Think big, buy small. Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to work, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success. But finding the right business to buy and closing the deal isn't always easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you: Determine if this path is right for you Raise capital for your acquisition Find and evaluate the right prospects Avoid the pitfalls that could derail your search Understand why a "dull" business might be the best investment Negotiate a potential deal with the seller Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute

If you're in business you probably have three challenges:You want to grow - but have hit a plateauYou want to reach your goals fasterYou want to do this with less stress and hassle...Buying a business can solve all three of these problems:You can grow your business in leaps and bounds by acquiring similar businesses, competitors or your supply chain. You can literally double your annual sales in twelve weeksYou will get where you want to go faster - in months rather than yearsYou will do this with less stress as others will manage the business for youThis book will help you shift from thinking like an 'operator' to thinking like a 'dealmaker'. As a result you will have a larger, more profitable business which can be sold for more money, faster.JONATHAN JAYis a an experienced dealmaker, buying and selling businesses for over twenty years. Dealmaking transformed Jonathan from a business 'operator' working long hours for little reward, to a multimillionaire. He is still actively investing and coaches and mentors others to do the same.I have just completed The Dealmakers Academy Mastermind Programme with Jonathan Jay. This has been a fast-paced year of exponential group learning, ably led by Jonathan, a seasoned authority in the buying and selling of businesses in a variety of different sectors. His facilitation and delivery of the programme has been eloquent and effusive and he has generously shared his 'secret sauce' for nimbly and ethically negotiating and constructing business deals with very little money down! I highly recommend Jonathan and this programme to anyone who wants to take business entrepreneurship to the next level! I very much look forward to working with Jonathan in the future! Dr Andrew Greenland

Want to start the small business of your dreams? Want to breathe new life into the one you already have? Small Business For Dummies, 3rd Edition provides authoritative guidance on every aspect of starting and growing your business, from financing and budgeting to marketing, management and beyond. This completely practical, no-nonsense guide gives you expert advice on everything from generating ideas and locating start-up money to hiring the right people, balancing the books, and planning for growth. You’ll get plenty of help in ramping up your management skills, developing a marketing strategy, keeping your customers loyal, and much more. You’ll also find out to use the latest technology to improve your business’s performance at every level. Discover how to: Make sure that small-business ownership is for you Find your niche and time your start-up Turn your ideas into plans Determine your start-up costs Obtain financing with the best possible terms Decide whether or not to incorporate Make sense of financial statements Navigate legal and tax issues Buy an existing business Set up a home-based business Publicize your business and market your wares Keep your customers coming back for more Track cash flow, costs and profits Keep your business in business and growing You have the energy, drive, passion, and smarts to make your small business a huge success. Small Business For Dummies, 3rd Edition, provides the rest.

Gain access to practical tips and case studies that will help you evaluate how to buy a business and maximize your success as an entrepreneur. Before you start wading through the process of buying a business, it is imperative that you learn how to tell the good ones from the bad ones. John (Jack) Gibson, who has been helping buyers and sellers for more than thirty years, explains why some buyers and some businesses make a good fit. Learn how to value, negotiate and then buy a business and come out a winner. All you need to know to buy with confidence is clearly spelled out. “Before leaping into the arena, read Jack Gibson’s book. He has poured into it many years of relevant experience as both business owner and broker.” - Michael Haviland, MPA, Ed.D, Denver “I founded and sold two businesses over my career. I wish this book had been available to better prepare me to guide the buyers through the tough questions they needed to ask.” - Donald Mathews, Ph.D, Professor of Marketing

Out there somewhere is a buyer looking to buy a business like yours. So if you're ready to sell, make sure you protect your interests and maximize your profit with this all-in-one guide.

A comprehensive guide covering the top three critical issues every business owner faces, this book ensures that all parties understand each other's needs, thus clarifying a complex process and opening the door to successful negotiations. The volume includes an extensive stand-alone glossary of relevant terms and concepts, as well as comprehensive lists of business opportunity sources, contact lists, and reference materials. The disk contains all the forms from the book.

Takes readers from thinking, “Hmm, should I buy a business?” right through the process of choosing, investigating, and entering into a legal contract to do so.

Buying For Business provides a simple but comprehensive guide to purchasing and supply. With current literature often academic in focus and unsuited to modern business readers, it offers straightforward and engaging information on the principles and practice of purchasing and supply management that will be of great value to anyone in business who deals with suppliers. Experts Mark Whitehead and Christopher Barrat answer all the key questions facing purchasing in business today, and offer advice on everything from ethics to outsourcing. Diagrams, analysis tools and pro-formas aid understanding, while case studies and bench-marking exercises illustrate and reinforce the learning.

If you have a great idea, why not turn it into a lucrative career path? Starting your own business is possible, and this book will give you all of the tools and advice necessary! You will learn how to craft your idea from its beginning stages into a business that is successful and functional. By following these steps, you can make sure that you are putting all of your time and effort into the business correctly. No matter what your dreams are or what you envision for your business, it is possible if you are willing to put in the work. This book makes it easy for you—serving as a guideline to follow so you always know what to do next.

Entrepreneurs have a problem: startups. Almost all startups either fail or never truly reach a sustainable size. Despite the popularity of entrepreneurship, we haven't engineered a better way to start...until now. What if you could skip the startup phase and generate profitable revenue on day one? In BUY THEN BUILD, acquisition entrepreneur Walker Deibel shows you how to begin with a sustainable, profitable company and grow from there. You'll learn how to: Buy an existing company rather than starting from scratch Use ownership as a path to financial independence Spend a fraction of the time raising capital Find great brokers, generate your own "deal flow," and see new listings early Uncover the best opportunities and biggest risks of any company Navigate the acquisition process Become a successful acquisition entrepreneur And more BUY THEN BUILD is your guide to outsmart the startup game, live the entrepreneurial lifestyle, and reap the financial rewards of ownership now.