Rule of Thumb (ROT) Value? Not Much Value in a Business Valuation (2024)

Summary

Rule of thumb business valuations can be misleading when valuing your most valuable asset, your company. A small investment in a certified valuation can have a great return.

Rule of Thumb Business Valuation Worth

As a business valuation expert, if I had a buck for every time a professional adviser or business owner asked me about a Rule of Thumb valuation (ROT) value for a particular business, I would be fishing right now (and you would not be reading this blog). The truth is that I have never received even a single dollar for that information. I hope that tells you the value of a ROT as a business appraisal method.

Most Business Valuation Rules of Thumb are based on a multiple of gross revenue, net sales, EBITDA or the Seller’s Discretionary Earnings and are a rough guide at best when valuing a company.

Determine the Value of your Company

A Rule of Thumb Valuation is a Very Rough Estimate

Rule of Thumb (ROT) Value? Not Much Value in a Business Valuation (1)

At best, a Rule of Thumb valuation is a rough estimate. While rough may appease a mild curiosity today, rough will equate to actual dollars in the future. Take a moment to think this through to its conclusion. There are only so many reasons why you need to know the value of a business. For example, it might be for sale, transfer to the next generation, buy/sell agreement, insurance, retirement, or tax planning.

Any decisions you make in these areas based on the value of your business hold significant real dollar value for you in the future. Other than “bragging rights,” you have only serious reasons you need to know, and even fractions off can be costly.

Know the true value in a business valuation, and please read the different methods to value a small business.

When the day comes, those dollars are real. You will find that your original estimate based on ROT is off by 100’s of thousands to millions of dollars. If you have ever made a mistake that cost $200,000 to $2,000,000 in your life before, you do not want to do it again. Moreover, if you never have before, why set yourself to do the unthinkable now? Knowing the rough estimate of a business based on ROT is precisely that, setting yourself up to make a costly mistake.

Why is ROT so “rough” when estimating business value?

The Multiple: Most rules of thumb provide a variety of possible calculations. Typically, they express as an amount you multiply (the multiple) by some measure of business performance (gross sales, gross profit, profit margins, or earnings). For example, a business in question could have a rule of thumb that states 3 to 5 times earnings. If an accurate earnings description is $500,000, the value could be too high or too low by $1,000,000! Alternatively, it might state three times earnings or 80 to 100% of revenue or a sales multiplier.

Similar Businesses, Different Valuations

How could two businesses in the same industry with the same annual sales revenue and different earnings be worth the same amount? One business could have a stronger balance sheet and more consistent cash flow than the other. Or it could have more valuable intellectual property, an executable and scalable business model or business plan, or a much higher market share. That is why we use 5-7 business valuation methods versus just one rule of thumb approach.

Using the right valuation methodology is critical to determining your correct value. That is why we use the discounted cash flow approach, market approach, and capitalization of earnings approach versus just a rule of thumb method.

Please see our guide on how to value a business and why a small investment in an enterprise valuation is critical to your long-term business success and understanding your company’s market value.

The Earnings: The earnings of the subject business must match the type of earnings used for the ROT multiple. This is not always obvious and can be complicated. What are the earnings for the multiple based on? Net Income, EBIT, EBITDA, Market Value of Invested Capital (MVIC), or Seller Discretionary Earnings?

For many closely held businesses, the difference between each of these types of income streams can vary widely. Applying the wrong income stream to the ROT multiple multiplies the amount of potential error in your value assumption. How your discretionary cash flow is computed is critical to the valuation process.

Please read our article on how to value a company for investors when you do your estate planning.

Discounted Cash Flow Valuation Method

Cash flow analysis or discounted cash flow is critical when knowing the value of your business today as a small business owner doing retirement planning. You need to understand your company’s total market capitalization. We can also include your business’s real estate if applicable in today’s interest rate environment. Common sense says your small business is worth more than its book value.

In conclusion, even if knowing the value of a small business is simply for “bragging rights,” I would personally be much more impressed if I knew the value of the business in question was generated by making the nominal investment in a professionally prepared valuation, rather than a valueless ROT multiple.

Links of Interest for a company valuation:

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20101101/how-much-is-your-company-worth.html

Business Appraisal FL|GA|HI can give you a fast and cost-effective business valuation to know what your business is worth. Our valuation can be used for an SBA, IRS, or court proceedings or to confirm the cash flows. Don’t hesitate to contact us today for a free sample business appraisal and a discussion of the valuation process we use to determine the value of a business.

Whether you own a liquor store, a staffing company, three auto repair shops, or a large manufacturing plant, you don’t have to spend much money for a certified company valuation versus a ballpark value.

