SME Business Valuation Insights

Valuation Intelligence
for UK Business Owners

Practical guides on business valuation, exit planning, EBITDA multiples, due diligence and what buyers actually pay for, written by Kishen Patel, ICAEW Chartered Accountant.

Kishen Patel, ICAEW Chartered Accountant and founder of Consult EFC

Kishen Patel, BFP ACA

Founder, Consult EFC · ICAEW Chartered Accountant

Over 12 years across Big Four audit, Investment Banking and corporate advisory. Every insight on this site is written from direct business valuation deal experience.

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This is the Valuation Insights Vault, a growing library of guides on business valuation for UK SMEs. Browse by topic below, from EBITDA multiples and DCF methodology to exit planning, due diligence preparation and HMRC EMI share valuations. Every guide is written directly by Kishen Patel and reflects real deal experience advising UK business owners on what their company is actually worth.

Valuations

Why Two UK SMEs With the Same Turnover Can Have Very Different Valuations

Two UK businesses can both bring in £2 million a year and still be worth very different amounts. One gets strong buyer…

7 May 2026 9 min read
Valuations

How to Value a Start-Up with Limited Trading History

Valuing a start-up with little trading history is never as neat as applying one revenue multiple and calling it a day. If…

7 May 2026 19 min read
Valuations

Why Management Accounts Drive Higher SME Business Valuations (UK Guide)

A valuation is not built on year-end accounts alone. Buyers, lenders and investors want the live picture, not a photograph from months…

7 May 2026 10 min read
Valuations

EMI Valuations After Rapid Growth: What UK SMEs Need to Check

After rapid growth, review your EMI valuation before granting further options if revenue, funding, contracts, forecasts or share rights have changed. The…

7 May 2026 11 min read
Valuations

DCF and EBITDA Multiples for UK SME Valuations

A business can produce two different valuation figures and still be perfectly healthy. One method looks ahead. The other looks at what…

7 May 2026 9 min read
Valuations

How Earn-Outs Change Business Value in an SME Sale

An earn-out is simple on paper. You sell the business, get some money at completion, and the rest later if the company…

7 May 2026 10 min read
Valuations

SSAS Business Valuation Requirements Trustees Need to Meet

A SSAS deal can look simple on paper. Buy the shares, make the loan, sign the transfer. But if the valuation is…

2 May 2026 7 min read
Valuations

EMI Options vs Growth Shares: Choosing the Right Equity Incentive for UK SMEs

Choosing between EMI options and growth shares sounds like a tax question. It isn’t only that. It’s also about size, stage, investor…

1 May 2026 10 min read
Valuations

Common EMI Scheme Mistakes That Delay HMRC Approval

A delayed EMI scheme often starts with something small, not something complex. One missed date, one wrong assumption, one document that doesn’t…

1 May 2026 7 min read

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