Does anyone have a Deal Calculator?

August 11, 2025

by a searcher from Brigham Young University - Marriott School of Management in Charlotte, NC, USA

Hello fellow searchers! I've been casually searching for the past 4 months and I want to move to the next stage of determining how much a business is worth. I don't know how to estimate this outside of Buy Then Build's valuation multiple of the business's SDE or EBITA. I'd like a more granular approach. Is there a spreadsheet that I can fork (clone) and use to input information from tax returns, P&Ls, and balance statements?

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Reply by an investor
from McGill University in San Diego, CA, USA

You should check out Sam Rosati's self funded model (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SW9Q3NMpzwy0mrQEHuHuGtIH5LcNtVrla_1NIItb2RE/edit?gid=###-###-#### #gid=###-###-#### ). This model is basic but is all you need pre LOI. Once/if you get under letter of intent, you will want to create a more detailed financial model (and in particular incorporate the balance sheet and cash flow statement). To the extent that you have the tax returns, you can start that process, and append this sheet. In terms of how much to pay, you need to come up with an offer that will make 3 different actors happy: You, the seller, your investors/banker. Investors are looking for an IRR in excess of 30%. Bankers want to make sure your DSCR is north###-###-#### If you are self funded, and plan to put down 10-20% equity, that likely translates into a multiple between 3-4.5x. Maybe a bit more if it's an outstanding company. If you have more equity to put down, you will theoretically have a bit more room to pay (whether it makes economic sense to do so is a different question).

Reply by a searcher
from University of Virginia in New York, NY, USA

^redacted‌ I've been using ETA IQ - https://etaiq.com/ ... it's been really helpful for quick deal filtering (i.e. does it hit my DSCR requirements), but also for more detailed analysis (i.e., estimating net working capital, projections, etc).

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