What Makes a Good Opportunity?
Evaluate your business concept using the three "M's" before you start up. Read more
Buying a Small Business
Recent Buying a Small Business Articles
Valuations 2004: What's Your Company Worth Now?
How, and by whom, valuations are established. Read more
Selling Smart When Selling Off
The champagne isn't flowing just yet, but the climate for mergers and acquisitions clearly looks a lot more appealing these days. There's more equity avai... Read more
Buying a Small Company Requires Some Patience
My recent column about the travails of Bob and Sandy McNary trying to sell their little I... Read more
Buyers Learn to Beware at Franchise Boot Camp
Louis Dominguez, a 53-year-old retired account executive with Verizon, was recently on a conference call with a representative from Alphagraphics, a print... Read more
Advice on Acquisition Advisors
When pursuing growth through acquisition, it's crucial to find the right advisers. Read more
More to It Than Numbers
Business owners seek business valuations for many different reasons -- partner buyouts, divorces, estate planning, death of a partner, and, as Randall Lan... Read more
Rude Awakenings May Await New Franchisees
Before Kelly Waddell, 31, and his wife, Sandra, 35, opened their Pop-A-Lock franchise in Dayton, Ohio, they went to bed at 11 p.m., and assumed everyone e... Read more
Business for Sale: You Haul
By joining a national network, a buyer could unbox growth at this moving company. Read more
Business for Sale: A Business in the Rough
A buyer might be able to get this golf course up to par by hiring a pro, adding nine more holes, or building condos. Read more
Business for Sale: Buy Your Way to Great Margins
Checks, please! This payment-processing company is poised for robust growth in a fast-consolidating industry. Read more
Business for Sale: Little Napa on the Prairie
Over a nice cabernet, you've mused about someday buying a vineyard and winery. But are 12-hour workdays your style? Read more
Business for Sale: Plastic Burgeons
After 20 years of molding sporting-goods equipment, the owners of this Rocky Mountain company are ready to sell. Read more
Capital Profiles
Contrarian thinking -- and a little shrewd planning -- helped these 2002 Inc 500 CEOs raise funds. Read more
Business for Sale: Western Prints
A spectacular Rocky Mountain location helps make this commercial printer an alluring opportunity. Read more
Business for Sale: Pipe Dreams
Here's a chance to get in on the ground floor of an industry that's as hot as a Texas summer. Read more
Business for Sale: A Mogul's Mogul
Ah, to buy a ski resort. But one aspect of this deal earns it a double black diamond. Read more
Business for Sale: A Blue-Sky Deal
Ready to raise the roof? Buy this California skylight maker. Read more
Business for Sale: Sweet Charity
Started by a couple at their kitchen table, this company supplies gourmet treats to school and church fund-raisers. Read more
Roll-ups: Swimming Against the Tide
These days you can't even mention the word roll-up in financial circles without drawing hostile stares. Many compare the roll-up bust to the dot-com... Read more
Business for Sale: Pursue Clios and the Perfect Tan
How desperate are sellers? This one has already arranged for $1.4 million in financing for a potential buyer. Read more
Business for Sale: Want to Get Into the Spy Game?
Looking for an opportunity that will tap into your inner James Bond? Check out this manufacturer and distributor of surveillance products. Read more
Buying a Business or Its Assets
This article provides an introduction to the legal nitty-gritty of buying an established business. Read more
Pining for Growth?
Pining for growth with a festive edge? Check out this southwestern Christmas tree farm. Read more
Want a Novel Idea?
Find a new life in old books. Read more
For Sale: The American Dream
Need help selling your company? Lots of folks out there claim they can help you get the most for your business. Don't believe everything you hear. Read more
Red Flags in Choosing a Business Broker
When selecting a broker to sell your business, be suspicious if: The broker wants a significant or total fee paid upfront. Many b... Read more
Questions to Ask a Business Broker
Use these questions to find a competent and successful business broker. What is your background/experience? "It takes time and exp... Read more
Finding the Right Business Broker
W. Stewart Blackburn didn't hire a business broker to sell the businesses he owned with his wife, Suzanne, until he found someone entirely devoted to the ... Read more
Ready for a Sea Change?
Business for sale: A cruise-focused travel agency. Read more
Will Work for Paycheck
Can an entrepreneur find happiness working for someone else? Plus, answers to questions about discontinuing a product, valuing a company, and more. Read more
Hey, Sailor, Wanna Get Lucky?
Boat-making biz seeks new captain. Read more
Business for Sale: East Coast Herbal Supplier
Pass the echinacea! A company that supplies nutritional-supplement ingredients is for sale -- and poised for growth. Read more
Rescuing Tradition
Local ownership and a commitment to its devoted workers kept this boat building company afloat. Read more
Hot Tip: It Never Hurts to Ask
This oil service increased revenues 30% by purchasing small-scale businesses that large companies wanted to get out of. Read more