Owner dependence
If clients hire the founder, not the firm, the multiple compresses toward the bottom of the SDE band. Named second-tier leaders who own client relationships are the strongest multiple lever in this sector.
Valuation multiples · UAE
What is a professional services firm worth in the UAE?
Established business and professional services firms transact around 5.5–8× EBITDA. Small, owner-run practices price differently: buyers use SDE — owner earnings — on a 2.5–4.0× band. The single biggest variable in both cases is whether the firm sells expertise, or sells you.
The multiple band we’d apply
Size picks the basis. Once a firm has real management depth and EBITDA after a market-rate owner salary, the EBITDA band applies. Below that, buyers price SDE — EBITDA plus owner compensation and discretionary costs — because they are buying a cash flow attached to a working owner they must replace.
- EV / EBITDA
- 5.5–8×
- EV / SDE (owner earnings)
- 2.5–4×
- EV / Revenue (cross-check)
- 0.7–1.4×
These are SME transaction bands from global deal data — open-source GCC/MENA SME comps are too thin to quote as a separate series, so treat the range as the starting grid, not a Gulf-specific promise. They are not public-market multiples: a quoted comparable carries a size and illiquidity discount of roughly 15–35% before it applies to a private SME. Size then moves you within the band — larger, cleaner businesses clear the top; smaller, owner-dependent ones price near the bottom.
What moves you inside the band
Recurring retainers vs one-off mandates
Retainer and subscription-style revenue prices like an annuity; project revenue prices like a pipeline. Shifting even 30–40% of the book onto retainers visibly moves the band position.
Client concentration
Professional firms drift into concentration because the best clients grow. Above ~25% in one relationship, expect structure (earn-outs, retention clauses) instead of headline price.
Documented delivery
Methodologies, templates, playbooks and a CRM that actually reflects the pipeline make the firm transferable. Undocumented expertise is priced as goodwill-at-risk.
A multiple prices the enterprise — you bank the equity
Multiplying earnings by a band produces an enterprise value (EV). What a sale actually puts in your pocket is equity value: EV minus debt and debt-like items (shareholder loans, end-of-service liabilities, overdue payables), plus genuinely surplus cash, adjusted for working capital. Two businesses with identical EV can hand their owners very different proceeds once that bridge is built — which is why our calculator returns both numbers, not just the headline.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the EBITDA and SDE multiple for my firm?
SDE adds your own compensation and discretionary costs back to earnings — a bigger base on a lower band (2.5–4.0× vs 5.5–8×). Buyers use SDE for owner-run practices and EBITDA once management depth exists. The crossover is where many UAE founders underprice or overprice themselves; the calculator picks the basis by size, the way a buyer would.
What multiple does a consulting or agency business get in the UAE?
Established firms cluster around 5.5–8× EBITDA; small owner-run practices around 2.5–4.0× SDE (global SME bands). Retainer share, owner independence and client spread decide your position inside the band.
How long before a sale should I start reducing owner dependence?
Realistically 12–24 months: clients need to experience the firm working without you through at least one renewal cycle. Anything shorter, and buyers will structure the risk into an earn-out instead of paying for it upfront.
Get your range in five minutes
The free calculator applies these same bands to your numbers — the earnings basis chosen by company size, the position inside the band set by quality — and returns an enterprise-value range with the EV→equity bridge, not a single flattering point.
Before you anchor on a number
Indicative only. This figure is an automated, indicative estimate generated from the limited information you provided and from general market data for comparable companies. It is not a valuation, an appraisal, a fairness opinion, or financial, investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice, and it is not an offer or a solicitation to buy or sell any business or security. Every business is different; an indicative range produced from sector averages can differ materially from the price an actual buyer or investor would pay.
No reliance; subject to diligence. Fiducia Adamantina gives no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of this estimate and accepts no liability for any decision taken in reliance on it. Any real valuation depends on full financial and legal due diligence, the specific facts of your business, and prevailing market conditions at the time of a transaction. You should not act, or refrain from acting, on the basis of this output alone. For a defensible assessment, speak to us directly.