Value Growth Insights & Strategy

Family Business Consulting and Advisory

Find out what's driving (and limiting) your business value. Get a plan to close the gaps before you go to market.

Whether you're planning to sell in two years or ten, the time to start preparing is now.

Most family business owners have 70–90% of their net worth tied up in their business. The difference between a well-prepared company and one that isn't can be millions of dollars at the closing table.

Most owners don't see the real value gaps until they're already in negotiations, and by then, it's too late to fix them.

Our Value Growth Assessment identifies the factors that drive enterprise value and provides a practical roadmap for increasing it.

This is for middle-market family business owners ($25M–$500M in revenue) who are:

Considering a sale in the next 3–15 years and want to start positioning now

Disappointed by a preliminary valuation or conversation with an investment banker

Profitable on paper but not confident the intangible factors that drive valuation are in place

Working with a wealth advisor, transaction attorney, or investment banker who has recommended increasing enterprise value before going to market

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What Most Owners Get Wrong About Value

Most owners think business value = profits × a market multiple. That's only part of the story.

For most middle-market businesses, a significant portion of enterprise value comes from assets that never appear on the balance sheet.

As a rule of thumb, we often see approximately:

25% of value tied to tangible assets

75% of value tied to intangible assets

We organize those intangible assets into what we call the Four Cs of Value Creation:

Human Capital

Leadership depth, organizational capability, succession readiness, whether the business runs without the owner

Social Capital

Culture, brand strength, reputation, stakeholder trust

Customer Capital

Customer diversification, recurring revenue, relationship strength and market position

Structural Capital

Systems, processes, technology, intellectual property, and operational discipline

When these are strong, your multiple goes up. When they're weak (or when everything runs through the owner) buyers will discount heavily or walk away.

The good news: owners can meaningfully move their multiple by focusing on the six fundamentals of a prosperous family business: Governance, People, Strategy, Operations, Finance, and Growth.

We've seen businesses double, triple, and even quadruple in value.

Steve Kerns, InsurMark

Steve Kerns, InsurMark

Helped us get max value for the enterprise

"I brought Rob in to 'clean up the clutter' and get us on a focused path so the business would be ready to be sold. When I was ready to sell, Rob handled the negotiation, delivered a tremendous valuation, and helped us to get max value for the enterprise."

What to Expect: A Clear, Guided Process

Over 60–90 days, we assess your business across six fundamentals: Governance, People, Strategy, Operations, Finance, and Growth, with a specific focus on what drives and limits value in the eyes of a buyer.

1. Discovery & Interviews

We spend real time with you and your leadership team, asking the questions that don't usually get asked about decision-making, roles, family dynamics, and where things really stand.

Governance. Is there a clear structure for how decisions get made, or does everything flow through one person? Buyers pay more for businesses that run on systems, not on the owner's authority.

People. Do you have leadership depth, a strong culture, and a team that stays when you leave? If your best people walk out the door with you, so does the value.

2. Financial Analysis

We analyze multiple years of financial data, looking at the trends and metrics that drive valuation.

Finance. Historical performance, profitability, cash flow, and forward-looking scenarios. A clear, well-documented financial story gives buyers confidence and protects your asking price.

3. Operational & Organizational Assessment

We evaluate how the business actually runs. What's scalable, what's owner-dependent, and what a buyer would flag during due diligence.

Operations. Systems, efficiency, supply chain, productivity. Documented, repeatable processes signal low risk to buyers and directly support a higher multiple.

4. Market & Strategic Review

We assess your competitive position, customer relationships, and growth opportunities against where a well-positioned company in your industry should be.

Strategy. Is there a documented plan? Is leadership aligned behind it? Buyers want to see that the business has a future beyond the current owner's vision.

Growth. Customer concentration, market position, sales effectiveness. Diversified revenue and clear growth pathways reduce buyer risk and increase what they're willing to pay.

5. Findings & Recommendations

We present everything in person. The full picture, your value drivers and value gaps, and a prioritized plan to close them before you go to market.

What You Get

A fact-based view of what's driving your value and what's holding it back

Alignment for owners, leadership teams and family members on your top 3–5 priorities for increasing value, ranked by urgency and impact

A detailed written report covering all six fundamentals

More choices regarding growth, succession, recapitalization or sale.

A recommended path forward with specific, sequenced actions

There is no obligation to continue working with us afterward. Many clients engage us to help implement the changes, but that's your call.

Why Ferguson Alliance

Decades of hands-on experience inside family businesses. Former operators and executives who have managed the same challenges our clients face

Direct and practical. We tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear

We understand that selling a family business affects your family, your employees, and your legacy and we take that seriously

Randy Gilde, Delray Plants

Randy Gilde, Delray Plants

Sold the company for more than we expected

"Rob helped our company make a tremendous turnaround. In the end, all his efforts enabled us to be approached by a competitor and we sold the company for more than we expected."

Derek Sunderland, The Sunderland Group

Derek Sunderland, The Sunderland Group

Sold our company for more than twice what we were originally offered

"Thanks to Rob's negotiation skills, we ended up selling our company for more than twice what we were originally offered."

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Value Growth Assessment cost?

How long does the Value Growth Assessment take?

Is this the same as a certified business valuation?

Will you help us implement the recommendations?

Will this make employees or stakeholders think we’re selling the business?

Ready to find out what your business could really be worth?

Book a call with one of our advisors for a straightforward conversation about where you are, your timeline, and whether this is the right fit.