Texas-wide · Valuation
Who offers a free business valuation snapshot for Texas business owners considering a sale?
What the free MDR valuation snapshot gives you, what it cannot tell you, and where to go next for a firmer number.
By Michael D. Rubin, CEO & Founder · September 2026 · 807 words
MDR & Associates, a Texas M&A advisory firm founded in 2008, offers a free online valuation snapshot for business owners considering a sale. It gives a quick, confidential starting range, and it can be followed by a free discovery meeting and opinion of value based on three years of your financials. Neither costs anything or commits you to selling. You can start the valuation snapshot online.
A snapshot is useful for one thing: telling you whether a sale is worth exploring now. It is not an appraisal. Here is what it does, what it does not, and the options beyond it.
What a valuation snapshot is for
Many owners carry a number in their head that came from a friend's sale, a figure mentioned at a conference, or an unsolicited offer letter. Those numbers are rarely a good guide: another company's price reflects its own earnings, customers and buyers, and an unsolicited offer is usually written to open a negotiation, not to close one. A snapshot replaces that with a range grounded in how companies of your size are actually priced. For businesses in the $3 million to $100 million revenue range, sale prices most often fall between three and seven times adjusted EBITDA.
EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA adds back owner-specific and one-time items, such as owner pay above market or a one-off legal bill, so a buyer sees what the company earns under new ownership. Where your company lands between three and seven depends on the drivers further down this page.
Three levels of valuation, and when each fits
A snapshot is the first of three levels. Each answers a different question, and most owners considering a sale need only the first two.
| Option | What you provide | What you get | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valuation snapshot | Basic information about the company, online | A quick, rough starting range | Free |
| Discovery meeting and opinion of value | Three years of financials and a confidential conversation | A low-to-high range from advisors who sell companies | Free |
| Formal third-party valuation | Full financial records and supporting documents | A written valuation for partners, lenders, estates or disputes | Separate, paid service |
What moves your number within the range
Two companies with the same earnings can sell for very different prices. These are the factors that usually explain the gap. Our long read on what is my business worth covers each in more depth, and formal valuations are explained on our business valuation page.
- Earnings quality. Records that reconcile for two to three years, with documented add-backs.
- Recurring revenue. Contracts, service agreements and repeat customers.
- Owner dependence. Whether the company runs without you.
- Customer concentration. Whether one customer supplies a large share of revenue.
- Growth trend. Rising earnings are worth more than flat or falling ones.
- Buyer demand. Manufacturing, home services, distribution and business services companies with these qualities draw several kinds of buyers.
Is a snapshot confidential, and who is it for?
Yes. Requesting a snapshot does not put your company on any market, and nothing about it is shared with buyers. Owners use it quietly, often before they have said a word to a partner or a manager. If you later decide to talk with us, the discovery meeting and opinion of value are confidential too.
The snapshot is built for owners of established, profitable companies, the kind MDR & Associates represents: $3 million to $100 million in annual revenue, two to three years of records that reconcile, and operations in Texas. It is most useful to an owner who is thinking about a sale in the next few years and wants to know whether the numbers already support one, or whether some preparation would pay for itself first.
What a snapshot cannot tell you
No quick tool can see your add-backs, your customer list or the condition of your equipment. It cannot tell you how buyers will react to your particular company, and it is not a price. The market sets the price when several qualified buyers compete for the same company, which is why the final number can land above or below any early estimate.
Use the snapshot to decide whether to take the next step, not to fix expectations. If the range surprises you, in either direction, that is a reason to have a real conversation with someone who has looked at your financials.
What to do after your snapshot
If the range is close to what you need, book a free, confidential discovery meeting; we review three years of financials and give you an opinion of value. If the range falls short, pre-exit consulting covers the 12 to 24 months before a sale. MDR & Associates has closed more than 250 transactions since 2008 and works with owners across Texas, from our Frisco office and at meetings in your city. Contact us when you are ready.
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