period and discounting them back to their present value using a discount rate that reflects the risk involved. This method is theoretically the most sound for going concerns, as it focuses on what the business will actually generate for its owner going forward, rather than what it has earned in the past.
DCF requires a robust financial forecast and carefully chosen assumptions. Small changes in the growth rate or discount rate can have a large impact on the result, which is why we always use it alongside a cross-check.
Best for: Growing businesses with strong forecast visibility, subscription-based models and businesses preparing for investment.
This method calculates value as total assets minus total liabilities, adjusted to reflect the current market value of the assets rather than their book value. Property that has appreciated significantly, vehicles at current resale value and intellectual property that does not appear on the balance sheet all need to be reflected in the adjusted figure.
For most trading businesses, NAV understates the true value because it ignores goodwill, customer relationships and future earning power. We typically use it as a floor valuation or as a cross-check rather than a primary method.
Best for: Asset-heavy businesses, property companies, holding companies and businesses where earnings are minimal or unpredictable.
Revenue multiples value a business as a multiple of its annual turnover rather than its profit. This approach is most common for high-growth businesses that are not yet profitable, or for sectors where recurring revenue is the primary driver of value, such as software-as-a-service businesses, subscription media and certain professional services firms.
Revenue multiples can be misleading if margins are poor, as two businesses with the same revenue can have very different underlying values. We always combine this approach with a review of margin and unit economics to ensure the figure is grounded in reality.
Best for: Pre-profit startups, SaaS and subscription businesses, fast-growing technology companies and businesses being valued for investment purposes.
Most business owners assume that growing their turnover is the best way to increase their business's value. In practice, the multiple a buyer applies matters just as much as the underlying profit, and several specific factors drive that multiple up or down significantly.
When we produce a valuation, we always include a commentary section that explains what is currently affecting your multiple and what practical changes could make a meaningful difference to the value of your business over the next three to five years. This turns the valuation from a snapshot into a genuinely useful planning tool.
Most valuation reports are delivered within two to three weeks of us receiving the necessary financial information.
We discuss the purpose of the valuation, the type of business and what you are hoping to achieve. This shapes the methodology we apply and what we will need from you.
We send you a clear list of the financial information we need, typically the last three to five years of accounts, current management accounts and details of key contracts and assets.
We normalise the earnings, apply the appropriate methodology, cross-check with secondary methods and produce a written report explaining the figure and the reasoning behind it.
We walk you through the report, answer any questions and discuss the practical implications, including what you could do to improve your valuation and what to expect in a sale process.
We work with business owners, shareholders, executors, solicitors and management teams across West London and Surrey who need a credible, professionally produced valuation they can rely on.
If you are thinking about selling in the next one to three years, a valuation now tells you what you are currently worth, what the gap is between that and your target and what you need to do to close it before you go to market.
When shareholders cannot agree on the value of the business during a buyout or disagreement, an independent valuation from a qualified ICAEW accountant provides an objective reference point that is difficult to dismiss.
If you want to attract and retain key people using tax-efficient EMI share options, you need a formal valuation agreed with HMRC before the options are granted. We prepare the report and handle the submission for you.
We work alongside family law and commercial law solicitors who need a credible business valuation report for use in divorce proceedings, commercial disputes, estate administration or corporate transactions.
When a business owner passes away and shares form part of the estate, we produce valuations for inheritance tax and probate purposes in the format required by HMRC and the estate's solicitors.
A management buyout needs a valuation that both sides can accept as fair. We produce the independent report, help both parties understand the methodology and, where needed, advise on deal structure.
Most small UK businesses are valued using one or more of the following methods: earnings multiples (a multiple of EBITDA or normalised profit), discounted cash flow (projecting future cash flows and discounting them to today's value) or net asset value (total assets minus total liabilities). The right method depends on your business type, financial history and the purpose of the valuation. Service businesses are usually valued on earnings multiples. Asset-heavy businesses may suit a net asset approach better. We always cross-check using at least two methods to arrive at a defensible range rather than a single number that can be easily challenged.
EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation. An EBITDA multiple is simply the value of a business expressed as a multiple of that figure. For example, a business generating £300,000 in EBITDA sold at a 4x multiple would be valued at £1.2 million. Multiples vary considerably by sector, growth rate, profitability, customer concentration and how dependent the business is on key individuals. For small UK businesses, EBITDA multiples typically range from 2x to 6x, but can be higher for high-growth or recurring-revenue businesses. We use comparable UK transaction data to justify the multiple we apply rather than choosing a number that feels right.
A formal valuation gives you an independent, evidence-based figure that you can use to set a realistic asking price, assess offers from buyers and negotiate from a position of knowledge. Business owners who have not had a valuation done often set their asking price too high and deter genuine buyers, or accept offers that significantly undervalue what they have built. A written valuation report also signals to buyers that you are serious and well-prepared, which tends to attract better-quality interest and reduces the risk of a buyer trying to chip the price during due diligence.
An HMRC share valuation is a formal submission to HMRC's Shares and Assets Valuation team, most commonly required when a company wants to grant EMI or CSOP options to employees. The agreed valuation is valid for 90 days from HMRC's acceptance letter, during which the options must be granted. We prepare the valuation report, calculate the Unrestricted Market Value and the Actual Market Value, and submit the VAL231 application on your behalf. HMRC typically responds within four to six weeks of submission.
For most small and medium-sized businesses, we deliver a valuation report within two to three weeks of receiving the necessary financial information. For HMRC EMI valuations, you should allow a further four to six weeks after submission for HMRC to review and respond. Valuations for shareholder disputes or legal proceedings may take longer depending on the complexity of the case and the volume of documentation involved. We agree the timeline with you at the start of every engagement so there are no surprises.
We typically need the last three to five years of statutory accounts, current management accounts, details of any outstanding loans or liabilities, a summary of the main contracts and customer relationships and details of assets owned by the business. For HMRC EMI valuations, we also need the current share structure, details of any previous funding rounds and a description of the company's trade. We send you a clear information request at the start of every engagement so you know exactly what to provide and nothing important gets missed.
Yes, and in many ways this is where a valuation creates the most long-term value. Understanding what your business is worth today, and more importantly what is driving that value, allows you to make better strategic decisions over time. Many business owners find that a relatively small change in customer concentration, contract terms or management structure can significantly affect the multiple a buyer would apply. We include practical commentary on value drivers and what you could do to improve the business's value over the next three to five years, regardless of whether you ever decide to sell.
Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation. We will discuss the purpose of the valuation, the right methodology for your situation and give you a clear, fixed-fee quote for the work involved.