Is the VALO Score a credit score?

No. It doesn't use or affect your personal or business credit. It measures how well the business is built, on a scale shaped like a credit score.

Bizer. The VALO Score, the VALO Framework and the VALO Blueprint are Bizer's method for measuring the strength of a small business.

Why can't one strong area raise my score on its own?

Because stages open in order, across all four pillars. A business with great marketing and no books isn't strong yet, and the score says so.

Why is my Verified % low?

Almost everyone starts low. Your score counts what you tell us, and the Verified % shows how much of it is proven. Connecting your tools or sending Miles a document raises it. Bizer offers to verify, and never makes you.

Can my score go down?

Yes. Practices like reconciling the bank fade if you stop doing them, and their points go with them.

How much does it cost?

The assessment, your score and your report are free. You create a free account to see them, and no card is needed.

The VALO Score

The VALO Score is a business strength score from 100 to 500. Like a credit score, it puts one number on a hard question: how well is this business built? It measures four parts of a business across four stages of growth, using 111 specific factors.

Four pillars. That's VALO.

Viability. Can the business pay for itself? Cash, pricing, books and knowing your numbers.
Acquisition. Can it win and keep customers? Getting found, winning the work and keeping customers coming back.
Leadership. Can it be led by someone other than the owner? Direction, roles, planning and a team that runs things.
Operations. Can it deliver the work consistently? Processes, quality and systems, so the work doesn't live in your head.

Four stages of a strong business

Start, 100 to 199. Getting off the ground. The basics every business needs in place.
Build, 200 to 299. Getting organized. Systems and structure instead of memory and effort.
Grow, 300 to 399. Built to grow. Measured, planned and improving on purpose.
Exit, 400 to 500. Runs without you. A business someone else could lead, buy or lend against.

The VALO Framework: sixteen parts of a business

Four pillars across four stages make a board of 16 quadrants. Each quadrant names one capability and is worth 25 points.

Viability, Start: Financial Visibility (7 factors)
Viability, Build: Financial Control (8 factors)
Viability, Grow: Financial Strategy (7 factors)
Viability, Exit: Financial Transferability (6 factors)
Acquisition, Start: Customer Discovery (7 factors)
Acquisition, Build: Customer Acquisition (8 factors)
Acquisition, Grow: Customer Expansion (8 factors)
Acquisition, Exit: Customer Asset (6 factors)
Leadership, Start: Owner Direction (7 factors)
Leadership, Build: Managed Structure (7 factors)
Leadership, Grow: Leadership Systems (7 factors)
Leadership, Exit: Transferable Leadership (6 factors)
Operations, Start: Basic Operations (7 factors)
Operations, Build: Operational Consistency (7 factors)
Operations, Grow: Operational Efficiency (7 factors)
Operations, Exit: Scalable Operations (6 factors)

The VALO Score is the measure. The VALO Framework is the board. The VALO Blueprint is the 111 factors inside it.

How it's scored

Every business starts at 100. A quadrant's factors add up to 25 points, a stage to 100 and the board to 400. Stages open in order: a stage opens the next once 75% of its points are in place with no pillar under half. Your stage is where the number lands, and your focus is the weakest quadrant holding it back.

Worked example: Start 100 points, Build 90 points, Grow 46 points, Exit 37 points (not counted). Score 336, Grow.

Self-assessed and Verified

Self-assessed VALO Score. Every factor you say is in place counts in full. This is your score and your stage, and it is the number Bizer shows you.
Verified %. The share of your score Bizer has seen proof of. It starts low for almost everyone and rises as you connect your tools.
Verified VALO Score. The strict number. A factor nobody has checked counts half, and a stage has to be complete and proven before the next one counts. It's what you show when you borrow, raise money or sell.

A factor is proven four ways:

A connected tool. Your bank, books or other tools show it, or you built it in Bizer.
A document. You send Miles a statement, screenshot or file, and he checks it.
Public research. It's visible on your website, your listings or public records.
An advisor. An approved Bizer advisor has seen the evidence.

A score that can go down as well as up

59 of the 111 factors are practices rather than one-time setup, worth 215 of the 400 points. Stop doing one and it fades, and its points go with it.

Common questions

Is the VALO Score a credit score?: No. It doesn't use or affect your personal or business credit. It measures how well the business is built, on a scale shaped like a credit score.
Who created it?: Bizer. The VALO Score, the VALO Framework and the VALO Blueprint are Bizer's method for measuring the strength of a small business.
Why can't one strong area raise my score on its own?: Because stages open in order, across all four pillars. A business with great marketing and no books isn't strong yet, and the score says so.
Why is my Verified % low?: Almost everyone starts low. Your score counts what you tell us, and the Verified % shows how much of it is proven. Connecting your tools or sending Miles a document raises it. Bizer offers to verify, and never makes you.
Can my score go down?: Yes. Practices like reconciling the bank fade if you stop doing them, and their points go with them.
How much does it cost?: The assessment, your score and your report are free. You create a free account to see them, and no card is needed.

Get your VALO Score. Free, 32 questions.