Evidence before calculation
Documents create observations, not instant truth. Every figure keeps its source and its state: read from a document, confirmed by you, reconciled, in conflict or missing. Those states never look the same.
- Read the sourceEvery cell keeps its file, row and column, and the file keeps its digest.
- Compare the sourcesRevenue is compared across the P&L, tax return and client list. A difference stays open until you resolve it.
- Ask only what documents cannot showThe market salary of a general manager to replace you, personal spending through the business, related-party rent, other add-backs and your hours in client delivery.
- Pin an accepted snapshotOnly reviewed figures enter the calculation, so the same inputs always give the same result.
How much does the company really earn?
Normalization follows the DD methodology: reported EBITDA plus five add-backs equals normalized EBITDA. Your report shows every row below with its amount, its source and whether it came from a document, a calculation or your answer.
| Item | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Reported | |
| Reported revenue | P&L, last full fiscal year, reconciled with the tax return and client list |
| Reported EBITDA | P&L: pre-tax net income + interest + depreciation and amortization |
| Add-backs | |
| Owner salary, current | P&L owner compensation: W-2 + draws + bonuses; tax return line 7 corroborates |
| Owner salary, market | Owner answer: the salary of an MSP general manager in your region |
| Owner comp above market | Calculated: current − market, 0 if the owner is paid below market |
| One-time expenses | P&L lines that appear once in 3 years, detected automatically: for example a lawsuit, an office move or a fine |
| Personal expenses | Owner answer: personal spending through the business, for example a family vehicle, family travel or a relative on payroll |
| Below-market rent adjustment | Only when renting from the owner: market rent − current rent; otherwise 0 |
| Other | Owner answer: for example donations, above-market contractor pay or one-off bonuses |
| Total add-backs | Owner comp above market + one-time expenses + personal expenses + below-market rent adjustment + other |
| Result | |
| Normalized EBITDA | Reported EBITDA + total add-backs; feeds the value range |
| Normalized EBITDA margin | Normalized EBITDA ÷ reported revenue; best MSPs ≈ 20%, below 10% is a red flag |
| Add-backs as % of reported EBITDA | Total add-backs ÷ reported EBITDA; above 25%, a buyer digs deeper |
Same accepted inputs, same result
Formulas and rules are versioned. Language models cannot supply amounts, multiples, or a silent resolution of a conflict.
Counted as stated, and marked
Market salary, personal expenses, related-party rent and other add-backs come from your answers. They count as stated and stay marked as such; a buyer will ask for W-2s, invoices and the lease to confirm them.
Indicative value range
Value range = normalized EBITDA × add-on entry multiples for owner-led MSPs: 4.0× low, 4.5× reference and 5.0× high. The multiples are pinned into every report version, so a report always shows the multiples it used.
- Synthetic example
- Normalized EBITDA of $320,000 gives $1.28M at 4.0×, $1.44M at 4.5× and $1.60M at 5.0×.
- What it is not
- An appraisal, a fairness opinion, an offer or a price for your company.
Three deal structures, presented equally.
Terms change timing, conditions and risk. The report shows three illustrative structures for the same reference value, with the same depth of disclosure. No structure is labeled best or recommended.
All cash at close
The reference value paid at closing, with transaction costs shown.
Cash + seller note
Cash at closing plus a note you carry, with principal, rate, term and payment schedule shown.
Cash + earn-out
Cash at closing plus payments tied to revenue collected after closing, with period, share and cap shown.
What a buyer checks first, and the value plan
Six checks come first. Each states whether the evidence helps, hurts, is mixed or is unknown, and whether you can influence it. A check that falls short becomes an action for 0–12 or 13–24 months, each with the evidence that proves it is done. The plan promises no dollar uplift or outcome.
- Recurring managed-services revenue at 70% or more of total revenue.
- Largest client under 20% of revenue.
- Normalized EBITDA margin: about 20% at the best MSPs, below 10% is a red flag.
- Add-backs at 25% of reported EBITDA or less.
- One revenue figure across the P&L, tax return and client list.
- Owner dependency: your hours in client delivery, such as tickets, projects and vCIO meetings.
Limitations
Indicative, not an appraisal
- The value range is indicative. It is not an appraisal, a fairness opinion, an offer, a price or an expected-proceeds forecast, and it is not legal, tax or investment advice.
- Owner-stated add-backs are marked and count as stated until you back them with documents.
- Every figure comes only from the documents and answers accepted in the assessment. Rejected evidence is excluded.
- Deal structures are illustrations built on stated assumptions, not a financing decision or a term sheet.