When one has made the decision to sell his or her business, one must understand exactly what his or her company is worth. This calculation can be made by a financial expert, but sometimes, the number is not what the company owner wants to hear. In order to guarantee the biggest profit possible from selling one’s company, one must start with a great company value. If one’s company value is not as high as one would like it to be, one must figure out exactly why, and make some changes.

A company’s value can seem like a very abstract concept, but there are tangible, changeable determiners that need to be considered. There are several techniques one can use to raise the value of one’s company.

• Understanding Profit: In order to understand exactly what one’s company is worth, one must first examine how much profit one’s company makes. This number is the bottom line of any business. A company’s profit margin should be analyzed constantly, as it is not a guaranteed thing. Depending on client satisfaction, economic status, and industry competition, one’s company profit may fluctuate greatly over the years. It is important to understand which things make one’s profit go up, and which make it go down, that way one can always attempt to sway the result.
• Growth Record: A company’s worth can also be measured by its growth rate. When a prospective buyer is looking into a company, he or she is also looking into the future. A company that stays the same size over a long period of time is not ideal; one wants one’s company to grow and change over the years in order to become more successful, and therefore have a higher worth.
• Marketing: If one’s business is not doing very well, one might consider one’s marketing strategies. In order for a business to attract potential clients, it must be sold to them. It may be worthwhile to contact a marketing expert to help one’s business appeal to the public. Often, these experts end up paying for themselves tenfold.
• Employees: Another business aspect one must consider when trying to up its worth is its employees. Are these employees worth what one is paying them? Could better employees be found? An employee’s worth says a lot about the worth of the company he or she works for.

While there are many other factors that help determine and raise a company’s worth, the ones listed above will certainly help any business owner maintain a great business value.