Your company is always worth more to you and your shareholders than it is to me. Beyond the intangibles of that statement - yes you birthed it, stood by it through all the ups and downs, yes, yes blood, sweat and tears, yeah I got all of that, and no none of it factors into the valuation - there is a tangible aspect that you probably don't realize.
First on the intangibles - pride of ownership is great, but it doesn't pay the bills. Now you know that, so be reasonable and leave it out of the valuation. Enough said.
The tangible part of the statement is this - when you sell your company the total consideration less your selling costs is what you and your shareholders get, not including the impact of taxes of course. However, when I buy a company, the total consideration plus my transaction costs are only part of my total investment in making the deal a success. Integration tends to be very expensive. Whether it's technology platforms that have to be upgraded or replaced, rich severance or compensation contracts that survive the transaction, excess space or equipment under a long-term leases or even simple HR issues, it all adds up quickly. I don't necessarily net these off the top, but I do take them into consideration the same way I consider the amount of synergies I can achieve from the transaction. In all of your operational planning you should always ask yourself, "Is this going to make my company easier and less costly to integrate."
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