Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

The 3 Biggest Factors That Maximize Your Business's Valuation Why the right people, assets and revenue predictions will matter most to investors.

By Daniel Priestley

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Diane Labombarbe | Getty Images

Many entrepreneurs dream of selling their business one day for a life-changing sum of money. In the shorter term, they may want to raise money from investors and get the best possible valuation to reduce the amount they dilute their own ownership. There are dozens of way to calculate a credible valuation in theory, but ultimately the value of a business is determined by what the buyers and sellers agree on.

Here are the three most dominant factors that influence what your business will be worth in the market.

Related: 5 Tips to Getting an Accurate Valuation

1. The revenue model

The ultimate revenue model is an upfront purchase that covers costs and generates a profitable recurring revenue that continues indefinitely into the future. Prior to market saturation, mobile phone businesses fit this model brilliantly, with customers paying for the handset and then the monthly bills. Most of the costs in acquiring a customer were covered on the first purchase, and then the monthly plan was profitable very quickly. Recurring revenues are the holy grail for investors in today's markets, with SaaS structures attracting the highest valuations. If your business has the opportunity to add predictable subscription revenue, this will be the most attractive part of your revenue model.

2. The underlying assets of the business

Up until the year 2000, the most valuable assets were physical. Assets like plant, equipment, land, buildings, heavy machinery or vehicles made up the bulk of the balance sheet, and the valuation wasn't far off it. Today, the most valuable assets are intangible. The brand, systems, data, culture, intellectual property and positioning are all considered to be far more valuable than anything you could put your hands on. Many of these assets require more creativity than cash, which is great news for entrepreneurs who can outclass big corporations when it comes to rapidly developing this type of value. If you want to maximize value in your business, formalize your intangible assets with media, technology, designs, contracts and formal registrations so that your strengths are clear.

3. The operational team

Having a team of talented people who work well together, understand the business and are committed to hitting future goals is considered an asset. Big companies often struggle to get great people working together in high-performing teams, and the "acqui-hire" approach has been the cornerstone for many successful business exits. If you have great people, be sure to train them, develop them and get them enrolled in the long-term success of the business.

Related: 7 Factors That Influence Startup Valuations

Great people, strong assets and predictable revenue; these three factors push the value of an enterprise through the roof. Businesses that fail to achieve a valuation tend to rely upon one or two people, have lumpy incoherent revenue and don't have any unique proprietary assets in development. Once a business focuses on developing these three areas, it will have no problem agreeing to a solid valuation with an investor or acquirer.

Daniel Priestley

CEO, Dent Global

Daniel Priestley is the author of four best-selling entrepreneurship books. He's the co-founder of Dent Global, a leading business accelerator and marketing tech platformScoreApp.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

At 16, She Started a Side Hustle While 'Stuck at Home.' Now It's on Track to Earn Over $3.1 Million This Year.

Evangelina Petrakis, 21, was in high school when she posted on social media for fun — then realized a business opportunity.

Health & Wellness

I'm a CEO, Founder and Father of 2 — Here Are 3 Practices That Help Me Maintain My Sanity.

This is a combination of active practices that I've put together over a decade of my intense entrepreneurial journey.

Business News

Remote Work Enthusiast Kevin O'Leary Does TV Appearance Wearing Suit Jacket, Tie and Pajama Bottoms

"Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary looks all business—until you see the wide view.

Business News

Are Apple Smart Glasses in the Works? Apple Is Eyeing Meta's Ran-Ban Success Story, According to a New Report.

Meta has sold more than 700,000 pairs of smart glasses, with demand even ahead of supply at one point.

Money & Finance

The 'Richest' U.S. City Probably Isn't Where You Think It Is

It's not located in New York or California.

Business News

Hybrid Workers Were Put to the Test Against Fully In-Office Employees — Here's Who Came Out On Top

Productivity barely changed whether employees were in the office or not. However, hybrid workers reported better job satisfaction than in-office workers.