5 Tips to Getting an Accurate ValuationThere are some guidelines to consider that can steer you toward the right valuation number-and set you on the road to growth.

When Brian Duerring decided last fall to pursue venture capital for StreamSpot, a Cincinnati-based start-up that provides automated streaming services to faith-based organizations, he needed to calculate a valuation for his business to effectively negotiate terms with potential investors.

"I knew there was going to be some sort of cap or ceiling, and I felt it would be smart to have that ammunition in my pocket for when that first term sheet came over," he explains.