ActivoCEO · Raise & Value
ActivoCEO: Business Valuation
Know what your business is worth, what drives that value, and how to make it worth more.
Revenue and profit tell you how your business performs. Buyers, investors and lenders ask a different question: how much value it creates, how durable that value is, and how much of it would survive without you. Share six numbers you already know and get your basic valuation report free.
- Free basic report
- Six simple inputs
- Valuation range
- Value-creation roadmap
Performance is not the same as value
A company can be profitable yet hard to sell. It can grow fast yet destroy value through poor cash generation. Or it can have modest revenue and still command an attractive price because of predictable contracts, capable management or a strong competitive position. A good valuation makes these differences visible, and changes the decisions you make.
Don’t just measure how much your business earns. Understand how much value it creates, how durable that value is, and how much of it a future owner could keep without you.
Three outcomes from one valuation
More than a number: a way to run your business
Most valuations are done once, for a sale, an investor or a loan. Used well, the same analysis becomes a management tool that shows where to spend your time and money.
Understand your value
A credible valuation range, the assumptions behind it, and what buyers, investors and lenders may each think it is worth.
See what drives or destroys it
Strengths, risks, customer dependencies and inefficiencies that headline revenue and profit can hide.
Make it worth more
The likely effect of better margins, recurring revenue, a stronger team, automation or lower risk, so you invest where value grows most.
Worked example
Adding £600k of value without adding revenue
Take an owner-managed business with £2m revenue and £300k normalised EBITDA. Buyers worry that one customer is too large and that the owner runs everything, so it is valued at around 4× EBITDA: £1.2m.
The owner tightens pricing, improves processes, builds a second-tier leadership team, secures longer contracts and reduces reliance on the biggest account. EBITDA rises to £360k, worth £1.44m at the same multiple. If buyers also see lower risk and pay 5×, it reaches £1.8m.
That is two separate effects: £240k from better earnings and a possible further £360k from a higher multiple. A valuation shows you which levers move which number.
Illustrative enterprise value
Same revenue, three different values
Today
£300k × 4.0
Better earnings
£360k × 4.0
Lower risk too
£360k × 5.0
Hypothetical figures. A higher multiple is not automatic; it has to be earned with evidence that risk has fallen.
How ActivoCEO Business Valuation works
Start with six numbers you already know. You get a free basic report, and you decide whether to go deeper.
Submit
Share six core inputs
No accounts or documents needed to start. Just the headline figures for your latest financial year.
- Industry and country
- Revenue and EBITDA
- Revenue growth
- Cash and financial debt
Free
Receive your basic valuation report
An indicative valuation with the reasoning behind it, so you know where you stand today.
- Enterprise value range and midpoint
- Estimated equity value for shareholders
- Methods used and why they fit
- Benchmarks for margin, growth and debt
- The questions that will move your value
Your decision
Go deeper with the detailed report
For a fee, add more information and get a strategic valuation built for decisions, investors and lenders.
- Normalised earnings and value-driver scorecard
- Downside, base and upside scenarios
- Investor and lender readiness
- A prioritised value-creation roadmap
↺ Refresh every year, and after any major change in customers, funding or markets
Free basic report
Six inputs. One clear valuation.
Use your latest full financial year. Approximate figures are fine to start; the report shows how sensitive the result is to each one.
- No accounts or documents needed
- Valuation range, not false precision
- Enterprise value and equity value, explained
- Nothing shared with anyone without your approval
Industry / business type e.g. B2B services
Selects the valuation methods and comparable companies that fit your business.
Country e.g. United Kingdom
Sets the relevant market multiples and economic context.
Annual revenue e.g. £2.0m
Establishes the size of the business and enables revenue-based comparisons.
Annual EBITDA or operating profit e.g. £300k
Measures underlying profitability and earning power.
Annual revenue growth e.g. 8%
Helps assess growth prospects and choose an appropriate multiple.
Cash and outstanding financial debt e.g. £100k / £250k
Converts enterprise value into estimated shareholder equity value.
What your valuation report looks like
A simplified example for a fictional company: the free basic report first, then a preview of what the detailed report adds.
ActivoCEO · Sample report
Business valuation
Example Ltd · B2B services · United Kingdom · Revenue £2.0m · EBITDA £300k · Growth 8%
Valuation range by method
Each method gives a range. They are reconciled, not averaged.
From enterprise value to equity
What the business is worth is not what shareholders receive.
Real deals can also adjust for working capital, debt-like items, fees and earn-outs.
Headline benchmarks
How your numbers compare with similar businesses.
EBITDA margin
Mid-range for the sector (typically 10–18%).
Revenue growth
Slightly ahead of the sector (typically 4–9%).
Net debt / EBITDA
Low leverage, leaving room to borrow for growth.
What six inputs can’t tell a buyer
The questions most likely to move your multiple, answered in the detailed report.
Value-driver scorecard
Evidence-based ratings that show what is lifting or holding back value.
Owner insight
What the scorecard means for your next decision.
Strengthen the team before chasing sales. Retention and competitive position are strong, but value is held back by dependence on the owner and weak cash conversion. Building management depth and tightening working capital should come before further sales expansion.
Scenarios
Enterprise value under three integrated forecasts.
