The Story Behind the Numbers

Value Added Ideas For Business Owners and Their Advisors


Buy/Sell Agreements: Proactively Defining How to Navigate Inevitable Ownership Transitions

As the saying goes…. “Don’t get into business with ANYONE without first defining how you’ll get out of ownership.” Starting a business or deciding to share ownership can seem straightforward initially.  However, a critical aspect often overlooked is defining how each owner will eventually exit that ownership.  After 50 years of working with business owners,Read More…

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How to Build Value Today for a Future Exit

What if sales growth isn’t the whole story?  Business owners begin by selling something—a product, a service, or adding value to existing products or services.  As the business takes root and grows, it transforms from a mere idea and typically employment for the owner, into a significant investment, likely becoming the owner’s largest asset.  InRead More…

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We Started Valuing Businesses Before Valuing Businesses Was Cool

We’re Celebrating 50 Years!
Look What’s Changed in 50 Years…
What surprises you most?

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Discounts for Lack of Marketability—What are they and why are they needed?

Experienced business appraisers consider various factors when valuing a privately owned business, one of which is known as the discount for lack of marketability (DLOM).  This discount for lack of marketability represents a deduction from the value of an ownership interest to reflect the limited marketability, or ease of sale, of a privately owned business.Read More…

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How Has the General Economy Affected Business Value?

There are many day-to-day decisions that we as business owners control and can adjust for; however, one significant issue that is completely out of our control is the general economy.  It’s interesting to reflect back over the past two years of business valuations our firm has completed and consider how the more recent economic changesRead More…

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Welcome, Ian Johnson!

It’s our 50th Anniversary year, and CapVal is continuing to grow!  Ian Johnson, CPA, has joined the CapVal team as a Business Valuation Analyst. Ian began his career at a large accounting firm doing audit work and honing his skills communicating complex accounting concepts to non-accountants. We are excited to have him join our teamRead More…

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Managing Your Business Like the Investment That It Is

And another year is in the books!  It’s time to gather and review our bank statements, investment statements, tax statements…and if a business is owned, wrap up year-end accounting and journal entries to finalize financial statements.  But some business owners are missing one critical year-end statement that can be a competitive differentiator…a reliable business valuation.Read More…

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Meaningful Business Valuation THRIVES on Complexity and Detail!

A business advisor recently mentioned that they were speaking with a business owner who wanted to plan for the future.  The advisor suggested that it would be wise to have a formal business valuation done so that informed decisions could be made in the planning process.  The owner responded that their business couldn’t be valuedRead More…

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What’s Next? Defining Life After Transitioning Out of Business Ownership

Often when business owners think about transitioning out of business ownership, they focus on numbers and logistics first but don’t always consider what they will do after transitioning out of ownership.  We’re talking about the big ‘what’s next?’ question that almost all of us face at some point in our careers, and the reaction businessRead More…

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“It’s a Numbers Game” – Except for Healthcare and Business Valuation

I recently sat in a medical clinic waiting for a friend’s procedure to be completed when I came upon a New York Times article that stated it is our life expectancy, not just our age, that is increasingly figuring into calculations about whether certain medical screenings and treatments are appropriate.  The crux of the articleRead More…

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