BreakThru Realty

What Is My Business Worth? Confidential Business Valuation in South Florida

Answer a few questions about your business. A licensed business broker prepares a confidential valuation from what comparable South Florida businesses sold for and walks you through it, with no listing and no obligation.

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Request a Confidential Business Valuation · (786) 914-1017

Why We Ask What We Ask

Revenue tells a buyer how big the business is; seller's discretionary earnings tell them what it pays. The rent and the lease expiry decide whether a lender will finance it. The number of employees and how involved you are decide how much of the value leaves when you do. The reason for selling and your timeline decide how we market it. Each answer moves the range, which is why an automated number without them would mislead you.

Seller's Discretionary Earnings, Explained

Start with net profit on the tax return. Add back your own salary and payroll taxes, your health insurance, the car and phone the business pays for, interest, depreciation and amortisation, and one-time costs such as a lawsuit or a renovation. The total is what one owner-operator takes from the business, and it is the figure most small businesses are priced on. If you know only your revenue, tell us that: we will work out the rest with you.

What the Valuation Includes

A recast of your earnings with every add-back documented, a price range drawn from closed sales of comparable businesses in your industry and area, the lease and financing issues that could move the price, what a buyer's SBA lender is likely to accept, and what you would take home after the fee and the payoff of any debt. You receive it in a private conversation with a broker, not in an automated email.

What Moves the Price Up or Down

Up: three years of steady or rising earnings, a lease with long term and options, trained staff who stay, recurring revenue, clean books that match the bank. Down: cash sales that are not on the tax return, a lease with less than three years left, a business that only works because you are there, a single customer who is most of the revenue, deferred equipment replacement.

How a Business Sale Works

  1. Confidential valuation. We recast your financials into seller's discretionary earnings, compare them with recent sales of similar businesses, and give you a price range with the reasoning behind it.
  2. Preparation. Three years of tax returns and profit and loss statements, the lease, the equipment list, licences and permits, staff and payroll, and the add-backs documented so a buyer's lender accepts them.
  3. Confidential marketing. A blind listing that describes the business without naming it, sent to our buyer list, the MLS and business-for-sale networks. The name and the numbers go only to buyers who sign a non-disclosure agreement.
  4. Buyer screening. Every inquiry signs an NDA and shows proof of funds or an SBA pre-qualification before they learn who you are. You meet only buyers who can close.
  5. Offer and negotiation. A letter of intent covering price, cash at closing, seller financing, the training period, the non-compete and what happens to the lease. We negotiate it with you, not for you.
  6. Due diligence. The buyer verifies the books, the lender underwrites, the landlord approves the assignment. We keep the calendar, answer the document requests and stop small problems becoming reasons to walk away.
  7. Closing and transition. The closing agent disburses the funds, the licences and utilities move over, and you train the new owner for the agreed period. Staff and customers usually learn of the sale here, on your terms.

Request a Confidential Business Valuation

Tell us the type of business, the city, how long it has operated, annual revenue, owner benefit or seller's discretionary earnings, EBITDA if you track it, monthly rent and lease expiry, number of employees, how involved you are, why you are selling, your timeline and whether you would consider seller financing. A licensed BreakThru business broker prepares a confidential valuation from comparable sales and replies within one business day. Everything you tell us is confidential, the valuation is free, and nothing is listed or announced unless you decide to sell. Prefer to talk now? Call (786) 914-1017.

Questions Owners Ask

How much is my business worth?
Most owner-operated businesses in South Florida sell for a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings: net profit plus the owner's salary, benefits and one-time or personal expenses run through the business. Where the multiple falls depends on the industry, the lease, the staff, the trend in the numbers and how much the business depends on you. A confidential valuation gives you the range for your business and the reasons behind it.
Is the valuation really free and confidential?
Yes. It costs nothing, it is not a listing agreement, and the details you give us are seen only by the broker preparing it. We do not contact your landlord, staff or customers, and nothing is marketed unless you later decide to sell and sign a listing agreement.
Why not show me an instant number?
Because an instant number for a business is wrong more often than it is right. Two restaurants with the same revenue can be worth twice as much as each other because of the lease, the earnings and the staff. We would rather give you a range we can defend to a buyer and a lender.
What if I only know my revenue?
Tell us the revenue and what you take home, even roughly. We will ask for the tax returns later, if you want a firm range, and show you the add-backs as we find them.
Is a business valuation the same as an appraisal?
No. A broker's valuation is an opinion of what the business would sell for in the current market, based on comparable sales. A certified appraisal is a formal report used for estates, divorces, partner buyouts and SBA loans, and an SBA lender will order its own. We can refer you to a certified appraiser if you need one.

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