If you, your spouse, or both of you in combination own and operate a small business in Texas, your divorce will inevitably involve the sometimes-complicated issue of valuing that business. This leads to the question: “How do you value a business for divorce in Texas?” A judge typically regards a small business as part of your community estate, which means that its various components, any income generated, and the equipment used in its operation may be subject to division.
To determine the value of the business, various factors need to be considered, such as its fair market value, the business’s books, tangible assets, and goodwill. Additionally, compiling a detailed description of the business, including its history, competitors, employees, and financial records, can be crucial in the valuation process. Small businesses come in various forms, from local hardware stores to service-oriented companies, and each may require a unique approach when it comes to assessing their value during a divorce proceeding in Texas.
The number that you, your spouse and your attorneys will need to determine if the fair market value of that business. Any of us who have taken high school economics are probably familiar with this term. In a basic definition, I describe fair market value to clients as the price a willing buyer is ready to pay a willing seller for a business. However, divorces frequently involve the presentation of multiple business valuation methods. This can lead to confusing and unreliable information that does not assist in helping to determine the true nature of your community estate’s overall value.
What is the book value of your business?
I think it makes the most sense to approach the issue of valuing your small business from the perspective of book value, first and foremost. This is the most straight forward measure for valuing a business and probably the one that will make the most sense to all of us.
Calculating the “book value” of a business involves totaling the value of its assets as documented in the financial accounting records. From there, you subtract any debts/liabilities that the business has. This is similar to how you or I would calculate our personal net worth: assets minus liabilities. To determine my net worth, I subtract any debts from the combined value of my bank savings, home, investments, and personal property. The same theory applies to value a business here.
There are limitations, however, to utilizing the book value of a business. Firstly, we would need to appraise tangible assets and record them at their market value, not their subjective personal value. Then, we can deduct liabilities to calculate the adjusted book value. Even an adjusted book value still would produce a deflated value of your business in all likelihood.
What information would a business appraiser need in order to accurately arrive at the value of your business?
If you did not start the business that you and your spouse currently own it is likely that you purchased that business from another person. There were basic documents and information that you likely requested from the sellers of that business before you were willing to make an offer or counteroffer to purchase the business. You will need to prepare a list of that information and assemble those same documents in the context of your divorce.
Compile a detailed business description
To begin, create a comprehensive business profile. Include its inception date, acquisition date (if applicable), its role in the market, competitors, workforce size, customer base, and the names of suppliers. This will provide your attorneys, an appraiser, a mediator and potentially a judge with a pretty solid idea of all the inputs and outputs that are relevant to your business
Produce a profit and loss sheet
Next, you will need to produce a profit and loss sheet for each of the past three years. Most businesses use quarterly balance sheets for tax purposes. Income and outgo is the name of the game for these balance sheets. If your business has shown an increasing propensity for making money then this is a “soft” factor that will likely drive the value of your business up. However, if your business shows a decreasing profit trend over the past three years this will have the opposite effect.
As far as your employees are concerned I would advise a client to provide a list of all persons under payroll at your business as well as what each earns. You should also discuss each employee’s role and responsibilities within your business. It could be that your business either needs to let go of some employees in order to become more efficient. Of course, the opposite could be true as well. This analysis may actually help you and your spouse better position yourselves for however you want to operate your business after the divorce.
Something that is of interest to business appraisers is how much you actually work inside the business. How many hours do you work inside the business in any given week? What direct role do you provide to the operation of the business? Is your business covering your personal expenses? Are you paying yourself a salary or bonuses? Do you receive health insurance, a company car or other benefits through the business?
Show an appraiser how fast customers have paid
Finally, you will need to show an appraiser how quickly customers of yours have paid your business for services rendered. Do you have an accounts receivable list two miles long? Or do your customers pay you within a couple of weeks of your having submitted an invoice? These things matter as far as cash-flow, reserve accounts and overall sustainability of your business is concerned.
Why does all this matter when it comes to valuing a business?
You may be wondering how all of these issues are relevant to your family business. In very small businesses, like those where only you and your wife work, many of the documents I mentioned may not be present. The reason for this is because it would not be relevant to your business operations. However, for businesses that have more than a couple of employees most, if not all, of these documents will be relevant.
Help your attorney by collecting these documents ahead of time. You and your spouse should not have competing documents- meaning that you all should be able to agree on sending one set of forms to both of your attorneys. It is not uncommon to have you and your spouse each hire an appraiser to arrive at the total value of your business. Keep in mind that doing so will cost money, and agreeing to hire one accountant to perform an analysis is most cost efficient.
