Your EBITDA Calculator & Business Value Tracker
Find out what your business actually earns — and what a buyer might pay for it. No financial degree required.
When a buyer looks at your business, they don't just look at your revenue. They look at what your business actually earns after paying its bills — before accounting adjustments. That number is called EBITDA. Buyers multiply it by an industry number (called a "multiple") to arrive at what they'll offer you. The higher and more consistent your EBITDA, the more your business is worth.
Are You Even Ready to Go to Market?
Your EBITDA is only part of the story. Buyers pay more for businesses that are genuinely prepared. Take the free SYB4M Exit Assessment to find out where you actually stand.
Take the Free Exit Assessment →Buyers often look at 3 years of financials. A rising EBITDA trend — even a modest one — tells a buyer your business is healthy and growing. Use this tracker to see your trend, identify weak years, and understand what you need to improve before you're ready to sell.
Ready to start growing that number?
The SYB4M Roadmap walks you through exactly how to increase your EBITDA — and what buyers actually look for.
Go to the Roadmap →You don't need an accounting degree. You just need to understand what these terms mean well enough to have a smart conversation with your broker, accountant, or a buyer.
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. In plain English: what your business actually earns after running costs, before the accountants and tax people get involved. This is the number buyers use to value your business.
The number a buyer multiplies your EBITDA by to arrive at their offer. A buyer offering "4× EBITDA" means they'll pay 4 times your annual earnings. Typical multiples for small businesses run from 2.5× to 5×, depending on your industry, size, and how well-prepared you are.
Your EBITDA after adding back owner-specific expenses that won't apply to the new owner. This is almost always higher than your raw EBITDA — and it's the number you want to present to buyers.
Legitimate expenses in your financials that a buyer would not have to pay after buying your business. Adding them back to your EBITDA increases the number — and therefore your sale price. Common add-backs include your salary, personal vehicle, travel, and one-time costs.
Revenue minus the direct cost of delivering your product or service (your Cost of Goods Sold). A high gross profit margin means your business is efficient — buyers like that.
Your EBITDA as a percentage of revenue. The higher this is, the more profitable your business is relative to its size. Most buyers expect to see 15–25%+ for a healthy SMB.
These are accounting entries — not real cash payments. Depreciation is the "paper" reduction in value of equipment or vehicles over time. Amortization is similar, but for intangible assets like software or patents. Because they're not real cash out the door, they get added back in your EBITDA calculation.
Similar to EBITDA, but used more commonly for very small businesses (under $1M in earnings). SDE also adds back the owner's salary and benefits, since the buyer will likely replace the owner. If your business earns less than $1M EBITDA, your broker may use SDE instead.
The last 12 months of financial results — regardless of whether they match your fiscal year. Buyers often ask for TTM numbers to get the most current picture of your business.
Numbers are only part of the story.
The SYB4M program helps you improve your EBITDA, understand your value, and get the best possible price when you sell.
Explore the Full Program →AI-Ready by 2027?
Buyers today are paying more for businesses that run efficiently, don't depend on the owner, and have their data in order. AI can deliver all three. Toggle on the upgrades you could realistically make — and see what they'd do to your exit number.
You can override these manually to model different scenarios.
Each toggle adds a specific, defensible benefit that buyers and their advisors will recognize. You don't need all three — even one changes your number meaningfully.
Your AI-Boosted Exit Value — 2027 Projection
Estimated| Today's exit value (3.5× baseline) | $0 |
| Automation OPEX savings (15% of OPEX) | -- |
| Multiple boost from automation (+0.2×) | -- |
| Multiple boost from data maturity (+0.3×) | -- |
| Multiple boost from owner independence (+0.5×) | -- |
| AI-Ready Exit Value (2027 Projection) | $0 |
The SYB4M Roadmap shows you exactly how to build AI readiness — step by step.
Module by module, we walk you through the preparation that gets you a higher multiple and a cleaner deal. Owners 3–5 years out see the biggest payoff.
Explore the SYB4M Roadmap →