The Complete Guide to Buying a Business [Paperback]

Fred Steingold J.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 2007

The clear-cut information and forms you need to buy a business!

If you're ready to acquire a business, make sure you protect your interests and get the best deal possible with The Complete Guide to Buying a Business. It shows you how to:

ind the right business

analyze the seller's numbers

make sense of the tax issues

negotiate a payment plan

prepare and sign a sales agreement

close the deal

protect yourself from existing liabilities

prevent the seller from competing against you

work with lawyers, accountants and brokers

The Complete Guide to Buying a Business provides a CD-ROM that helps you create more than two dozen crucial legal documents, including:

the sales agreement

confidentiality letter

promissory notes and security agreements

noncompete and consulting agreements

closing checklists

The 2nd edition of The Complete Guide to Buying a Business is completely updated to reflect the latest laws and tax numbers. Every document is accompanied by thorough, plain-English instructions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For an overview of the purchase process, see The Complete Guide to Buying a Business. (San Francisco Chronicle )

From the Back Cover

Everything you need to buy a business and avoid costly mistakes.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 2nd edition (November 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413307078
• ISBN-13: 978-1413307078
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Attorney Fred S. Steingold practices law in Ann Arbor, Michigan. An expert on small business law, he represents and advises many small businesses. He is the author of Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business and The Employer's Legal Handbook. His monthly column, "The Legal Advisor," is carried by trade publications across the country.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Solid Guide to Work From, February 20, 2009

By 

Great Sage Inc. "Capt. Michael" (Port Aransas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Buying a Business (Paperback)

If you are really thinking about buying a business go ahead and order this book then continue reading my following thoughts. Now 40 I have had my own businesses since I started mowing yards at 14. I have formed and run over six businesses. I currently have a Texas subchapter C corporation, two Florida corporations, am corporate secretary for a Texas 401c3 non-profit and now I just bought a Florida LLC. This LLC is the first business I have ever bought and I was spooky like it was my first time to the show someone where I kept my first piggy bank. I generally buy assets of a business but this one had a permit in it which could not be taken out of the LLC. This difference is explained very well in the book. This book is an excellent way to get you into the thought process and guide you through the steps of buying a business before you make the mistakes and look back. Naturally you are still going to want to have a CPA, attorney, etc. I personally would not go into business without both a SCORE mentor and a local small business development center or SBA counselor!!! Do this before you spend any money on an attorney, CPA, or even a cup of coffee to discuss with a seller your buying a business since they are no-charge, not conflicted, and very resourceful. But this book should still be mandatory reading for anyone interested in buying a business even with all the above. I have several other books by NOLO and find them to be very concise and useful so look at those too. The contracts are good but one must remember a contract is something promulgated between unique parties and hence the contract should be as unique as the parties entering into it. Use the contracts in this book as a guide for your thoughts and a way to outline how things are going to be done but edit them liberally and include your every thought and concern because their, my, or another's contract is not going to fit YOU. I wish you success and prosperity.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good road map..., March 22, 2006

By 

Randy Young "read, read, read" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Buying a Business (Book with CD-Rom) (Paperback)

I found the book to be a nice reference to buying a business. Several key chapters provide some good thought provoking questions to consider in any endeavor to start a business. I had checked this out in the library and found myself wanting to write in the margins. A really good first step in identifying the hows and whats of buying a business.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not so "Complete" guide to buying a business, April 15, 2007

By 

R. Atkins (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Buying a Business (Book with CD-Rom) (Paperback)

Overall not a bad book. Several good ideas and reminders. The forms on CD are very helpful. However, a book that touts itself as complete, shouldn't short-cut critical issues such as valuing or financing a business simply by referring the reader to another book, often by the same publisher. The chapter on valuing a business was an overview without specifics. The chapter on financing, again just an overview, didn't mention the process of using a self-directed IRA to finance a business purchase (you need a special asset custodian for your IRA, but it is legal).