Hire the Best Business Valuation Specialists
in the United States

I am a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA®) and private-company valuation specialist. My work is built around the purpose of the assignment—tax, litigation, partner disputes, acquisitions, retirement plans, financial reporting, strategic planning, or another defined need. I help business owners, attorneys, CPAs, investors, buyers, and lenders answer a deceptively difficult question: What is this business actually worth—and can the conclusion be defended? Over the past 15+ years, I have analyzed thousands of privately held small and midsize businesses, including complex assignments requiring judgment, financial normalization, and reconciliation of multiple valuation approaches. My principal focus is BUSINESS VALUATION. CERTIFIED BUSINESS VALUATION I am a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA®) through NACVA, Business Certified Appraiser (BCA®), and Certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA®), with an M.S. in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. in Finance from George Washington University. There is no one-size-fits-all valuation report. Scope depends on the purpose, standard of value, valuation date, ownership interest, evidence, and intended user. The deliverable may be a valuation memo, calculation, or full narrative report. I prepare valuations for: 🤝 Partner Buyouts & Shareholder Disputes — buyouts, minority interests, buy-sell agreements, and disputed ownership interests. 🧾 Estate, Gift & Tax Valuation — estate tax, gift tax, IRS Fair Market Value (FMV), Revenue Ruling 59-60, ownership transfers, and tax-reporting valuations. 🏛️ ROBS, 401(k) & Retirement-Plan Valuation — ROBS employer stock, annual/termination valuations, distributions, and self-directed IRA interests. 👥 ESOP & Employee Ownership Valuation — employer-stock and employee-ownership valuation. ⚖️ Litigation & Economic Damages — litigation business valuation, lost profits, economic damages, business divorce, and personal vs. enterprise goodwill. 🏦 Acquisition, SBA & Exit Valuation — acquisition valuation, SBA 7(a), succession planning, exit planning, and transaction support. 🚀 Startup, IRC 409A & Intangible Asset Valuation — startup/pre-revenue valuation, IRC 409A, intellectual property, goodwill, and promissory notes. 📊 Financial Reporting Valuation — ASC 805 purchase price allocation, ASC 820 fair value, ASC 350 goodwill impairment, and ASC 718 stock-compensation valuation. 🚚 Machinery & Equipment Valuation — desktop appraisal of machinery, vehicles, and equipment. COMPLEX VALUATION ASSIGNMENTS I specialize in assignments requiring judgment, reconstruction, and multiple layers of analysis: 📉 Inconsistent, Declining, or Limited Profitability 🧮 Complex EBITDA, SDE & Owner-Compensation Normalization 📊 Minority & Noncontrolling Interests | DLOC & DLOM 👤 Personal vs. Enterprise Goodwill & Key-Person Risk 🔗 Related-Party Transactions & Multi-Entity Structures ⚠️ Distressed Businesses or Unusual Debt & Capital Structures 🏭 Machinery, Equipment, IP & Other Intangible Assets ⚖️ Tax & Litigation Valuations with Complex or Unclear Financials A valuation should not be a spreadsheet that produces a number. It should explain the economics, assumptions, valuation approaches, and why the conclusion is reasonable. For disputed or high-scrutiny assignments, I clearly document the evidence, adjustments, and reasoning so sophisticated readers can follow the analysis. WHAT AN UPWORK CLIENT SAID “He understands business valuation forwards and backwards…” — IRS-Compliant Business Valuation Client REAL-WORLD TRANSACTION EXPERIENCE My perspective is not purely academic. I have personally invested in, operated, acquired, and sold private businesses—and I have made and lost money doing it. That experience changed how I evaluate sustainable earnings, add-backs, working capital, capital expenditures, concentration risk, debt service, and valuation assumptions. QUALITY OF EARNINGS & M&A DUE DILIGENCE Valuation is my primary focus, but I also assist buyers and investors with: 🧮 Quality of Earnings — reconstruct sustainable EBITDA/SDE and evaluate seller adjustments. 💵 Proof of Cash — compare reported revenue with deposits and cash activity. 🔄 Working Capital — estimate normalized operating working capital and a defensible working-capital peg. 🏦 SBA & Acquisition Analysis — evaluate debt-service coverage, financing structure, seller notes, equity requirements, and acquisition risk. FIXED-FEE VALUATION ENGAGEMENTS Most valuation reports are quoted on a fixed-fee basis. After a brief scope review, I provide a defined scope, professional fee, and delivery timeline before work begins. If you need a valuation for a specific purpose—even if it is not listed above—send me the assignment, intended use, and deadline. I can recommend the appropriate valuation scope and report type.

