HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company (HBR Guide Series)

Think big, buy small.

Are you on the lookout for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There’s a radical third path open to you: You’ll be able to buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—in addition to personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means You’ll be able to 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 shop for and closing the deal is not all the time easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff mean you can:

• 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 most efficient investment
• Negotiate a potential take care of the seller
• Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute