The Intent
You want to plan ahead so your estate can be settled efficiently, taxes can be managed, and your family is not forced into rushed or destructive decisions.
How I Solve It
I apply the 25 Factors Affecting Business Valuation with a forward-looking lens. I focus on Factor #5: Liquidity, Factor #10: Processes, Procedures, Systems, and Documentation, Factor #13: Management Capability & Workforce, and Factor #24: Risk.
The 5 Senses Inspection Report helps determine whether the business can realistically continue operating after the owner's death or whether a sale would be required to unlock value.
Experience
It is vital because "How do you value a business for estate planning?" is not a mechanical calculation. It is a real-world judgment about risk, control, sustainability, and transferability — and that judgment is where 10–15 years of owner-operator and valuation experience, your gut–brain axis, does the heavy lifting.
Why It Is Not Mechanical
On paper, valuation appears formula-driven. In reality, governance rights, risk concentration, growth durability, market conditions, and stakeholder dynamics materially affect value.
Where Experience Changes the Number
Decisions around normalization, premiums, discounts, projections, and defensibility require judgment formed through lived ownership, negotiation, and financial accountability.
Why the Gut–Brain Axis Matters
The brain performs disciplined financial analysis. The gut recognizes unrealistic narratives, hidden leverage, emotional distortions, and deal risk. Together they produce conclusions that withstand scrutiny.
Protecting Financial Lives
The final number affects wealth, control, solvency, tax exposure, and long-term relationships. Requiring 10–15 years of serious hands-on business and valuation experience ensures the answer is fair, defensible, and durable. See my Experience page.
The Result
You receive a defensible valuation that supports estate freezes, succession planning, and tax strategies, while reducing the risk of forced sales or family conflict.