Rule of Thumb (ROT) Value? Not Much Value in a Business Valuation (2024)

FAQs

What is the rule of thumb for business valuation? ›

A common rule of thumb is assigning a business value based on a multiple of its annual EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). The specific multiple used often ranges from 2 to 6 times EBITDA depending on the size, industry, profit margins, and growth prospects.

What is the rule of thumb in business? ›

What Does Rule Of Thumb Mean? In valuation, a rule of thumb is a common procedure or practice used to value a company. These procedures are based on past valuation experiences and estimates in that industry, rather than specific calculations.

What is the general rule to value a business? ›

Value (selling price) = (net annual profit/ROI) x 100

If your business' net profit for the past year was $100,000, you could work out the minimum selling price you should set. In this case, to achieve a ROI of at least 50%, you'll need to sell your business for at least $200,000.

What is the rule of thumb for profit? ›

As a rule of thumb, 5% is a low margin, 10% is a healthy margin, and 20% is a high margin. But a one-size-fits-all approach isn't the best way to set goals for your business profitability.

What is the rule of 40 in valuations? ›

The Rule of 40 states that, at scale, the combined value of revenue growth rate and profit margin should exceed 40% for healthy SaaS companies. The Rule of 40 – popularized by Brad Feld – states that an SaaS company's revenue growth rate plus profit margin should be equal to or exceed 40%.

What is the best business valuation formula? ›

To accurately ascertain a business's value efficiently, calculate its total liabilities and subtract that figure from the sum of all assets—the resulting number is known as book value. This approach to calculating company worth takes into account both existing assets and any outstanding liabilities.

What is the 5 4 3 rule in business? ›

The 5-4-3 represents the creation of a single collision domain, and the numbers are maximums: (5-) no more than five segments between any two nodes that communicate with each other, (-4-) no more than four repeaters in those five segments, and (-3) no more than three of the five segments can have active devices ( ...

What is the 5 5 5 rule in business? ›

This is where the 5-5-5 rule is handy. 5 Existing Clients: Dedicate time to 5 existing clients 5 Prospective Clients: Commit to spending a couple of hours a week on 5 prospective clients which match your ideal client avatar. 5 Referrals Build relationships with partners who will give you referrals for your business.

What is the 70% rule in business? ›

This is where the Rule of 70% comes into play. Basically, the Rule of 70% is that we should make a decision when we're 70% confident. This is based on the following insights and assumptions: There is a fundamental trade-off between accuracy (how correct is our decision) and speed (how quickly do we make the decision)

What is the golden rule in business? ›

The Golden Rule is well known: “Do to others as you want others to do to you,” or, in John Stuart Mill's concise version: “To do as you would be done by” (1). Its formulations vary and it is often quoted in isolation, without further context, although the context in which it is formulated can alter its meaning (2).

How to calculate business valuation? ›

Take your total assets and subtract your total liabilities. This approach makes it easy to trace to the valuation because it's coming directly from your accounting/record keeping. However, because it works like a snapshot of current value it may not take into consideration future revenue or earnings.

What is the valuation rule? ›

Under Rule 2a-5, the valuation designee must make periodic assessments of any material risks associated with the determination of an investment's fair value, including material conflicts of interest, and develop a mechanism for managing those identified valuation risks.

What is the rule of thumb for valuation? ›

For valuation purposes, a rule of thumb involves applying an industry-specific multiple to an economic benefit, such as business revenue or discretionary cash flow. For example: A businesses' goodwill may be worth 2.0x discretionary cash flow; or.

What is the 80 20 rule profit? ›

You may think of the 80-20 rule as simple cause and effect: 80% of outcomes (outputs) come from 20% of causes (inputs). The rule is often used to point out that 80% of a company's revenue is generated by 20% of its customers.

What is an example of the rule of thumb in business? ›

The application of Pareto's Principle of 80/20 rule is the best thumb rule example for a growing business. The owner can evaluate which customers or clients deliver the most profit since 80% of the profits of the company is earned from just 20% of its customers.

How do you calculate how much a business is worth? ›

Take your total assets and subtract your total liabilities. This approach makes it easy to trace to the valuation because it's coming directly from your accounting/record keeping.

How much should a business be valued at? ›

Base it on revenue.

How much does the business generate in annual sales? Calculate that and determine, through a stockbroker or a business broker, how much a typical business in your industry might be worth for a certain level of sales. For example, it might typically be about two times sales.

How many times revenue is a business worth? ›

Under the times revenue business valuation method, a stream of revenues generated over a certain period of time is applied to a multiplier which depends on the industry and economic environment. For example, a tech company may be valued at 3x revenue, while a service firm may be valued at 0.5x revenue.

What is the 1% rule for business? ›

The Main Idea. The "1% Rule" is if you can just consistently and persistently be 1% better at what you do each day, over the course of a year or a decade you will make significant progress.

References

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