Strategic is the key word here, though, and this is only for tech. 80%+ of acquisitions will not be strategic in this context so even in tech it's very unlikely to get 7x top-line revenue. In many sectors, especially with brick-and-mortar businesses, 3-5x gross profit is more likely. In low- or mid-margin businesses this can easily be less than 1x gross profit for the last 12 months, let alone the tricks places like FE Int'l play like just multiplying the last quarter's revenue by 4 and calling that yearly revenue.