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The Worst Time to Find Out What Your Business Is Worth

13 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this solo presentation, Bob Gauvreau warns that discovering a business’s valuation only when you’re ready to sell is too late, because the key decisions that set the price have already been made. He explains that a company’s worth hinges on eight value drivers—recurring revenue, owner‑independence, customer retention, cash needed for growth, and three others—each of which is strengthened or weakened by strategic choices. Gauvreau argues that founders should assess and optimize these drivers continuously, rather than waiting for a sale, to ensure they are building a business that a buyer would value highly and that is truly saleable.

Chapters

The worst time to find out what your business is worth is when you're ready to sell it. By then, the decisions that determine the price, well, they've already been made. Whether your revenue repeats, whether your business can run without you, whether your customers would choose you again, how much cash it takes to keep growing. There are 8 value drivers, and every major decision either strengthens one or it weakens one. If you don't understand them now, you could spend years growing revenue without building a business that builds more value. You don't need to be ready to sell. You need to know whether you're building something a buyer would pay more for and if it's actually saleable.