What this section is
Most owners learn how a business gets valued the same week they’re trying to sell it. That’s the wrong week. By the time the buyer’s representation is in the room, the conversation about what the business is actually worth has already been framed by someone whose job is to anchor it lower.
This section is the conversation we wish every owner had earlier. Not the marketing-friendly version. The real one — what determines value, what destroys it, and what the people across the table are doing that you may not be seeing yet.
What we’ll publish here
We’ll cover four areas. Valuation methodology — what a certified valuation actually measures, how it differs from a broker’s opinion, and when each is appropriate. Exit planning — the operational and financial moves that genuinely move enterprise value in the 18 to 36 months before a sale. SBA and deal structure — what lenders look for, why deals fall apart in due diligence, and how to structure terms that protect the seller. And owner operations — the working-capital, governance, and reporting habits that compound into a more sellable business.
Some articles will be long. None will be filler. If we don’t have something useful to say on a topic, we won’t publish.
How to read what’s worth reading
Every article is written by David Lopez, a Certified Valuation Analyst with a Big Four background. Every article references the actual mechanics — not generic exit-planning advice. If a piece quotes a number, it’s because the number matters.
If you’re preparing for an exit in the next 24 months, start with whatever is featured at the top of this page. If you’re earlier than that, the methodology articles are where to begin. Either way, the goal here is the same: by the time you’re in a sale conversation, nothing the other side says should surprise you.