Description

Business Valuation: Diagnose, Quantify Value and Defend Your Price

Understand how the value of a company is built before you sit down at the negotiating table

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

A business owner selling out, buying a competitor or bringing in a new shareholder often discovers that the headline value can double or halve depending on the method applied. Financial statements on their own say very little: they must be restated and then tested against real profitability and the outlook for the business.

These two days are designed for business leaders and senior executives who want to master the reasoning rather than accept the reasoning of the adviser sitting opposite. Restatements, asset-based approaches, discounted cash flow valuation, market comparables and discounts are all worked through on a single SME case file. Each participant leaves with a value range they have built and can argue.

Learning objectives

  • Restate financial statements to obtain comparable economic profitability
  • Apply asset-based approaches to a mid-sized company
  • Build a valuation based on discounted forecast cash flows
  • Use market comparables with sound judgement
  • Justify a value range and prepare for the negotiation

What makes this programme different

All methods are applied to the same SME case file so that the gaps in value become visible
Restatements linked to owner remuneration and real estate assets are addressed explicitly
The session closes with a buyer-versus-seller confrontation on the value range obtained

Programme

1Preliminary Diagnosis

Understanding the business before putting a figure on it

  • Economic reading of the business and its market
  • Dependence on customers, suppliers and key people
  • Restating owner remuneration and real estate assets
  • Normalising earnings and non-recurring items

2Asset-Based Approaches

Starting from what the company owns

  • Net book value and revalued net asset value
  • Treatment of fixed assets and inventory
  • Taking off-balance-sheet commitments into account
  • Limitations of these approaches for service businesses

3Forecast Cash Flows and Comparables

Valuing the ability to generate cash

  • Building a free cash flow forecast
  • Selecting the discount rate and the terminal value
  • EBITDA and earnings multiples
  • Researching and selecting comparable transactions
  • Cross-checking the results obtained

4From Value to Price

Negotiating what the deal is worth

  • Size, minority and illiquidity discounts
  • Moving from enterprise value to equity value
  • Warranties, indemnities and earn-out arrangements
  • Preparing arguments to use with the other party

Who is it for

Business owners, senior executives, business development managers and shareholders preparing a sale or an acquisition.

Prerequisites

Ability to read an income statement and a balance sheet.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.