Free calculator
How much is owner-dependence
costing your sale price?
When a buyer looks at your business, the first question is quiet but expensive: does this run without the owner, or am I buying a job? The more the answer is you, the harder they discount. Put in a rough value, answer five questions, and see a directional estimate of the buyer discount, in a percentage and in dollars, plus the first gap to close. This reinforces the whole point of the system: a business that can run, and sell, without you.
5
questions, about a minute
$
a directional dollar range, free
This is a directional estimate to show how owner-dependence moves sale price. It is not a business valuation. The full Business Value at Risk and Exit Readiness calculators live inside the Business Resilience OS.
The methodology
How owner-dependence discounts a sale price.
Owner-dependence typically discounts a business sale price by a directional 5 to 10 percent when exposure is low, 15 to 25 percent when it is moderate, and 25 to 40 percent when a buyer sees a business that depends heavily on the owner.
A buyer discounts what they cannot keep. If the top relationships, the operating knowledge, and the daily decisions all run through one person, the buyer is really buying a job, and they price that risk in or walk. The calculator above maps how many of five owner-dependence factors you have covered onto the discount band below.
Lower exposure
Most of the business runs without the owner.
Moderate exposure
Real owner-dependence a buyer prices in.
High exposure
The business depends heavily on the owner.
Directional ranges drawn from broad market observation of how buyers discount owner-dependent businesses. Not a valuation. Your actual discount depends on your industry, buyer, and deal.