For some people, buying an existing business is a better option than starting from scratch. Why? Because someone else has done much of the legwork for you, such as establishing a customer base, hiring employees and negotiating a lease. But if you want to buy a business, you’ll need to do some thorough research to [...]

A business plan is normally essential to the process of purchasing a business. A good business plan always defines the business’ specific mission and objectives, new ownership, sales focus, market, strategy, management team, and financials. This is particularly important when you are purchasing an existing business, because there is so much uncertainty involved. Start with [...]

When buying or investing in a business you need to evaluate that business carefully. One tool is the Investment Analysis. The Investment Analysis table gives you discounted cash flow analysis including Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Both of these are important financial analysis tools that will help a business present [...]

When you are trying to decide whether to buy into a franchise there are several factors to consider. First, make sure you are looking at a solid and effective franchise that offers real value. It has to be a good one. There are hundreds of good ones, but lots of bad ones too. With a [...]