I am a seasoned M&A professional with over 10-years of experience, both as an advisor at a premier advisory firm (PwC) and executing transactions as part of a multi-billion-dollar healthcare company. As a trusted advisor, I've advised corporate and private equity clients through over 40 acquisition and divestiture transactions ranging from $5 million to over $5 billion in deal size. Our financial due diligence services have enabled clients to make informed decisions and equipped them to negotiate when needed, saving them tens of millions over the years. Within a multi-billion dollar corporation, I have been responsible for building the M&A strategy, identifying markets and companies to pursue, performing valuations, executing due diligence, and negotiating key terms and final contracts. If your company is preparing itself to be sold or looking to acquire another, let me help you execute an efficient and smooth transaction with a menu of services below: • Buy-side financial due diligence, to understand the asset you want to acquire • Sell-side financial due diligence, to prepare your company for a smooth and value-maximizing sale • Business plans / financial modeling • Valuations • Building an M&A strategy

Over the course of my career 10+ year career, I have worked with a wide range of clients, from small businesses to billion-dollar corporations, to solve complex financial problems. My expertise includes but is not limited to, market analysis and entry, financial statement preparation, and company valuations. My approach to problem-solving is to thoroughly understand the client's business and objectives. I strive to provide comprehensive and customized solutions that not only address their immediate financial challenges but also help them achieve long-term growth and success. Services offered: 🟢 Financial Modeling: I have over 10 years of financial modeling experience that includes three statement modeling with forecasting in Excel. 🟢 Business Case Development: I have produced market-sizing deliverables for companies that want to enter new markets or launch a new product. 🟢 Valuation: I have developed a deep understanding of various valuation methods, including discounted cash flow (DCF), multiples analysis, and market-based valuation. My expertise in financial valuation includes conducting due diligence, analyzing financial statements, identifying key value drivers, assessing risk factors, and providing detailed reports and presentations to support decision-making. - Select specialty in Intellectual Property Valuation (trademarks, patents, brands) 🟢 Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis / CFO Services: My expertise in FP&A includes developing financial models, creating forecasts and budgets, conducting variance analysis, identifying trends and opportunities, and providing valuable insights to support strategic decision-making. I am also proficient in various financial software and tools, including Excel, Workday Adaptive Planning, Vena, Oracle Hyperion and EssBase. 🟢 Due Diligence Support: I can help you navigate a transaction and leave no stone unturned. I follow the logic of identifying, quantifying, and mitigating risk. 🟢 Economic Damages: Whether you need help with economic damages analysis, lost profits analysis, or business valuation in the context of litigation, I can provide you with the expert guidance you need to build a strong case and achieve a favorable outcome. 🟢 Personal Finance: As a finance professional with a passion for helping others achieve their financial goals, I offer top-quality services to help individuals manage their personal finances with confidence. Representative Projects: ✅ $30M buy side patent acquisition encompassing over 550 millimeter wave patents. ✅ Modeled and presented the executed $150M+ HEVC joint venture deal between Qualcomm and the participating members. ✅ Modeled and presented a $1.5B opportunity to license WiFi technology via a variety of corporate structures (i.e. Joint Venture). ✅ Landscaped and presented a ~$160B (and ~323B units) addressable market chip level licensing opportunity, outside of cellular and WiFi technologies, as part of meeting NXP merger synergy targets. ✅ Conducted an enterprise valuation of a pre-revenue biotechnology company developing a Type-I diabetes therapy for ~$117mm. ✅ Barred ~$600mm in financial losses to a drug manufacturer by linking the health benefits of a compound with the client’s patent. ✅ Conducted an enterprise valuation of a coffee manufacturer which was expropriated by a Latin American government causing ~$300mm in damages. ✅ Valued the intellectual property rights of a deceased celebrity for IRS purposes at ~ $152mm. ✅ Substantiated ~$220mm in restitution for a Wi-Fi research body after analyzing infringing sales of mobile and network devices. Financial Softwares: ✅Oracle EssBase ✅Oracle Hyperion Planning ✅Oracle Netsuite ✅Workday Adaptive Planning ✅Vena ✅Google Suite/Google Sheets ✅Office suite (Excel, Power Point, Word) Industry Experience: ✅ SaaS / Software ✅ Biotechnology ✅ Real Estate ✅ Intellectual property ✅ Cyber security ✅ Expert testimony/damages analysis

