How to price a business with no revenue
Valuing a fully built business infrastructure that has generated zero historical revenue makes it difficult to determine a fair asking price or figure out a realistic exit strategy. Without historical earnings to rely on, owners are left guessing at a fair market value for all their built work, which stops them from setting a clear price or structuring a clean deal.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Settling for a low, throwaway valuation for a quick exit
- 2Transitioning out of the entire industry due to fatigue
- 3consulting business brokers
- 4looking at historical revenue multipliers
- 5asking online communities for valuation opinions
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“What would you consider a fair selling price for this home daycare business in Los Angeles?”source ↗
“I’m trying to figure out a realistic asking price and what the business might actually sell for.”source ↗
“I'm trying to figure out the best valuation and deal structure strategy.”source ↗
“Thinking of a clean sub 20k exit.”source ↗
“But the burn out is very real though.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How to value a small retail business with declining profits and rent hikes
- 5How do I know if I should sell my business?
- 4How to calculate capital gains tax on selling part of a larger property
- 2How should a new shop owner pay themselves?
- 3How to get new sales when referral networks dry up
- 3Should I sell my farmland or keep renting it out?