What Is My Orange County Business Worth?
Two-minute value estimator
Private by design: this runs entirely in your browser. We never see, store, or transmit your numbers.
Enter your annual owner earnings above to see a range.
What is SDE, exactly?
Seller's Discretionary Earnings = pre-tax profit plus everything the business really pays you: your salary, health insurance, vehicle, personal expenses run through the company, and any one-time costs. It's the truest measure of what an owner takes home — and it's the number buyers multiply. For businesses earning over roughly $1M, buyers switch to EBITDA (which subtracts a market-rate manager salary) at somewhat higher multiples.
What moves your multiple up (or down)
Pushes value up
A manager who can run the place without you · recurring or repeat revenue · no customer over ~15% of sales · clean books your CPA stands behind · documented processes · 8+ years of steady performance.
Pulls value down
Everything runs through you · one or two customers dominate · declining revenue · messy or cash-heavy books · a lease with under 3 years left · deferred maintenance and aging equipment.
The encouraging part: most of these are fixable in 12–24 months, and fixing them can add more to your price than a year of profits. If you're 1–3 years out, talk to us now — we'll tell you exactly what to shore up, free, whether or not you ever sell to us.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate what my business is worth?
Start with SDE (seller's discretionary earnings): pre-tax profit plus your salary, benefits, and one-time expenses. Multiply by an industry multiple — most established Orange County small businesses fall between 2x and 3.5x. Businesses over roughly $1M in earnings are usually valued on EBITDA instead, at somewhat higher multiples. Remember: a market range is not an offer — real numbers come from real books.
What multiples do Orange County businesses sell for?
Typical ranges: home services and trades 2x–3.25x SDE; B2B services 2x–3.25x; light manufacturing 2.5x–4x; distribution 2.5x–3.5x; professional services 1.75x–2.75x. Strong management teams, recurring revenue, and low customer concentration push toward the top of the range — while California's high cost of doing business (labor, insurance, rent, compliance) tends to pull Southern California deals toward the conservative end.
Does real estate change the price?
Yes — owned real estate is valued separately from the business. If you own your building, you can sell it with the business, lease it to the buyer for retirement income, or sell it separately. We buy buildings too, as part of our deals.
Is this estimate a formal valuation?
No. It's a realistic market range based on common transaction multiples, meant to orient you before real conversations. A formal opinion of value from a credentialed appraiser considers far more detail — and any serious buyer will explain exactly how they reached their number, like we do.
Want a real number instead of a range?
Tell us about your business confidentially. If it fits what we buy, you'll have a written offer — with the math shown — in about two weeks.
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