It’s something that every small business should stop and ask themselves, at least every once in a while:  How much is my business worth?  Most small businesses probably don’t even have a solid grasp, or a truly accurate assessment.  While you can always hire an outside consultant to take a look at your assets and determine what your business might get on the “open market” the truth is you can get a good idea of what you’re worth by following some simple steps.

Recently, Martin Zwilling, CEO of Startup Professionals, outlined some methods and processes for valuing your business on Forbes.com,  including  asset valuation, a sound market approach, and then an income valuation.  You can read the entire story here. At the very least, the story gives you a good idea of what you should be considering when adding up your assets and market share.

As expected, there have been many online companies that have sprung up looking to fill the need in helping small businesses find their value.  Some even offer free “snapshots” using online calculators.

But the most important point is that if you’re thinking about selling your business, securing funding, or even looking to take on a partner, you should know what your business is worth and how much you have in terms of assets.  Otherwise you could end up giving up too big a piece of what you’ve worked so hard to build, or selling for less than you deserve.

How have you valued your business? Is this something you have outsourced, or do you frequently run your own numbers?