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This engagement is designed to show you what your business is actually worth — not what you hope it's worth, not what a broker promises, but what a buyer writing a check would realistically pay.
Every business owner eventually asks the same question: what is this thing actually worth?
Maybe you're asking because you're thinking about selling in the next few years. Maybe someone's already made you an offer and you have no idea whether it's fair. Maybe you're going through a partnership transition and need a financial baseline. Or maybe you're not selling anytime soon — you just want to know what you've built, what it's worth today, and what specific moves would make it worth more when the time comes.
Whatever the reason, here's the problem: most business owners have never seen their company valued the way a buyer or lender would value it. Your CPA optimizes your financials for tax reduction — which is their job — but that same tax strategy often makes your business look less profitable and less valuable on paper than it actually is. Brokers will tell you a number designed to win the listing. Online calculators use generic multiples that ignore everything that makes your business unique.
None of that gives you what you actually need — an honest, experienced financial read on what your business would sell for in a real transaction, and exactly what's driving that number up or holding it down.
That's what I do. I've spent more than 20 years analyzing businesses from the perspective of buyers, lenders, and underwriters — the people whose job is to determine what a business is actually worth when real money is on the table. This report brings that perspective to your business.
Who This Is For
This is for the business owner who wants a clear, financially grounded answer to the most important question in ownership: what is my business worth?
You're considering selling in the next one to five years and you want to know what your business is realistically worth today — not a broker's listing pitch, not an online estimate, but a number built from your actual financials and real market data.
A buyer or broker has given you a number and you want an independent read on whether it's reasonable — from someone who doesn't have a commission riding on the outcome.
You're going through a partnership dissolution, ownership transition, or buyout negotiation and you need a credible financial baseline to work from.
You're not selling anytime soon — but you want to understand what drives the value of your business so you can make the right moves now that increase what you walk away with later.
You've spent years building this business and you've never had anyone tell you what it's actually worth through the eyes of someone who evaluates deals for a living.
You want to know the gap between where your business is valued today and where it could be — and what specific, practical actions close that gap.
If you own a business generating $600K or more in annual revenue and the value of that business matters to your financial future — this report was built for you.
What I Evaluate
I analyze your business the way a serious buyer and their lender would — because that's exactly what determines the real transaction value.
Three years of business tax returns, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets
Adjusted earnings — Seller's Discretionary Earnings and adjusted EBITDA, calculated the way buyers and underwriters actually calculate them, not the way brokers present them
Revenue quality — is the income diversified, recurring, and sustainable, or is it concentrated, project-based, or dependent on relationships that leave when you do?
Owner dependency and operational transferability — the single biggest factor most owners underestimate. A business that can't run without you is worth significantly less than one that can.
Industry-appropriate valuation multiples for businesses in your revenue and earnings range — based on real transaction data, not theoretical models
Assets, liabilities, and working capital that would be included in a typical transaction
Specific factors that are increasing or decreasing your value relative to comparable businesses in your industry
What You Receive
Within 10 business days of receiving your documents, I deliver a Written Valuation Insight Report — a clear, detailed analysis of what your business is worth and why.
Your report will include:
Adjusted earnings calculation with every add-back identified and explained — the number a buyer would use as the foundation of their offer
Estimated value range using market-appropriate multiples — not a single number, but a realistic range that reflects how transactions in your industry and size actually close
Identification of your strongest value drivers — the specific attributes of your business that increase what a buyer would pay
Identification of value detractors — the specific factors holding your valuation down, with no sugarcoating
Comparison against typical transaction parameters for your industry and revenue range — where you stand relative to businesses that have actually sold
Practical recommendations for increasing business value — specific moves you can make now that directly impact what you'll receive at the time of sale
Timeline context — which improvements show results in 6 months versus 12 months versus 24 months, so you can plan accordingly
A 30-minute follow-up call is included to walk through the findings, discuss value-building priorities, and answer direct questions about your valuation position.
Why This Matters Financially
Business owners make two valuation mistakes — and both are expensive.
