Free business valuation

What is your
business worth?

Online calculators guess from averages. We price your business the way buyers actually do: from real transactions in your industry, at your size. Start with a call and we will tell you what businesses like yours have been selling for. Once we have your numbers, the team behind $182M+ in closed deals builds your actual range.

Get your valuation

An advisor reaches out within minutes. Free, confidential, and for businesses doing $2M+ in revenue.

What was your revenue over the last 12 months?

No obligation. Completely confidential.

$182M+Transactions Advised
50+Owners Represented
$0Upfront Fees
100%Confidential
0:27 Paul Cheetham Founder · Harvard MBA

Closed deals

Closed deals
  • Sold $28M Global Heavy Industry Engineering Texas · 6x EBITDA
  • Sold $22M Home Health Agency Indiana · 6x EBITDA
  • Sold $13M Homecare Agency Pennsylvania · 4x EBITDA
  • Sold $11M Home Health Agency Arizona · 5x EBITDA
  • Sold $7.5M Equipment Rental Texas · 4.5x EBITDA
  • Sold $5M Hospice Agency Illinois · 5x EBITDA
  • Sold $5M Ecommerce Fitness North Carolina · 4.5x EBITDA
  • Sold $3.5M Precision Manufacturing New York · 4x EBITDA
  • Sold $2.8M Marketing Company Florida · 4.2x EBITDA
  • Sold $2.5M Screen Printing Company California · 4.2x EBITDA
  • Sold $2.4M Marketing Agency Vancouver, BC · 4x EBITDA
  • Sold $2.1M Arts & Crafts Ecommerce California · 3.5x EBITDA
  • Sold $1.8M Structural Engineering Firm Arizona · 3x EBITDA
  • Sold $1.5M Marketing Company Vancouver, BC · 4x EBITDA
  • Sold $1.5M Construction Equipment Rental Vancouver, BC · 4x EBITDA
  • Sold $1.3M Water Filtration Systems Georgia · 3.6x EBITDA
  • Sold $1.3M Fireplace Retail Store Georgia · 3.14x EBITDA
See closed deals
  • An M&A advisor calls you personally, usually the same day.
  • Your range is built from what buyers actually paid, not a formula.
  • Confidential. Nothing goes to market without your say-so.
  • Free. If you never sell, you owe us nothing.

The method

How your range gets built.

Three steps, and the first one needs nothing from you but a conversation.

  1. 01

    A conversation first

    An advisor calls you, usually the same day. We ask what you have built, what the business does, and what you want out of an exit. No financials required, and nothing is shared with anyone.

  2. 02

    Then your numbers

    If you want to go further, we look at two to three years of financials and normalize them. Owner salary, personal expenses, one-time costs: these get added back to show what the business actually earns for a buyer.

  3. 03

    Then the comparables

    We price your business the way an acquirer will: against what comparable companies in your industry, at your size, actually sold for recently. The output is a defensible range with the reasoning behind it.

The multiple

What actually moves your number.

Two businesses with identical earnings can sell for very different prices. The gap usually comes down to six things, and most of them can be improved before you go to market.

  • Owner dependence

    If the business cannot run for a month without you, a buyer is purchasing a job rather than an asset, and prices it that way.

  • Customer concentration

    One client at 40% of revenue is the most common reason a buyer discounts an offer or restructures it around an earnout.

  • Recurring revenue

    Contracts, service agreements and repeat customers are worth materially more per dollar than project work.

  • Margin direction

    Buyers pay for the trend, not just the level. Three years of improving margin beats three flat years at a higher number.

  • Clean books

    Financials that fall apart in diligence cost real money at the negotiating table, and sometimes cost the deal.

  • Room to grow

    An obvious, unexploited growth path lets a buyer underwrite a higher price because they are buying your upside.

Want the mechanics of valuation methods themselves? We wrote that up separately: What is my business worth?

Who takes your call

Advisors, not a call center.

  • Paul Cheetham, Founder and CEO, Vanla Group M&A Advisory Paul Cheetham Founder and CEO
  • Voya Cheetham, HR and PR Director, Vanla Group Voya Cheetham HR and PR Director
  • David Tracey, M&A Advisor, Vanla Group David Tracey M&A Advisor
  • Cameron Kolb, M&A Advisor, Vanla Group Cameron Kolb M&A Advisor
  • Nik Avendano, Operations Director, Vanla Group Nik Avendano Operations Director
Meet the team →

Common questions

Before you reach out.

Is the valuation actually free?

Yes. There is no cost, no retainer and no obligation. We are a business broker and M&A advisory firm paid a success fee at closing, so we only make money if you sell and you are happy with the price. If you never sell, you owe us nothing.

Will I get a number on the first call?

No, and you should be sceptical of anyone who gives you one. On the first call we can tell you what businesses like yours have been selling for and where you likely sit. Your actual range comes after we have looked at your financials, because a real valuation depends on your normalized earnings, not your industry alone.

How is this different from an online valuation calculator?

A calculator applies a national average multiple to a number you type in. It has no idea whether your revenue is contracted or one-off, whether one customer is 40% of your business, or what similar companies in your market actually closed at. We price against real comparable transactions and adjust for the things buyers actually underwrite.

What do you need from me?

To start, nothing but a conversation. To build a full range, two to three years of profit and loss statements and a balance sheet. If your books are not in perfect shape, that is normal and not a problem at this stage.

Do I have to sell if I get a valuation?

No. Plenty of owners get a valuation two or three years before they intend to exit, specifically so they know what to improve first. Knowing your number is useful whether you sell next year or in five years.

Is this confidential?

Completely. Nothing goes to market without your say-so, and no buyer learns your company name without signing an NDA first. Your employees, customers and competitors will not know you are exploring anything unless you choose to tell them.

What size businesses do you value?

Owner-operated businesses doing $2M+ in annual revenue, across manufacturing, construction, distribution, home services, healthcare, accounting and B2B services. We work with owners throughout the United States, with a concentration in Southern California.

Find out what it is worth.

One conversation with the team behind $182M+ in closed deals. Free, confidential, and nothing owed unless you close.

Get your valuation

Two minutes. Completely confidential. For businesses doing $2M+ in revenue.

What was your revenue over the last 12 months?

No obligation. Completely confidential.