The value your P&L doesn’t show.The best outcomes start with knowing your value.
Most owners have never had their business valued properly, and almost none have had the intellectual property inside it valued at all. JMB provides operator-led business valuations for sellers and buyers, including the brand, processes, data and customer relationships that make the business work.
Why value the business now
A valuation is not only for the day you sell. Owners use it to plan an exit, respond to an unsolicited offer, bring in a partner, refinance, or decide where to invest next. Acquirers use it to know what a target is really worth before they negotiate.
Before an offer arrives
Private equity and strategic buyers often approach owners first. Knowing your number before that call keeps you from anchoring on theirs.
Before a sale or partner buy-in
A defensible value, built the way buyers build theirs, shortens negotiation and protects price through due diligence.
Before an acquisition
For buyers, an independent view of value, risk and the real estate underneath the business, before the letter of intent is signed.
For planning and growth
A clear picture of what drives value shows which improvements will move the number the most, and which will not.
The intellectual property inside your business
Traditional valuations focus on earnings and multiples. Much of what a buyer actually pays for sits in assets that never appear on a balance sheet. Identifying, documenting and positioning those assets can, in some cases, add value now, before any transaction.
Brand & reputation
Names, trademarks, domains, reviews and local recognition that bring customers back without paid acquisition.
Systems & processes
The operating playbooks, pricing methods, training and know-how that let the business run without the owner in every decision.
Customer relationships & contracts
Recurring revenue, memberships, service agreements and long-standing accounts, and whether they transfer to a new owner.
Data, software & formulas
Customer data, proprietary tools, recipes, designs and other assets that a buyer could not easily recreate.
How repositioning IP can build value
Once the intellectual property is identified and valued, there are several ways to put it to work. Which ones fit depends on the business, its goals and its advisors.
Document and protect it
Registered trademarks, written systems and assignable contracts turn informal advantages into assets a buyer can underwrite and pay for.
Present it to buyers
Valued and presented clearly, intangible assets support a stronger multiple and fewer price reductions in due diligence.
Create new income from it
In some cases a brand, system or process can be licensed or expanded into new locations, adding revenue without selling the business.
Structure it deliberately
Some owners hold IP or real estate separately from the operating company. JMB coordinates with your CPA and attorney, who advise on tax and legal structure.
How a JMB valuation works
Every engagement starts with a confidential conversation and moves through a clear sequence.
- Confidential diagnostic. Your financials, operations, customers, real estate and goals.
- Earnings normalization. Seller’s discretionary earnings or EBITDA, adjusted the way a buyer will adjust them.
- Market and comparable transactions. Multiples for your sector, size and region, with premiums and discounts explained.
- Intangible asset review. Brand, systems, customer relationships and data, and what it would take to make each one count.
- Value range and roadmap. A clear range, the factors behind it, and the steps most likely to raise it.
JMB provides business value estimates as an M&A advisor. These are not certified appraisals for tax, estate or litigation purposes; JMB can coordinate with a credentialed appraiser when one is required.
Questions owners ask
How much is my business worth?
Most owner-operated businesses sell for a multiple of seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE) or EBITDA. The multiple depends on industry, size, growth, customer concentration, management depth, the real estate and the strength of intangible assets such as brand and systems.
What is intellectual property in a small or mid-sized business?
It includes the brand and trademarks, operating systems and know-how, customer relationships and contracts, data, software, recipes and designs. These rarely appear on a balance sheet, but buyers pay for them when they are documented and transferable.
Can repositioning IP really increase value before a sale?
In some cases, yes. Documenting and protecting intangible assets, making contracts assignable, or licensing a brand or system can raise what a buyer will pay or add income now. Results depend on the business, and tax and legal structure should be reviewed with your CPA and attorney.
Is a JMB valuation a certified appraisal?
No. JMB provides market-based value estimates as an M&A advisor. If you need a certified appraisal for tax, estate or legal purposes, JMB can coordinate with a credentialed appraiser.
Related services
Start with a confidential conversation
No obligation and no pitch. Tell us about the business, and we’ll tell you honestly what we see.