Largest customer lost, margins squeezed
Current trends continue
Roadmap delivered, risk reduced
Top value levers
Ranked by risk-adjusted value created, not by revenue or cost savings alone.
- Appoint an operations lead and document the five core processes the owner runs today. Lowers owner dependency, the biggest drag on the multiple.
- Cut debtor days from 68 to 45. Releases around £125k of cash.
- Move the top three accounts onto 24-month contracts and bring the largest below 20% of revenue. Reduces customer risk buyers will price in.
- Reprice the lowest-margin customers to lift EBITDA by £60k. Worth about £240k at today’s multiple.
Illustrative example only. The company, figures, benchmarks and scores are fictional. Your report reflects your inputs and current market evidence. An indicative valuation is a planning tool, not a formal independent valuation opinion.
Free basic report or detailed report?
Start free. Upgrade when you need evidence that stands up to a buyer, an investor or a bank.
Basic report
Know where you stand
£0
An indicative valuation from six inputs, for planning and a first conversation.
Includes
- Enterprise value range and midpoint
- Estimated equity value, with the bridge from enterprise value
- Methods applied and why they suit your business
- Benchmarks for margin, growth and leverage
- The questions most likely to move your value
Detailed report
Decide, raise and grow value
Priced to scope · quoted before you commit
A strategic valuation: an owner’s decision report plus the evidence pack investors and lenders expect.
Everything in the basic report, plus
- Normalised earnings and quality-of-earnings checks
- Wider methods: DCF, precedent transactions, asset-based or venture method where they fit
- Value-driver scorecard across ten categories, backed by evidence
- Downside, base and upside scenarios with sensitivity analysis
- Readiness for your audience: angels, VCs, private equity, trade buyers or lenders
- A prioritised roadmap for the next 3, 6, 12 and 24 months
Additional inputs we’ll ask for
- Three years of accounts and current management accounts
- One-off costs, owner pay and other normalising adjustments
- Revenue by top customers and the share that is recurring or contracted
- Your team, and how involved you are day to day
- Working capital, capital spend, forecasts and debt terms
Who will value your business, and what they look for
Investors, buyers and lenders weigh different risks and rewards, so one generic number rarely serves every purpose. The detailed report is shaped around the audience you are preparing for.
Angels & VCs
Can this scale to a valuable exit? Market size, traction, unit economics and dilution.
Venture method, scenarios, revenue comparablesPrivate equity
Can earnings grow fast enough to meet fund returns, with a credible value-creation plan?
EBITDA multiples, DCF, LBOTrade buyers
What is it worth on its own, and what extra value could the combination create?
DCF, precedent deals, synergiesBanks & lenders
Can the business repay, and what protects the loan if it can’t?
Cash-flow cover, security, covenantsYou, the owner
What is it worth today, what holds it back, and what should you do next?
Multiple methods plus scenariosFrom valuation to value creation
The detailed report turns findings into a plan. Each initiative gets an owner, a cost, a measure and its expected effect on value.
Strengthen the financial foundations
Find margin leakage, confirm sustainable earnings, improve reporting and build a reliable cash forecast.
Measure: margin, cash conversion, forecast accuracyReduce structural risk
Diversify major customers, document key processes and give managers clear accountability.
Measure: concentration, owner dependency, contracted revenueBuild scalable operations
Automate where the savings are proven, grow recurring revenue and develop leadership capacity.
Measure: revenue per employee, retention, unit costsPrepare strategic options
Refresh the valuation, assess funding needs, gather due-diligence evidence and weigh growth against a partial or full exit.
Measure: updated valuation, financing capacity, deal readinessQuestions owners ask
Is the free report a formal valuation?
No. It is an indicative valuation based on six inputs, designed for planning and a first conversation. For a sale, an investment round, a dispute, tax or financial reporting you may need a formal independent valuation from a qualified valuer. The detailed report gives you the evidence and analysis to take into that process.
Why do you ask for cash and debt?
Valuation methods first produce enterprise value: what the whole business is worth. Shareholders receive equity value, which is enterprise value less financial debt plus surplus cash. Without these two figures, it’s easy to mistake the business’s value for your likely proceeds.
Which valuation methods do you use?
It depends on your business. Established, profitable companies are usually valued on EBITDA or earnings multiples, cross-checked with revenue multiples and capitalised earnings. The detailed report adds discounted cash flow, precedent transactions and, where relevant, asset-based or venture methods. We explain which methods were used, why others were excluded and how the results were reconciled.
My business is early-stage or not yet profitable. Can you value it?
Yes, though the basic report leans on revenue-based comparisons and gives a wider range. For pre-revenue or high-growth startups, the detailed report uses venture and scenario methods, and separates pre-money, post-money and share-class value. If you’re raising, pair it with our Pitch Deck Assessment.
How often should I value my business?
Track the main value drivers quarterly, review the valuation fully once a year, and revalue after any major event such as an acquisition, a big customer change, a funding round or a market shift.
Will my numbers be shared?
No. Your figures are used to prepare your report and are never shared with investors, buyers or lenders without your approval.
Related services
Find out what your business is worth
Six numbers today. A clearer path to a more valuable business.
Send us your six core inputs and we’ll prepare your free basic valuation report. Then decide whether to go deeper with the detailed report and value-creation roadmap.
