Ebook: HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business

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.