The Revenue Multiple Method
The revenue multiple used often falls between 0.5 to 5 times yearly revenue depending on the industry. For a company doing $2 million in gross annual sales, that could equate to a business valuation between $1 million (0.5X multiplier) up to $10 million (5X yearly sales).
A healthy profit margin is typically in the 10-20% range. Some businesses have higher margins than this. For example, Apple has been known to make up to 25%. But up to 30% is more typical of tech companies like Google and Facebook (both around 30%). It all depends on what you're selling and who your competition is.
Main Street Deals (Sub $3m Revenue)
Companies with under $3m in sales will typically sell for 2.5 – 3.5 X their discretionary earnings (total cash the owner could take out of the company). Smaller companies that are even more owner-reliant will even be lower than that.
A venture that earns $1 million per year in revenue, for example, could have a multiple of 2 or 3 applied to it, resulting in a $2 or $3 million valuation. Another business might earn just $500,000 per year and earn a multiple of 0.5, yielding a valuation of $250,000.
Additionally, statistics show that the top 2% of the United States population has a net worth of about $2.4 million. On the other hand, the top 5% wealthiest Americans have a net worth of just over $1 million. Therefore, about 2% of the population possesses enough wealth to meet the current definition of being rich.
To find the fair market value, it is then necessary to divide that figure by the capitalization rate. Therefore, the income approach would reveal the following calculations. Projected sales are $500,000, and the capitalization rate is 25%, so the fair market value is $125,000.
In 2019, the median net worth of self-employed families was $380,000—over four times larger than the $90,000 in net worth held by the typical working family (Headd 2021).
9% of small businesses make over $1 million
It's likely that this number is higher today. There are 16% of owners less successful, making less than $10,000 per year. If you were to start a small business now, the most lucrative industries are technology, health, and energy.
However, for businesses that turn over less than $5 million per annum, around 80% of them that sell, do so for less than 3 times the EBIT (or profit), whilst businesses that turn over less than $1 million are lucky to sell for 2 times EBIT.
What's a good profit margin for a small business? Although profit margin varies by industry, 7 to 10% is a healthy profit margin for most small businesses. Some companies, like retail and food, can be financially stable with lower profit margin because they have naturally high overhead.
Profit distributions as a salary
An alternative method is to pay yourself based on your profits. According to Evan Singer, CEO of SmartBiz Loans, a provider of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, the SBA reports that most small business owners limit their salaries to 50% of profits.
A gross profit margin of over 50% is healthy for most businesses. In some industries and business models, a gross margin of up to 90% can be achieved.
While $3 million in sales is certainly impressive, it doesn't automatically translate to a specific valuation. The true worth of your business depends on a complex interplay of factors, including: Profitability: Your net profit margin (after all expenses) is a critical driver of value.
Discretionary Earnings Rule of Thumb
The discretionary earnings method starts with the annual cash from the business that's available to the owner after taking out essential operating expenses. It then multiplies that number by a factor usually between two and four, depending on the business type.
A business will likely sell for two to four times seller's discretionary earnings (SDE)range –the majority selling within the 2 to 3 range. In essence, if the annual cash flow is $200,000, the selling price will likely be between $400,000 and $600,000.
Small business profit figures vary by industry and by the size and nature of a business. As reported by the Corporate Finance Institute, the average net profit for small businesses is about 10 percent.
Using this basic formula, a company doing $1 million a year, making around $200,000 EBITDA, is worth between $600,000 and $1 million. Some people make it even more basic, and moderate profits earn a value of one times revenue: A business doing $1 million is worth $1 million.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first 10 years. Only 25% of new businesses make it to 15 years or more.
What's considered a good annual revenue for a small business depends on the size of the business. The average annual revenue for a small business with a single owner and no employees is $44,000 per year. As the number of employees starts to rise, so does the average revenue.
Yahoo Finance
In 2024, Americans stated that the average net worth they consider “wealthy” is $2.5 million.
How much does a Small Business Owner make in California? As of Jan 5, 2025, the average annual pay for a Small Business Owner in California is $126,297 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $60.72 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,428/week or $10,524/month.
The typical range for a small business is 1.5 to 3x SDE. Higher earnings, fast growth, and stellar margins can all help to increase the multiple. Bring it all together. Next, we determine the expected value of the business by multiplying the company's SDE figure by the determined multiple.
The multiple used might be higher if the company or industry is poised for growth and expansion. Since these companies are expected to have a high growth phase with a high percentage of recurring revenue and good margins, they would be valued in the three- to four-times-revenue range.
In business, a unicorn is a startup company valued at over US$1 billion which is privately owned and not listed on a share market.