TY - GEN AU - Ruback,Richard S. AU - Yudkoff,Royce TI - HBR guide to buying a small business /​ T2 - Harvard Business Review guides SN - 9781633692503. U1 - 658.022 23 PY - 2017/// CY - Boston, Massachusetts : PB - Harvard Business Review Press, KW - SLSH KW - Business KW - Entrepreneurship KW - Small business -- Purchasing KW - Sale of business enterprises KW - Small business -- Valuation N1 - Includes index; Machine generated contents note: You can buy a small business -right now -and run it as CEO pt. ONE Think Big, Buy Small 1.The Opportunity: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition An attractive professional path that combines financial rewards with a flexible and fulfilling career 2.Is Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition for You? What it takes, and who does it well 3.The Acquisition Process An overview pt. TWO Preparing for Your Search 4.Anticipating the Cost of Your Search How much you'll spend depends on specific choices you make 5.Paying for Your Search Raising capital to fund your effort 6.Identifying the Characteristics You Want in Your Business Look for a business that is established and enduringly profitable that you have the skills to manage pt. THREE Finding the Right Small Business to Buy 7.Managing Your Search Effectively: An Overview Juggling sourcing opportunities and filtering prospects Contents note continued: 8.Sourcing Prospects Using Brokers Focus on companies that are explicitly for sale 9.Sourcing Directly Finding prospects on your own 10.Enduringly Profitable Small Businesses The key is recurring customers 11.Using Financial Information to Gauge Enduring Profitability A Few Simple Calculations that Tell You a Lot About a Business 12.Filtering for the Owner's Commitment to Sell How to avoid sellers who abandon the sales process after months of your time and money pt. FOUR Making an Offer 13.Preliminary Due Diligence Learn more about the company and begin building a financial projection 14.How Much Should You Pay for a Small Business? The art of small business valuation 15.Deal Terms Deal structure, financing, timing, and other fundamental points 16.The Offer Take the big step with a letter of intent pt. FIVE Completing the Acquisition 17.Confirmatory Due Diligence Contents note continued: Cross-check what you (think you) know about the company 18.Raising Debt How to get a small business loan 19.Raising Acquisition Equity Finding the right equity investors for your deal 20.Negotiating the Purchase Agreement Defining essential deal terms 21.The Closing Day and Beyond The transition to ownership. The opportunity : entrepreneurship through acquisition Is entrepreneurship through acquisition for you? The acquisition process Anticipating the cost of your search Paying for your search Identifying the characteristics you want in your business Managing your search effectively : an overview Sourcing prospects using brokers Sourcing directly Enduringly profitable small businesses Using financial information to gauge enduring profitability Filtering for the owner's commitment to sell Preliminary due diligence How much should you pay for a small business? Deal terms The offer Confirmatory due diligence Raising debt Raising acquisition equity Negotiating the purchase agreement The closing day and beyond N2 - 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 ER -