Tag: Business Financial Planning

Understanding Business Valuations: Why Every Company Needs Them with Max Friar and David Coit

Understanding Business Valuations: Why Every Company Needs Them with Max Friar and David Coit

Why is getting a business valuation crucial for your company’s future? Most often, business owners overestimate the value of their company. Knowing the actual value can significantly affect their ability to retire and the lifestyle they’ll lead.

In this episode, Max Friar, Managing Partner at Calder Capital, discusses the intricacies of business valuation with David Coit, Director of Finance and Valuation at Vertess Healthcare Advisors LLC. They explain why understanding the true value of your business is essential not just for potential sales, but for strategic planning, estate planning, and navigating partnership disputes. David and Max emphasize how professional valuations can illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of your company and guide your decisions toward long-term growth and stability.

David and Max discuss: 

  • Common misconceptions about business valuations and their potential impacts
  • How customer concentration and owner reliance affect a business’s value
  • The importance of qualitative factors like impending legal actions in the assessment
  • Advice for business owners on improving profitability and strategic growth
  • And more

 

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About Our Guests: 

Max Friar, Managing Partner at Calder Capital, LLC,  has been working in mergers and acquisitions since 2005, beginning his career as the Director of Marketing for a Midwest mergers and acquisitions firm where he quickly fell in love with the fast-paced and challenging world of business transactions. He founded Calder Capital, LLC in 2013 and is presently its Managing Partner/CEO. Max has a passion for entrepreneurship, technology, psychology, process improvement, and growth. Beyond starting and owning businesses, Max also has personal experience in investing in, buying, and selling closely held businesses. He brings energy, focus, creativity, and a unique ability to create order out of chaos. Max is a summa cum laude graduate of Alma College (2003) where he majored in International Relations and became the college’s first Fulbright Scholar. Max has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work in M&A including Dealmaker of the Year Finalist (2018), Grand Rapids Top 200 Business Leaders (2019 – 2023), and the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Business Leaders (2020). Max has been recognized by the Business Brokerage Press as a Manufacturing Industry Expert since 2020.

David Coit, Director of Finance and Valuation at Vertess Healthcare Advisors LLC, is a seasoned commercial and corporate finance professional with over 30 years of experience. As a key member of the VERTESS team, he provides clients with expertise in valuation, financial analysis, and consulting support. With over 400 completed business valuations, David focuses primarily on healthcare companies, including behavioral healthcare, home healthcare, hospice care, substance use disorder treatment providers, physical therapy practices, physician practices, durable medical equipment companies, outpatient surgical centers, dental offices, and home sleep testing providers.

David holds multiple certifications, including Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, Certified Value Growth Advisor (CVGA) from Corporate Value Metrics, Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) from the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors, Certified Business Exit Consultant (CBEC) from Pinnacle Equity Solutions, and Certified Acquisition Integration Manager (CAIM) from Intista. His doctoral dissertation was focused on business valuation, further solidifying his expertise in the field.

He earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Walden University, specializing in Corporate Finance with a perfect 4.0 GPA, an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management, and a BS in Economics from Northern Illinois University. David is also a proud member of both the Golden Key International Honor Society and Delta Mu Delta Honor Society.

Before joining VERTESS, David spent nearly 20 years in commercial finance, holding senior-level management positions at two Fortune 500 companies. In that time, he analyzed the financial health of thousands of companies and successfully sold over $2 billion in corporate debt to institutional buyers.

David is a former adjunct professor with 15 years of experience teaching corporate finance, securities analysis, business economics, and business planning to MBA candidates at two nationally recognized universities. His extensive background in both academia and industry makes him a highly sought-after expert in corporate finance and business valuation.