For most founders, profitability feels like the ultimate validation. It’s tangible. It’s responsible. It’s proof that the business works. So when a buyer starts asking more questions about growth rate than profit margin, it can …
Founders love certainty. Buyers pretend to love math. And somewhere in between, valuation happens. On paper, valuation looks scientific. Models. Multiples. Discount rates. Comparable transactions. Spreadsheets that feel precise enough to settle arguments. But anyone …
One of the most misunderstood dynamics in M&A—and one of the most consequential—is how profoundly buyer type affects valuation. Founders often talk about “the market” as if it’s a single entity with a single set …
Valuation myths don’t usually blow up deals overnight. They do something more dangerous: they quietly distort expectations, delay decisions, and push founders into positions where they negotiate against reality instead of with it. By the …
At some point in nearly every founder’s exit journey, someone suggests hiring a third-party valuation expert. Sometimes it’s a board member. Sometimes it’s an investor. Sometimes it’s a well-meaning attorney or accountant. And sometimes it’s …
When founders think about valuation, they usually start with the tangible. Revenue. EBITDA. Growth rate. Assets you can point to on a balance sheet. But in many modern businesses—especially services, technology, SaaS, media, and consumer …
Valuation debates often start with math and end with frustration. Somewhere between spreadsheets and negotiations, founders realize they’re arguing apples and oranges—DCF versus multiples, theory versus practice, precision versus reality. And the confusion is understandable. …
If there’s one phrase that causes more confusion, frustration, and misplaced confidence in M&A than almost any other, it’s this: “What multiple should I get?” Founders ask it constantly. Buyers dodge it carefully. Advisors try …
Valuation is one of the most misunderstood—and emotionally charged—topics in all of M&A. Founders want a number. Buyers want justification. Advisors want defensibility. And too often, everyone is talking past each other because they’re using …