Private company valuation is genuinely different from the public-market version most material teaches, so this path starts there rather than with a general text. It moves from private-market mechanics, to the standard reference, to the evidence on how well forecasts actually predict, and ends with the liquidity discount that explains much of what a private seller experiences.
Start here. Private companies are valued differently, and this is the argument for why.
The standard reference. Use it to understand method, not to produce your own number.
How well do cash flow forecasts actually predict? A useful corrective to model confidence.
The price of illiquidity, which is most of the gap between what owners expect and receive.
The practitioner reference for diligence scope. Dip into the relevant chapters.
You will understand what drives a multiple, why your advisors’ numbers differ, and which diligence findings actually change price.