Five frameworks.
One clear picture.
Every business gets valued on the same five dimensions. We measure all of them—so you know exactly where you stand and what to do about it.
Here's what buyers actually measure.
Forget multiples for a minute. Multiples are shorthand—a way to price risk quickly. But behind every multiple is a deeper question: what kind of asset is this?
A business that depends entirely on the owner is one kind of asset. A machine that runs without them is another. A commodity that competes on price is one thing. A strategic asset that unlocks something for the buyer is something else entirely.
Same revenue. Same profit. Completely different value.
The Five Frameworks show you which one you have—and how to move toward the one that's worth more.
Operating Leverage
Does growth require proportional effort—or does the machine scale?
Some businesses double revenue and double headcount. Others double revenue with the same team. Buyers pay very differently for each.
Operating leverage isn't about cutting costs. It's about building systems that let you grow without proportional investment. Automation. Productization. Repeatable processes.
We measure:
- Revenue per employee trend
- Marginal cost of new revenue
- Automation coverage
- Process documentation
Market Position
Commodity or strategic asset? Replaceable or defensible?
A commodity competes on price. When a buyer acquires a commodity, they're buying revenue that could disappear to the next lowest bidder.
A strategic asset has something that can't be easily replicated. Market access. Proprietary technology. Exclusive relationships. Regulatory positioning. Brand that commands premium.
We measure:
- Pricing power and margin trends
- Competitive differentiation
- Customer switching costs
- Barriers to entry
Transferability
Can someone else run this? Or does it depend on you?
This is where most owner-operated businesses fail. Everything works—but only because the owner makes it work. The knowledge is in their head. The relationships are personal. The decisions flow through them.
A transferable business runs without its founder. Not perfectly, but functionally. Systems exist. People are trained. Knowledge is documented. Relationships are institutional, not personal.
We measure:
- Key person dependency score
- Management team depth
- Process documentation coverage
- Customer relationship portability
Risk Profile
What could go wrong—and how exposed are you?
Buyers discount for risk. Every concentration, every dependency, every single point of failure reduces what they'll pay.
Customer concentration. Revenue predictability. Contract terms. Key employee retention. Supplier dependencies. Regulatory exposure. Each one is a variable in their model.
We measure:
- Customer concentration (top 5, top 10)
- Revenue predictability and churn
- Contract length and renewal rates
- Key employee risk and retention
Strategic Fit
Who needs what you've built? What's it worth to them specifically?
This is where multiples break down entirely. A business might be worth 5x to one buyer and 15x to another—depending on what it unlocks for them.
Strategic fit is about finding buyers for whom your business solves a specific problem. Market entry. Technology gap. Customer access. Competitive response. The right buyer pays for strategic value, not just earnings.
We identify:
- Strategic buyer profiles
- What you unlock for each
- Build vs. buy economics
- Timing and market dynamics
A complete picture of where you stand.
After the diagnostic, you'll know:
- Your current valuation range—defensible, based on data
- What's driving value—and what's holding it back
- The specific gaps—where buyers would discount
- The highest-leverage moves—what would change the number most
- Potential strategic buyers—who would pay for what you've built
Not a generic report. A diagnostic specific to your business, your market, your situation.