What is goodwill and why is it relevant to valuing your small business?
Goodwill is not an easy to define term, although you and I probably have similar ideas about what it means on a practical level. You could build up a reputation as a great small business owner in your community. That your hardware store business has benefited as a result of the goodwill attached to your name and reputation is certainly relevant. Conversely, your hardware store might be renowned in your community for its excellent service and competitive prices. In such a scenario, replacing you or your spouse in the business might have minimal effect on the established goodwill we mentioned earlier.
The goodwill built up by your business would continue for a time after the sale to another person as long as the service provided by your business remains consistently good. The new owners would have an opportunity to justify the faith in your business. In a Texas divorce, individual goodwill attached to you or your spouse cannot be divided. However, if there is goodwill associated with the entire business, it adds to the business’s value and is subject to division, contributing to the overall business value.
The reason for this is that if the reputation of you or your spouse goes away as a result of your having sold the business, that is not a long-lasting and valuable asset. However, the generally positive reputation that your business has developed over the course of the years that your business has been in operation is an asset and would be attractive to anyone who seeks to purchase your business.
How will a court view this issue if presented to it?
There is a test that a judge would undertake to answer in regard to whether or not the goodwill attached to your business is subject to being divided up in a divorce case. First, a court would look to whether or not the goodwill exists independent of the ability of you and/or your spouse to continue to perform in the business in whatever role you have each played. Next, the judge would consider whether that goodwill has a commercial value that your community estate could take part in.
What if you are a minority owner in a small business? What impact does that have on the value of the business?
Let’s take a hypothetical example and examine how it could impact you and your divorce. Say that you own one quarter (25%) of medical practice. You and your husband are getting a divorce and you agree to hire an accountant to come in and appraise the value of that medical practice for the purpose of arriving at the value of the business.
The accountant says that your business is worth $1,000,000 of which your share would be $250,000. Furthermore, your value would have to be reduced because there isn’t much of a market out there for selling minority shares in small medical practices. Unfortunately for you, Texas business law does not provide minority shareholders with much in the way of rights. You can inspect the books of your business but are otherwise subject to the wishes of the person who owns a majority stake in the practice. If you own even 51% of the medical practice, we would be having a completely different conversation. You would own a majority of the practice and there would be no reduction in the value of the business as you would have much greater control over the business.
Contingency agreements can have a huge impact on the value of a business
It may be that your business, owned by you, your spouse and perhaps another person, have partnership agreements in place that state if one of you die, quits the business or is fired, your interest stake in the business is brought back into the company at a set price. This is also known as a “buy-sell” agreement. Essentially it keeps your business partner’s spouse, who has had nothing to do with the business to this point, from having to come into the company due to their having inherited the ownership in your business after the death of their spouse.
In tomorrow’s blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, we will pick up where we left off today by discussing two questions that need to be answered when it comes to buy-sell agreements. This is a subject that is not often discussed in the context of Texas divorces but it is relevant and something I believe you need to be aware of.
Questions about dividing up a business in a Texas divorce? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan
The attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan appreciate your interest in this topic. If you have any questions about what we discussed or need guidance on any subject in Texas family law please do not hesitate to contact our office. We offer free of charge consultations six days a week here in our office. These consultations are a great opportunity to ask questions and have your issues addressed directly by an attorney with experience helping people in our community just like you.
Bryan Fagan, a native of Atascocita, Texas, is a dedicated family law attorney inspired by John Grisham’s “The Pelican Brief.” He is the first lawyer in his family, which includes two adopted brothers. Bryan’s commitment to family is personal and professional; he cared for his grandmother with Alzheimer’s while completing his degree and attended the South Texas College of Law at night.
Married with three children, Bryan’s personal experiences enrich his understanding of family dynamics, which is central to his legal practice. He specializes in family law, offering innovative and efficient legal services. A certified member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, Bryan is part of an elite group of legal professionals committed to ongoing education and high-level expertise.
His legal practice covers divorce, custody disputes, property disputes, adoption, paternity, and mediation. Bryan is also experienced in drafting marital property agreements. He leads a team dedicated to complex family law cases and protecting families from false CPS allegations.
Based in Houston, Bryan is active in the Houston Family Law Sector of the Houston Bar Association and various family law groups in Texas. His deep understanding of family values and his professional dedication make him a compassionate advocate for families navigating Texas family law.
