Value your business before the sale

Updated March 2026 - Valuing your business is not about choosing a flattering number. It is necessary to build a credible basis for negotiation, understandable by the seller, financeable by the buyer and defensible throughout the process. Poor valuation slows down the sale, erodes trust and makes discussions harder than they need to be.

A good valuation must be:

• ▸consistent with historical figures;
• ▸compatible with the financing capacity of the buyer;
• ▸adapted to the sector and the size of the company;
• ▸sufficiently argued to withstand due diligence.

To complete, also consult Why anticipate the transfer of your business?, our guide on asset and liability guarantee and our global file Business transfer.

Heritage methods

They mainly look at assets and liabilities. They are useful, but rarely sufficient on their own.

Yield methods

They focus on the company's ability to generate results over time.

Comparative methods

They consist of bringing the company closer to comparable transactions or scales, with caution.

• ▸the quality of turnover;
• ▸dependence on a few customers or the manager;
• ▸normative profitability;
• ▸the working capital requirement;
• ▸the strength of the team and the organization;
• ▸visibility on the market.

Hayot Expertise Advice: the right question is not "how much is my business worth in absolute terms?" but “how much is it worth to a rational buyer, under secure takeover conditions?”

• ▸confuse emotional value and market value;
• ▸retain a single method without cross-referencing the results;
• ▸promote an unsustainable performance peak;
• ▸forget the impact of the manager on future performance.

1. ▸restate the accounts if necessary;
2. ▸formalize the strengths and weaknesses;
3. ▸document the assumptions;
4. ▸bring the theoretical value closer to the financeable price.

A serious valuation serves to drive the sale, not to block the market.

Discover our support in strategy and evaluation

In 2026, valuing your company before the sale requires combining method, reliable data and realistic reading of the market. The earlier the valuation is prepared, the more fluid the negotiation becomes.

📞 Do you want to determine a credible transfer value before launching the process? We can prepare a reasoned and actionable valuation with your actual figures. Make an appointment with an expert

(Official sources: Service-Public on valuation before transmission, Bpifrance Création on valuation and return value)