The first book written for business owners on how to determine what a business is worth--and make it worth more

Most owners of a small- to medium-sized business are so busy simply keeping the doors open that they couldn't say what their business is truly worth. More than that, they wouldn't even know where to begin determining accurate valuation figure.

How to Value Your Business and Increase Its Potential shows you how to determine what your business is worth, far more easily than you might have thought. Even more important, this clearly written and easy-to-follow book details proven steps you can take to improve the value of your business, and ensure you receive top dollar if and when you decide to sell.

This step-by-step guide provides you with:

• Detailed instructions for doing a "quick and dirty" valuation of your business .
• Insights and techniques for increasing the value of your business over time .
• Strategies for grooming your business for sale, successfully passing it to your heirs .
• And much more . .

  For any number of reasons, from tax questions to selling to simple curiosity, accurate valuation can be one of the most essential pieces of information a business owner can have. How to Value your Business and Increase Its Potential replaces ignorant, dangerous rules-of-thumb and confusing calculations and ratios with solid financial theory and common sense to help you determine what your business is worth--and what you can do starting todayto make it worth more.

  . . . . . .

  Value is one of the most misunderstood concepts in business today. For business owners in today's volatile environment, however, it is quickly becoming one of the most vital.

  .

  How to Value Your Business and Increase Its Potential takes the complex ideas of value and valuation and places them in terms that virtually all business owners can understand and profit from. Whether you are curious about the monetary value of the business you've created and built, or looking for little-known tips and techniques that will increase that value, renowned valuation veteran Jay Abrams' detailed yet commonsense approach will tell you everything you need to know without relying on the dense mathematics and obtuse terminology that mark the majority of books on the topic. You'll learn:

  .
  .
• The single best valuation method and how to apply it to any business .
• How to forecast sales and economic net income, cash flow, and discount cash flow to present value .
• Elements that business owners can manage more intelligently to increase the value of their business .
• Methods and strategies for structuring the sale of a business, and the tax consequences of each .
• Valuable tips for using your role as the business owner to make an IRS audit collaborative instead of confrontational . . .

  How to Value Your Business and Increase Its Potential helps business owners determine the value of their businesses, attorneys and financial professionals better represent and advise their clients, and virtually all professionals involved in business valuation do their jobs more efficiently. It reduces research time and expense by introducing and explaining key valuation concepts, while bypassing areas that require training and knowledge the typical business owner simply doesn't have. Whatever your field, if you need to gain a sound working knowledge of the art and science of business valuation, How to Value your Business and Increase Its Potential could be the most results-focused, understandable, and intrinsically valuable business book you read this year.

  .

Jay B. Abrams is one of today's leading valuation and litigation economists. He is the author of Quantitative Business Valuation as well as numerous articles in professional publications.