Entrepreneur's Journal: What is your business worth after the financial panic?

Posted Nov 16th 2008 6:30PM by Tom Taulli
Filed under: Small Business

It's been "shock and awe" for the financial system over the past few months. Even seemingly invincible companies like GE (NYSE: GE) and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) have not been immune. As a result, there has been a tremendous deflation of equity values across the globe.

Unfortunately, the game has also changed for your business. It's much more difficult to get debt or equity financing, and it may even be impossible, at least for now. Customers are having difficulties paying invoices. And, as for finding new customers, this is particularly tough.

So, in light of everything, what is the value of your business? Well, keep in mind that, for the most part, the value of a business is dependent on its cash flow. So long as this remains strong and long-lasting, you are likely to weather the storm. If anything, you could be in a nice position to capitalize on the situation, such as by buying companies, hiring employees and in making new investments.

But this is the rare exception. In fact, even some of the growth darlings are having issues. For example, the data service, VCExperts.com, has recently launched a new offering – called the Valuation Ticker – that provides valuations of venture-backed companies. Essentially, the system compares private companies to public indexes, such as the NASDAQ and S&P 500. Here's a look at a sample, with valuations over the last ten months:

Facebook: $12.4B (12/31/2007), $6.9B (10/31/08) -- 44%
Slide: $545.2M (12/31/07), $376.6M (10/31/08) -- 31%
Yardbarker: $18.1M (03/03/2008), $14.2M (10/31/08) -- 22%
Going: $21.9M (5/07/08), $15.2M (10/31/08) -- 31%

Yes, in a short period of time, there has been a big contraction in valuations. Odds are, if your company is in a growth segment – especially in tech – then you must prepare for big haircut in the valuation. This is why it's important to focus on being cash-flow positive and not raise as much money.

OK, suppose your company is a traditional operation, say like a restaurant or a dry cleaner or a pizza place? In this case, the valuation reduction may not be as steep. This is so long as that your company has a loyal customer base and an efficient cost structure. There are certain types of businesses that will be fairly stable regardless of the economic environment.

To get some perspective on things, I talked to Scott Gabehart, a veteran business appraiser and the author of several books, about this. According to him, the value of small businesses tend to decline moderately during recessions, say 10% to 15% or so.

However, the current environment may be different. Why? Well, financing has dried up for many small businesses. It's even difficult to obtain credit cards. As a result, it will probably be very difficult to sell a business at a decent valuation.

On the other hand, for those looking to buy a business, this could be an ideal time. The valuation may be lower than historical standards. And, if a seller needs some liquidity, he or she is likely to take a larger part of the purchase price as seller financing.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Streetsmart Guide to Short Selling: Techniques the Pros Use to Profit in Any Market. He is also the founder of BizEquity, a valuation website.

Tags: Facebook, Going, Scott Gabehart, ScottGabehart, Slide, small business, SmallBusiness, Valuation, VCExperts.com, Venture Capital, VentureCapital, Yardbarker

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-17-2008 @ 9:12AM

FB said...

In personal worth, we lost 30% of our investment value. It will be back.

WORRIED ABOUT TRAILER THEFT??

go to: http://www.carrythebigstick.com

11-17-2008 @ 12:29PM

Joel Peck, CPA said...

One opportunity that is not mentioned is for business owners to gift current interests to members of the next generation as part of their estate and gifting plan. Those owners who know they will weather the storm and still have a business to pass to their heirs will be able to use the current depressed valuations to leverage their gifts. The current depressed value of the business can be "frozen", having the recovery in value not be taxed in thier estate.