Most owners already have a number in their head. It usually comes from a competitor's rumored sale, a friend in the industry, or the amount they need to retire comfortably. Buyers do not care about any of that. They care about what your company earns, how predictable those earnings are, and how much of the operation walks out the door when you do.
Getting to a real number takes a firm that prices companies for a living. At Crowne Atlantic Business Brokers, that is the first conversation we have with every owner in Central Florida.
Cash Flow Sets the Price
Buyers pay a multiple of what the business actually puts in an owner's pocket. For smaller companies, that is seller's discretionary earnings: net profit with one owner's compensation, personal perks, interest, depreciation, and one-time expenses added back. For larger companies, buyers work from adjusted EBITDA and subtract the cost of hiring a manager to do what you do. Revenue is a headline. Earnings are the offer.
Clean, current, and defensible books raise your multiple before anything else does. Crowne Atlantic Business Brokers, a business brokerage firm in FL, works from your tax returns and P&Ls so the numbers hold up when a buyer's accountant starts digging.
Risk Is What Lowers Your Number
Two businesses can earn the same and sell for very different prices. The gap is risk.
- One customer accounts for 40% of sales
- Nothing runs without the owner in the building
- No written processes, contracts, or lease security
- Cash sales that never made it onto a return
Every one of these gives a buyer a reason to discount. The best business brokerage firm will tell you which ones to fix before you go to market, not after an offer falls apart. That is the honest advice we give owners searching for a business brokerage firm near them who are still two years out from selling.
Your Local Market Moves the Multiple
Location changes demand. Orlando's population growth, tourism traffic, and small business density mean certain companies sell faster here than they would elsewhere. A business brokerage firm Orlando owners trust knows which buyer pool is active right now.
Before you list, confirm your entity, licenses, and filings are current with the Florida Division of Corporations, your Florida Department of Revenue sales tax account, and your local Orange County requirements. Buyers check. So does their lender through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Get the Real Number First
Guessing costs you money or costs you the deal. Crowne Atlantic Business Brokers has represented Central Florida sellers since 2004. Jackie Ossin Hirsch and Lee Ossin have closed more than 750 transactions together, on deals ranging from $100,000 to $40 million.
Crowne works for sellers. We are paid only when your business sells, so our incentive and yours are the same from the first meeting.
Call us and find out what your business is actually worth.
Contact us for a consultation:
Crowne Atlantic Business Brokers
620 Wymore Rd Ste 260
Maitland, FL 32751
407-478-4101
