Value Alpha Articles https://valuealpha.ai/articles Business valuation insights, M&A guidance, and financial education for small business owners. en-us Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:07:55 GMT https://valuealpha.ai/icon.png Value Alpha Articles https://valuealpha.ai/articles <![CDATA[Is a Business Worth 3 Times Profit? When It Is 2x, When It Is 5x, and Which Profit Counts]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/is-a-business-worth-3-times-profit https://valuealpha.ai/articles/is-a-business-worth-3-times-profit Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (Tomasz Felpel) <![CDATA[How Much Is a Business Worth With $500,000 in Sales? The Revenue Ladder From $100K to $3 Million]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-much-is-a-business-worth-with-500000-in-sales https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-much-is-a-business-worth-with-500000-in-sales Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[The Brief · Dispatch Nº2: Your Industry's Average Multiple Includes Money-Losing Companies]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-brief-dispatch-2 https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-brief-dispatch-2 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[Seller Financing, Earnouts, and Escrow: How Deal Structure Changes What You Actually Get Paid]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/seller-financing-earnouts-deal-structure https://valuealpha.ai/articles/seller-financing-earnouts-deal-structure Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (Tomasz Felpel) <![CDATA[The Net Working Capital Peg: The Closing-Table Fight Nobody Warns First-Time Sellers About]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/net-working-capital-peg https://valuealpha.ai/articles/net-working-capital-peg Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (Tomasz Felpel) <![CDATA[How to Value an E-Commerce Business: SDE Multiples, Revenue Quality, and Platform Risk]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-an-ecommerce-business https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-an-ecommerce-business Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[Business Valuation Methods Explained: DCF vs. Comps vs. Precedent Transactions]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/business-valuation-methods-explained https://valuealpha.ai/articles/business-valuation-methods-explained Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[Customer Concentration: The Silent Discount on Your Business's Value]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/customer-concentration-business-value https://valuealpha.ai/articles/customer-concentration-business-value Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (Tomasz Felpel) <![CDATA[How to Value a Dental Practice: Collections, EBITDA, and What DSOs Actually Pay]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-a-dental-practice https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-a-dental-practice Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[Quality of Earnings vs. Valuation: What Changes Between the LOI and Closing]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/quality-of-earnings-vs-valuation https://valuealpha.ai/articles/quality-of-earnings-vs-valuation Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (Tomasz Felpel) <![CDATA[How to Value a Restaurant: SDE Multiples, Prime Cost, and What Buyers Actually Pay]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-a-restaurant https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-a-restaurant Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[The SDE Formula: How to Calculate Seller's Discretionary Earnings (2026)]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-sde-formula https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-sde-formula Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[How to Value an Acquisition Target: A Search Funder's Framework for Setting Your LOI Range]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-an-acquisition-target https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-an-acquisition-target Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[How to Set a Valuation Range in an LOI: A Searcher's Guide]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-set-a-valuation-range-in-an-loi https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-set-a-valuation-range-in-an-loi Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (Tomasz Felpel) <![CDATA[SBA 7(a) Business Valuation Requirements (2026): A Buyer's Guide]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/sba-7a-business-valuation-requirements https://valuealpha.ai/articles/sba-7a-business-valuation-requirements Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[How to Value an HVAC Business in 2026: SDE and EBITDA Multiples]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-an-hvac-business https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-to-value-an-hvac-business Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[The Brief · Dispatch Nº1: Why Main Street Doesn't Trade Like SaaS]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-brief-dispatch-1 https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-brief-dispatch-1 Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[Add-Backs Explained: Which Adjustments Survive Diligence]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/add-backs-explained-normalizing-ebitda https://valuealpha.ai/articles/add-backs-explained-normalizing-ebitda Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[The Valuation Gap: Why Owners and Buyers Price the Same Business Differently]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-valuation-gap https://valuealpha.ai/articles/the-valuation-gap Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (Tomasz Felpel) <![CDATA[WACC Explained: Why Your Discount Rate Can Make or Break a Valuation]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/wacc-explained-discount-rate-business-valuation https://valuealpha.ai/articles/wacc-explained-discount-rate-business-valuation Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[How SaaS Businesses Are Valued: Metrics That Matter]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/saas-business-valuation-guide https://valuealpha.ai/articles/saas-business-valuation-guide Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[What Buyers Actually Look At in a Business Valuation]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/what-buyers-actually-look-at https://valuealpha.ai/articles/what-buyers-actually-look-at Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[How to Prepare Your Business for a Valuation]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/preparing-your-business-for-valuation https://valuealpha.ai/articles/preparing-your-business-for-valuation Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[Why Your Business Valuation Is a Range, Not a Number]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/why-your-business-valuation-is-a-range https://valuealpha.ai/articles/why-your-business-valuation-is-a-range Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[SDE vs EBITDA: Which Metric Matters for Your Business Valuation?]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/sde-vs-ebitda-which-metric-matters https://valuealpha.ai/articles/sde-vs-ebitda-which-metric-matters Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[DCF Analysis Explained for Private Companies]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/dcf-analysis-explained https://valuealpha.ai/articles/dcf-analysis-explained Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[How Much Is My Business Worth? A Complete Guide]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-much-is-my-business-worth https://valuealpha.ai/articles/how-much-is-my-business-worth Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team) <![CDATA[Understanding EBITDA Multiples by Industry]]> https://valuealpha.ai/articles/understanding-ebitda-multiples https://valuealpha.ai/articles/understanding-ebitda-multiples Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT team@valuealpha.ai (ValueAlpha Team)