How To Find A Business To Buy 
Share this post

How To Find A Business To Buy 

Not everyone wants to start a business from scratch, and you might be one of those people. There are a few different paths you can go down if you still want to run a business, including franchising, but something that could work well for you is buying a business and running it yourself.

There are, of course, many things to think about if you decide that sounds like the right thing for you to do next, and you’ll have to take a lot into account before you sign on the dotted line. However, it can work wonderfully, and you’ll need to know how to find a business to buy to get you started; read on for some advice. 

Define Your Criteria 

Before you start your search, defining what you’re looking for in a business is crucial. Otherwise, it will be all but impossible to narrow down your list and get serious about things. You’ll need to think about things such as industry, size, location, revenue, and how much profit it makes, as well as your own skills and preferences. 

If you have a clear list of the criteria that work for you, you’ll easily be able to eliminate any businesses that don’t match, which ensures that the ones you keep on your list will all be something you’re happy to work in. It would be a real waste of money to buy a business only to realize that you don’t like the industry or that something else about the company doesn’t suit you. 

Conduct Market Research 

Research the industry and market trends to understand the demand, competition, and growth potential of the business (or businesses) you’re considering buying.

Even if you’re interested in something, if it’s not going to grow or be profitable because market trends have changed, for example, you’ll have to move on to the next idea instead; after all, the whole point of running a business is to make money, even if there are other essential things to think about as well. 

It can be useful to speak to experts about this and pay for them to carry out this market research on your behalf, as you’ll know you’re getting all the information you need and that you’re getting it in an unbiased way. If you try to do the research yourself, you might unwittingly skew the results towards the desired outcome; if that isn’t realistic, it could be disastrous. 

Conduct Due Diligence 

You must conduct due diligence once you’ve found a potential business to buy. This is vital because even if the business looks like the ideal match for you on paper, it won’t be until you go through everything in detail that you’ll really know for sure. Skipping this step could be dangerous, so even if it delays your purchase and you’re excited to get started, you’ll still need to do this step. 

Make sure you examine the financial records, customer contracts, leases, IT networks, and any legal or regulatory issues to get a complete picture of exactly what you’re buying. Remember, if you find an issue while you’re carrying out due diligence, it doesn’t have to mean the end of your purchase, but you might want to renegotiate at the very least. 

Article by

Alla Levin

Seattle-based lifestyle and marketing content creator. I build content funnels that guide your audience from scroll to action, blending storytelling, UGC, and smart strategy—so every piece of content has a purpose.

About Author

Explorialla

Hi, I’m Alla — a Seattle-based lifestyle and marketing content creator. I help businesses and bloggers get more clients through content funnels, strategic storytelling, and high-converting UGC. My content turns curiosity into action and builds lasting trust with your audience. Inspired by art, books, beauty, and everyday adventures!

movies for entrepreneurs

Luxury Brands Marketing: They Don’t Sell Products—They Sell Dreams..

Trending Posts

I Recommend

All the information you need to understand the business world, your career, and marketing. All the information you need to understand the business world, your career, and marketing.

My favorite tools for creators

My favorite Tools for Content Creation

Courses
I recommend

Be Informed, Be Inspired - Join Today

Email

I do the research to understand your customer's journey, pain points, and what moves them to act

I create content funnels rooted in a deep understanding of where readers are in their journey—meeting them with the right message at the right time

I build content journeys that turn curiosity into conversion through storytelling, UGC, and smart funnels

I constantly run CustDev interviews and test what converts best—so every piece of content is backed by real audience insight