The first is overestimating. You've put 10, 15, 20 years into building this company. You know what it's worth to you. But what it's worth to you and what a buyer will pay are two different numbers — and the owner who goes to market with an inflated expectation wastes months, burns through broker relationships, and watches serious buyers walk away. By the time they adjust the price, the market has moved on and the business has been "on the shelf" long enough to raise questions.
The second is underestimating. The owner who sells for $1.8 million because that's what the broker said it was worth — when the adjusted earnings actually supported a $2.4 million transaction. The owner who accepts the first offer because they had no independent basis for evaluating whether the number was fair. The owner who spent years building value without realizing it, and left hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table because nobody ever showed them what they had.
Both mistakes come from the same place: not knowing what the business is actually worth through the eyes of the people who determine the price — buyers and their lenders.
This report eliminates that gap. For $2,000, you get a clear, financially grounded valuation analysis from someone who's spent 20+ years on the side of the table where the number gets determined. That's a fraction of what a certified appraisal costs — and it delivers the practical clarity that most owners actually need before deciding whether to sell, hold, or build.
What This Is Not
This is not a certified business appraisal or formal valuation opinion. It's a practical valuation analysis based on real financial data and market-relevant methods. If you need a certified appraisal for legal proceedings, divorce, IRS reporting, or contractual requirements, you need a credentialed appraiser — and this report can help you decide whether it's time to hire one.
This is not a listing engagement or brokerage service. I'm not selling your business. I'm telling you what it's worth and what to do about it.
This is not tax advice or estate planning guidance. I evaluate the market value of your business — your CPA and attorney handle the tax and legal implications.
Engagement Terms
Payment of $2,000 is required before any work begins.
You provide three years of business tax returns, financial statements, and a brief business profile through a secure intake form.
The deliverable is a Written Valuation Insight Report plus one 30-minute follow-up call.
Your report is delivered within 10 business days of receiving complete documents.
Scope is limited to valuation insight based on the documents provided. Formal appraisals are not included and are not implied.
All sales are final. You're paying for professional financial analysis, which is delivered in full.
How It Works
Step 1: Complete your payment on this page.
Step 2: You receive a secure intake form. Upload three years of business tax returns, financial statements, and a brief profile of your business including industry, years in operation, number of employees, and ownership structure.
Step 3: I analyze your financials and business profile from the perspective of a buyer, lender, and underwriter — adjusted earnings, valuation multiples, value drivers, and value detractors.
Step 4: Your Written Valuation Insight Report is delivered to your email within 10 business days of receiving complete documents.
Step 5: We get on the phone for a 30-minute follow-up call to walk through findings, discuss value-building priorities, and answer your direct questions.
Who You're Working With
I'm Charles M. Barr, founder and CEO of LVRG Business Funding. I've spent 20+ years analyzing businesses from the side of the table where the value gets determined — as a lender deciding how much a business can support in debt, as an underwriter evaluating whether the earnings are real, and as an M&A advisor analyzing what buyers will actually pay.
I've analyzed thousands of owner-operated businesses across manufacturing, construction, healthcare, professional services, distribution, and every major industry where operators build real value over time. I've seen businesses worth far more than their owners realized — and businesses worth far less than the number their broker put on the listing sheet.
The difference is almost always in the financials. Not the revenue. Not the story. The adjusted earnings, the transferability, the quality of the income, and how the numbers present to the person writing the check. That's what this report shows you.
Disclaimer: This engagement does not constitute a certified business appraisal, formal valuation opinion, legal advice, tax advice, or accounting services. The Valuation Insight Report reflects the professional judgment of the analyst based on documents provided by the client and experience in commercial finance, underwriting, and M&A advisory. It is not suitable for use in legal proceedings, divorce settlements, IRS reporting, or any context requiring a certified appraisal. No guarantee of specific sale price, transaction outcome, or business value is made or implied. This is a single engagement — not an ongoing advisory relationship, retainer, or open-ended commitment. Payment is required before work begins. All sales are final.