If your plan is to hire ClearRidge to sell your business, we will give you our opinion on the price and terms that the market will pay for your company – this is part of our process and conducted free of charge.

If, however, you are looking a formal valuation and you are also looking to hire ClearRidge, we will recommend an independent, professional valuation firm.

It is essential that you get an independent, unbiased valuation; otherwise there is a conflict of interest.  In order to win your business, an M&A firm seeking to represent you may be tempted to inflate your price expectations in order to solidify your decision to sell your company.  This is not fair for you and is a poor foundation for our relationship.

There have been numerous, well-documented cases where M&A firms have inflated clients’ expectations to win a deal.

So, if you ask us whether we can value and appraise your company, the answer is yes.  If, however, you want us to market and negotiate the sale of your business, ask us for a list of recommended valuation firms and we’ll make sure you get a fair, independent opinion.