OUR METHOD
Evidence before conclusions.
We separate what a source says, what a firm confirms, what an editor checks and what would be required to evaluate quality.
What qualifies for a listing
A firm may be listed when editors can confirm the entity and find support that it offers relevant business valuation services. Information may come from official firm websites, government sources, professional registries, submitted documents, publications and direct firm confirmations. Inclusion is not an endorsement or evaluation of quality.
Four different ideas—not one badge
A source link shows where a statement appeared. A firm confirmation records what an authorized firm representative confirmed. An individual credential check records a check against the relevant person and source. An evaluation of quality would require a separate, owner-approved methodology and qualifying evidence. We do not combine these into a blanket “verified firm” label.
Ordering and finder results
Initial category and directory lists use alphabetical order unless a visitor chooses another transparent sort. Finder results reflect relevance to the needs the visitor supplied; they are not quality rankings. Paid placement, sponsorship or referral terms cannot improve editorial evaluation or finder relevance.
Missing and aging evidence
Missing evidence is unknown—not evidence of poor quality. Each accepted public fact carries the date relevant to its citation when available. A failed crawl is an availability problem, not proof that a firm closed or stopped offering a service. Editors decide whether stale information should remain, be qualified or be removed.
Corrections, claims and disputes
Correction requests and profile claims remain private while reviewed. A claim does not transfer editorial control or automatically change a profile. Editors check authorization, sources and conflicting information, preserve revisions and record decisions. Material disputes stop publication until they can be resolved or clearly represented.
What the research agent does
The research agent can discover candidate firms, retrieve only approved sources and prepare field-level observations and proposals with source URLs, excerpts and retrieval dates. It cannot accept facts, publish profiles, rank firms, infer that missing text means a service ended, or mutate public content. Editors approve sources, assess each claim and control publication.
Ownership and commercial disclosure
Top Valuation Firms is owned by Jasen Mikels and has a relationship with Valuationz. That relationship will be described more fully before launch as ownership and commercial details are finalized. Sponsorships and referral arrangements, if introduced, will be labeled. Commercial terms remain separate from listing eligibility, evidence review, ordering, finder relevance and any future editorial evaluation.
No public scores yet
A private draft methodology exists for future evaluation. Before any score or ranking appears, the owner must approve a reproducible rubric covering eligibility, source quality, recency, relevant experience, reviewer independence, missing evidence, small samples and conflicts—and real qualifying evidence must exist. No percentages or scores are assigned merely to make the directory appear complete.