How To Buy A Business With Little Or No Cash Down! [Spiral-bound]

Harvey L. Gardner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0965916316 | ISBN-13: 978-0965916318 | Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | Edition: 1

This book tells the prospective buyer everything they need to know to successfully find and buy a business. It is written especially for the first-time buyer, but is equally helpful for an experienced buyer. The book teaches simple, powerful, and practical techniques that show step-by-step how to find good businesses for sale, how to contact prospective sellers, how to simply and quickly evaluate businesses, how to negotiate favorable terms, how to finance the business with the least money down, how to negotiate owner financing, how to protect yourself from the unknown when structuring contract terms, how to work with a closing attorney, how to close the deal, and much more. It teaches you one question to ask that will tell you know right up front how much income you will earn from any business. You are taught 10 easy-to-follow steps to business ownership. Three case studies are discussed throughout the book in which the author was involved as a principal or as a broker. This book isn't theory. It is based on the author's 30 years of buying, owning, and operating small businesses.

The pros and cons of buying an existing business versus starting a new one or purchasing a franchise are discussed. The authors tells how to quickly and easily discover what your personal income from the business will be, before you waste a lot of time evaluating the deal. The author lists easy evaluation formulas for most types of businesses. He developed his system over the years operating businesses in such diverse fields as retailing, newspapers, insurance agencies, investment management and brokerage, dry cleaning, printing, community newspapers, property management, copying centers, and packing and shipping. His simple, straightforward system will work for any business. This is a guidebook for today's new entrepreneur who wants to never again have to worry about job security because they are successfully employed in a business of their own. The book even has blank forms which can be used in your quest to find the right business.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This is a powerful book that will help you find and buy a business of your own in as little as 30 days. What makes this book so valuable is the author's experience, as a small business owner, as a teacher, and as a writer. The first business he owned was a community newspaper, where he was part owner, publisher, editor, reporter, writer, advertising salesman, and business manager. His reporter's writing style wastes no words, but gets right to point of telling you just what you need to know to get the job done quickly. He has "been there and done that" and has the ability to tell you in an enjoyable, non-technical, and easy style how to do it too. This is a by-the-numbers guide with plenty of information you are looking for, but not a lot technical blather with little practical value to you in the real world. This book is written for the first-time buyer with little or no experience in owning a business, not for the Harvard MBA, but he could teach them a thing or two as well.

From the Author

I wrote this book because I've seen so many opportunities to purchase businesses with just a little or no money down that I want people to know how plentiful they are and how easy they are to buy. A person doesn't need a lot of money to buy a business. One doesn't need a Harvard MBA to be successful in business either. One needs desire, common sense, and a willingness to work to accomplish long-term goals, and one needs a plan of action. This book provides the plan of action.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 128 pages
• Publisher: Gardner Publications; 1 edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965916316
• ISBN-13: 978-0965916318
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,651,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, November 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Buy A Business With Little Or No Cash Down! (Spiral-bound)

I bought 3 books to learn about purchasing a business. This one is by far the best I've read. The author gives realistic rules of thumb that you can use to evaluate any business based on the gross sales - how much you can expect to pay for it and how much you can expect to profit from it. I recommend this book to anyone who is considering owning their own business.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This worked like a charm!, April 20, 2002

By 

J. A. (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Buy A Business With Little Or No Cash Down! (Spiral-bound)

I used the techniques outlined in this book and bought a business without paying even one dollar out of my pocket. I highly recommend these techniques, but you have to be willing to work, and to work the system.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too difficult to implement, March 24, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How To Buy A Business With Little Or No Cash Down! (Spiral-bound)

Most sellers of small businesses expect all cash deals. Taking them from that to carrying a majority of the purchase price is a looong way. When I read this book, it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, and didn't answer my questions effectively on how to actually make this kind of deal happen in reality. I ended up not using anything in the book, when I made my business purchase.