Profile * Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), certified with the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA) since September of 2014. * I write well-written, accurate and thorough business valuation reports for gift tax, estate, mergers & acquisitions, divorce and other scenarios. I have experience with complex international/multi-jurisdictional valuations as well as relatively simple "what's my small business worth" engagements. * Much of my work -- gift tax, estate, charitable contributions of a business, etc. -- has been reviewed by the IRS and my work has yet to be challenged even once by the agency. * Expert witness on matters pertaining to business valuation (divorce, partnership disputes, etc.), IP valuation, IP infringement, business damages/lost profits, etc. * Past clients include Westinghouse, Honeywell and Alpine Global Partners. * Aside from U.S. clients, I have served clients in many other countries, including Mexico, Canada, Japan, France, Belgium, and Nigeria. * Bestselling author of The Einstein of Money (biography of the life and methods of value investing pioneer Benjamin Graham, for which I interviewed Warren Buffett and other renowned value investors), A Brief History of Entrepreneurship (endorsed by business guru Brian Tracy), and co-author of From Lifeguard to Sun King, the biography of the founder of the Banana Boat sun care brand.

I like to hustle, I learn quick, and I'm here to help you get the job done quickly and efficiently. I currently work as a distressed credit research analyst primarily focused on special situations and distressed or restructuring companies. Previously, I spent 8 years at Moody's in New York City in both the Corporate Finance Group covering oil & gas companies (5+ years), and the Financial Institutions Group covering global systemically important banks (2 years). The skills I've learned on Wall Street make me the perfect person to help you build financials models, raise money from investors, or understand your business. My competencies are: ▸building comprehensive 3-statement financial models ▸DCF and valuation modeling ▸utilizing excel for data analysis ▸creating pitch decks using PowerPoint ▸operating in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines.

Featured in The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and Nutrition Business Journal. CFA Charterholder. Worked with companies such as Jefferies, Bank of America, Saputo, Hormel, Humble Brands, TestingMom, Ancient Harvest-Pamela's, Aerflo, Uncaged, Mondra & Bute Island Foods. Have executed $300M+ in deal value and capital raises, reviewed 1,000+ pitch decks, and deployed ~$20M in invested capital. Are you raising capital? Thinking about funding your next round of growth? Need to communicate your value clearly to your board or investors? My goal is to help you close your round faster, at better terms, with materials that move investors from "interested" to "yes." My name is Bakley, and as a CFA Charterholder and fractional CFO I help founders and operators raise capital, forecast their financials, and run sharper investor relations — combining traditional capital markets expertise with AI-powered workflows that make the whole process faster, more thorough, and more responsive than working with a traditional advisor. Here are the areas I cover: ✔️ Fundraising strategy & guidance to maximize your raise ✔️ High-converting pitch decks that move you into the next phase of diligence — and ultimately get you the money ✔️ Targeted investor & backer databases for outreach ✔️ Financial models, forecasts, and KPI dashboards that drive investor interest ✔️ AI Automation for Finance & IR Workflows I can help you with your raise — from positioning and narrative through model build, investor outreach strategy, diligence support, and post-close investor reporting. Here are a few things I've done for past clients: 1) Raised over $300M in client capital 2) Awarded best-in-class for financial modeling 3) Drove 50% revenue growth and 1,000 bp margin improvement at a TestingMom 4) Automated 90% of recurring financial reporting and IR processes Technologies & Tools - Claude & Anthropic API (AI / natural language processing) - n8n (workflow automation) - Airtable (investor CRM & data ops) - Microsoft Power BI (dashboards & investor reporting) - Microsoft Excel & Google Sheets (financial modeling) - QuickBooks (accounting & reporting integration) - Microsoft PowerPoint & Google Slides (pitch decks & investor materials) Send me a message and let's talk about your raise.