AcquiScan
Version française Sign in Try it free

Free tool · no sign-up

Business acquisition simulator

Purchase price, EBITDA, personal contribution, loan: check in one minute whether an acquisition can be financed, and what would be left to pay yourself. The calculation runs in your browser: your figures are not sent anywhere.

Example values, to be replaced with the figures of the listing you are interested in.

Price asked for the business (shares or business assets).
EBITDA (French “EBE”), ideally restated (normal salary for the owner-manager).
Amount you invest yourself (savings, interest-free honour loans…).
Nominal rate offered by the bank, excluding insurance.
Repayment period of the bank loan.

Price / EBITDA multiple

—

Rule of thumb: for an SME, the price is often between 3 and 6 times EBITDA, depending on the sector, the size and the strength of the business.

Loan amount

—

—

Monthly payment

—

—

Share of EBITDA absorbed by loan repayments

—

The higher this share, the less margin is left to pay yourself, invest and absorb a bad year.

What is left to pay yourself, per year

—

EBITDA minus annual loan repayments: a ballpark figure before tax, investment and social charges on your pay.

How to read the results

Three figures for a first screening.

The EBITDA multiple

The price divided by EBITDA shows how many years of operating profit you are paying for. A high multiple is not necessarily abnormal (very solid business, sought-after sector), but it needs to be justified.

The annual loan repayment

Calculated with the standard amortization formula (constant monthly payments). It is repaid from the profits of the business: that is why the bank compares it with EBITDA.

What is left for you

What remains of EBITDA once the loan is paid must cover your salary, taxes, investment and the unexpected. If it is low, renegotiate the price, increase your contribution or extend the loan term.

Indicative simulation, not financial advice. The simulator does not take into account acquisition costs (registration duties, fees), borrower insurance, working capital requirements, taxation or deal structures (holding company, vendor loan). Have your financing plan reviewed by a chartered accountant and your bank.

No data is sent or stored: the calculation runs only in your browser and disappears when you close the page.

Find the business to put into the simulator.

AcquiScan finds businesses for sale in France that match your criteria and calculates their financing plan with your own contribution. Free beta, no credit card.

Get started for free →