This 3x yearly earnings is mentioned quite often. But I can't believe anybody is selling for this. Maybe for 5x if you are in need of money.
And in times of zero interest rates this 3x thing sounds even more unbelievable.
Well software isn't like a lot of businesses. A plumbing supply company will probably be just as successful in 3 years as it is now, but a software company might be worthless. Three years is a long time in software.