How do I find a great business to buy?

If you’ve always dreamed of owning your own business, but not necessarily starting from scratch, buying an established business may be right for you.

There are many businesses available to buy, from franchises to sole proprietorships.

Companies don’t always advertise that they are for sale. Sometimes you may not even know a location is going to close until the clearance offers are announced.

The Internet is a great resource for finding businesses to buy.

Bizbuysell.com

BizBuySell has helped connect business sellers and new owners for more than 20 years. The company has helped sell more than 100,000 businesses and currently has 45,000 active listings for sale.

The website also provides tools and tips on how to sell or buy a business, finance the purchase, and more. BizBuySell users can search by state, county, business category, and minimum / maximum price.

Mergernetwork.com

More than 15,000 active business-for-sale listings from around the world are listed on the Merger Network. The network actually allows sellers to post sale ads for their businesses for free. Thousands of entrepreneurs, investment bankers, and trade brokers can connect with these sellers. There is no cost to register, which is great for exploring new opportunities.

Negociosenventa.com

More than 60,000 businesses are currently listed for sale on the Businesses for Sale website. Users can search by industry, region, or franchises for sale. Businesses for Sale also has a main search section, which includes businesses with reduced prices, unique businesses (that is, a horseback riding business), and small businesses for sale.

Most of the sellers on each website offer information about the business, including images, its location, sales revenue, sale price, lease terms, competition and market, and much more.

Beyond the information in a listing, you should speak with the owner to get as much information as possible about the business, including why it is selling.

Benefits of a franchise

If you are considering buying a business, finding a franchise for sale is one way to start a business that is already well established. Some of the benefits of owning a franchise include:

• Brand recognition

• Continuous operational support

• Ongoing marketing support

• Assistance in purchasing and logistics.

• Less risk

• Join a family of other franchisees

If you are considering buying a franchise, ask how the franchise works. For example, what are the royalty fees and ongoing marketing fees? How much creative freedom do owners have? How easy is it to get support from the franchisor? All of these questions and more must be considered. If you are buying a franchise, research the franchise model as if you were starting all over.