HomeYour Guide: Why Multiples Mislead Owners

Your Guide: Why Multiples Mislead Owners

And What to Use Instead

If you’ve ever been told your business is worth “3 to 5 times earnings,” you’ve heard one of the most common – and misleading – valuation myths in the private business world.

Multiples aren’t value.

They’re shortcuts, and in the hands of the wrong advisor (or the wrong assumptions), they can be dangerous.
This guide explains why rules-of-thumb like “4x EBITDA” or “2x revenue” often lead owners astray – and what you should use instead to get a clearer, more strategic view of your business’s value.

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The Business Valuation MythDownload

What You’ll Learn in This Guide

  • Why standard industry multiples are unreliable — and how they can actually mask the true risks or strengths in your business
  • 5 valuation myths that confuse owners and lead to disappointing exits or missed opportunities
  • The real drivers of business value — including transferability, predictability, and buyer alignment
  • How to think more like a buyer, even if you’re not planning to sell yet
  • What to do differently if you want to increase value, not just estimate it

Whether you’re years from selling or just want a more objective view of your progress, this guide will help you stop guessing and start planning with clarity.

🚀 Your Next Step

Reading this guide is the first step toward thinking more strategically about your business’s value.

But understanding what drives value is one thing.

Knowing where your business stands – and how to improve it – is the next.

That’s where the Business Value Toolkit comes in.

It helps you:

  • Calculate a more realistic range of values based on your actual numbers
  • Assess key risk factors that affect your multiple
  • Identify the most significant opportunities to increase transferable value over time

👉 Explore the Business Value Toolkit
Or
👉 Book a call with Kevin to discuss your goals and what your business might really be worth today — and how to grow that number over time.

You’ve built something valuable. Let’s make sure the market sees it the same way.

Kevin Ballantyne, BBA, DMA, CBEC, CPA, CA
President, Business Advisor | Copious Insights Inc.
Helping you grow, simplify, and increase your business’s value.
✉️ kevin@copiousinsights.com