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Start with the ownership decision
A valuation instruction should name the business or interest, the valuation date and the people who will use the result. A whole-business assessment, a minority shareholding and a sale of selected assets can raise different questions. Agree the purpose before collecting a large folder of accounts.
Our team works with business valuations and shareholder transactions. We can connect the assessment to the wider commercial decision, including the proposed timing, funding and expectations of the people involved.
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Choose an assessment that fits
An asking-price discussion and a formal valuation do different jobs. The intended use determines the depth of investigation, the assumptions and the reporting required. Our appraisal and valuation comparison helps you frame that choice.
Ask who will rely on the work, what information they need and whether any transaction agreement sets requirements. Discuss independence and potential conflicts at the start, especially when several shareholders have different objectives.
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Make the financial story understandable
Bring annual accounts, recent management figures and a forecast with its assumptions. Explain unusual income, owner remuneration, major customer changes and debt. Keep the original figures alongside proposed adjustments so the reasoning can be followed.
Our comparison of valuation methods explains the main approaches. If earnings are central to the discussion, the multiples guide shows why the earnings basis and the comparison must match.
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Agree scope before commissioning
Settle the deliverable, intended users, information responsibilities and timing together. A useful scope also explains how missing evidence or changed circumstances will be handled. Use our business valuation report template to draft the instruction and evidence index. The worked shareholder-buyout example shows how to check that the report addresses the interest you actually need valued.
Compare valuation fees by scope, rather than treating every quoted assessment as the same product. Value informs a negotiation; the eventual price also depends on terms, funding and each party's circumstances.
For a broader engagement, our adviser fee guide helps you define the support you need.
Use this in your business
Your first valuation brief
| Decision | Write down |
|---|---|
| Subject | Entity, assets or shareholding to be valued. |
| Purpose | Sale, buy-in, succession or another defined decision. |
| Date and users | The valuation date and who needs to rely on it. |
| Evidence | Accounts, forecasts, ownership and material contracts. |
| Open questions | Funding, disputed assumptions and missing records. |
A practical example
A manager buying a minority interest
An owner and manager may agree on the direction of a buy-in before they agree on its terms. The briefing needs to identify the percentage interest, any shareholder rights, the information available and the funding question. A value for the entire operation is one input; it does not settle every part of the proposed minority transaction.
Your next move
Discuss the valuation your decision needs
Bring your ownership summary, the decision you need to make and the records you already have. We can help define an independent valuation scope that serves that decision.
Discuss the valuation your decision needs