Know Your Number โ
Before a Buyer
Does.
Most UK business owners carry a valuation in their head built on a rule-of-thumb multiple, a competitor's rumoured sale, or what retirement needs to look like. That number hasn't been modelled. It hasn't been tested. And it won't survive the first serious conversation. Achieve Corporation builds an independent valuation model and memorandum โ in 2 working days โ so the next conversation you have is based on a number that can.
15โ20 minutes ยท No obligation ยท NDA availableMost business owners don't avoid valuation because they don't care. They avoid it because the answer might be uncomfortable โ and because nobody has made it easy to get the real number without starting a process they're not ready for.
So the mental number stays private. It comes from a multiple someone mentioned, a competitor's sale that was probably inflated, or what the business needs to be worth for the retirement plan to make sense. That number hasn't been stress-tested against your actual EBITDA, your customer concentration, or your key-person dependency. It hasn't been normalised. It hasn't been put in front of anyone who will push back.
The gap between that number and a defensible one isn't theoretical. It shows up in negotiation outcomes, missed exit windows, and decisions made on assumptions no one has tested.
That is the problem Achieve Corporation was built to solve.
The Gap Has a Price.
An owner carrying ยฃ3m in their head accepts ยฃ2.8m because it feels close enough. An independent model normalises the earnings and shows the defensible range is ยฃ2.8mโยฃ3.2m. The buyer's opening offer was below the floor โ and the owner had nothing to prove it with.
You walk away from ยฃ4m because your number is ยฃ5m. But your number includes a revenue line that's customer-concentrated, a salary drawn below market rate, and working capital that flatters the cash position. A normalised model might show ยฃ4m is a strong offer. Walking away costs you the exit window.
Whether it's a buyer, a lender, a co-shareholder, or an investor โ the first question is always how did you arrive at that number? A multiple you heard someone use is not an answer. A model with visible assumptions and tested sensitivities changes the dynamic entirely.
Not a Document.
A Position.
A valuation isn't a report you file. It's the position you take into a conversation โ with a buyer, a lender, a shareholder, or a board. The independent model makes every assumption visible, every adjustment explainable, and every figure interrogatable. That changes what happens in the room.
"An independent model removes the most dangerous risk in any business valuation: modelling the outcome you want rather than the outcome the earnings support."
Mark Ross Roberts ยท FMVA CBCA ยท 30 Years UK M&AWhen a buyer tables an offer, you know immediately whether it's below the defensible floor โ and you have a document to show why.
Know what the business is worth before you set board expectations, engage a sell-side adviser, or commit to a process built around a number that hasn't been tested.
One owner's expected ยฃ6m valuation came back at ยฃ3.5mโยฃ4.2m โ 18 months before going to market. Time to reduce customer concentration, normalise costs, and re-test before committing.
Not a number. A working Excel model with clear inputs, normalised earnings, and sensitivity toggles โ built for real scrutiny.
The model makes explicit what's suppressing value โ customer concentration, key-person dependency, working capital timing โ and what would move the range before you go to market.
Presentation-grade PDF. Built for boardrooms, lender meetings, and buyer negotiations. Every figure supported by the model. Every adjustment explained in plain language.
Six Things Competitors Cannot Credibly Match.
Mark Ross Roberts builds every model personally. FMVA and CBCA certified. Active on live M&A transactions โ not occasional valuation work. The standard is the same as full sell-side due diligence, because the methodology is identical.
The clock starts when payment is received and all required documents are in. You know the cost before you commit. No hourly billing. No open-ended timescales. No invoice you didn't expect.
Achieve Corporation earns nothing from the outcome of your valuation. No commission, no sell-side mandate, no referral fee. The only interest is giving you the accurate picture โ not the comfortable one.
Because we work on active UK M&A transactions continuously, we know what buyers are currently paying, what sector multiples the market supports, and what lenders are requiring right now. A two-year-old conversation with an adviser not on active deals cannot replicate this.
Every fee tier includes the Independent Valuation Memorandum, the written narrative report, and the locked Excel model. No stripped-down tiers. No scope surprise. The deliverable is confirmed before the clock starts.
If the defensible valuation is materially below expectation, the model will show it โ and explain exactly why. That is worth more than a comfortable number that doesn't survive a buyer's first question.
The Clock Starts When Your Documents Land.
15โ20 minutes. NDA if needed. We establish what the valuation needs to do โ exit planning, offer evaluation, funding preparation, shareholder alignment, or board reporting. If it's a fit, we lock the engagement and confirm the fixed fee before anything else moves.
You receive a tight, specific document list โ accounts, management numbers, commercial overview. You send what you already have. Payment received and all required documents in: that is the moment the 2-day clock starts. No ambiguity about when delivery begins.
We normalise maintainable earnings, correct add-backs and adjustments, apply the appropriate valuation methodologies for your sector, and make every assumption explicit. Built from your specific data โ not a template with your name on it. Every figure in the memorandum is traceable to the model.
Independent Valuation Memorandum (presentation-grade PDF), written narrative report, and locked Excel model โ with clear assumptions, sensitivity toggles, and decision points ready for the next conversation. You receive the complete package on Day 2, as agreed.
Bring What
You Have.
We'll Tell You
If It's Enough.
- Independent Valuation Memorandum โ presentation-grade PDF built for buyer, lender, and board conversations
- Written Narrative Report โ methodology, adjustments, risk factors, and decision points in plain language
- Locked Excel Model โ normalised earnings, sensitivity toggles, and explicit assumptions your finance director can interrogate
Every tier delivers the same three outputs: Independent Valuation Memorandum, written report, and locked Excel model. Complex structures โ group accounts, customer concentration, deferred revenue โ scoped and confirmed upfront. No surprises.
