Business Valuation

West Palm Beach – October 16, 2026 -- Fifty-seven percent of U.S. small business owners say they are very or completely reliant on their business to reach their next stage of life, yet only 15% hold a formal, written exit plan, according to a Researchscape International survey commissioned by Exit Factor.

Sixty-four percent of respondents report that at least half of their personal net worth is tied up in the business. The survey covered 1,104 owners and was fielded between August 24 and October 16, 2026. Respondents were sole owners/founders or co-owners with significant decision-making authority at companies with 1-99 employees. Responses were not weighted.

Confidence in exit readiness outstrips concrete preparation among owners

Fifty-two percent say they are very or completely confident they could exit successfully if they started the process tomorrow. One-third (33%) have taken no steps toward exit planning.

Las Vegas – September 17, 2026 -- Reins has launched Valuation, a standalone AI-powered product that gives owner-operators in the trades a real-time figure for what their business is worth and the specific levers to increase it. The tool pulls directly from an owner's QuickBooks and ServiceTitan data to generate a current valuation without requiring a consultant or appraiser.

AI agents translate contractor financial data into a single valuation number

Valuation uses agentic AI analysis to process an owner's financial and operating records, benchmark the business against industry peers, and identify which factors are suppressing or driving company value. The system then flags the KPIs and targets with the greatest potential impact on that number.