Buying a business, written plainly.
Deal breakdowns, SBA rule changes, and the lessons we learned buying real businesses.
The 5 Numbers That Tell You a Business Is Worth Buying
SDE, the multiple, DSCR, owner dependence, and customer concentration. Get these five right and most bad deals filter themselves out.
Read the checklist → Lessons
How to Vet a Business Broker Before You Waste a Call
The broker works for the seller. Here are the questions that expose a weak listing, the red flags to watch, and how to earn the off-market calls.
Read the lesson → Deal Breakdowns
Seller Financing: How to Ask Without Killing the Deal
A seller note can cut your cash to close and, on standby, count toward your SBA injection. Here is how it works and how to propose one.
See the structure → Lessons
Your First 90 Days After Closing: A Buyer’s Playbook
The fastest way to break a business you just bought is to fix it too early. Keep the people, learn the cash cycle, and change things last.
Read the playbook → SBA News
SBA 7(a) vs 504 for Buying a Business
Most acquisitions run on the 7(a) because it finances goodwill. The 504 is for real estate and equipment. Here is how to pick, and when to use both.
Compare the programs → Market Commentary
What Rising Rates Do to Your DSCR and Your Max Price
Three points of rate can quietly erase $200k of buying power on the same business. Here is the chain from prime rate to the price you can pay.
Run the numbers → Lessons
Buying a Business While Keeping Your W-2 Job
You do not always have to quit first, but SBA lenders expect an engaged owner. Which businesses suit a working owner, and where it gets risky.
Read the lesson → Market Commentary
Why Boring Businesses Beat Sexy Startups
A startup is a bet that anyone wants the thing. A boring, profitable business already has customers and pays you from day one. The whole thesis.
Read the thesis → SBA News
2026 SBA Rule Changes Every Business Buyer Needs to Know
SOP 50 10 8 rewrote the rules for acquisition loans, 10% injection, full-standby seller notes, and a new citizenship test. Here's what actually changed.
Read the breakdown → Deal Breakdowns
The Real Math of Buying a Business "With No Money Down"
We break down a $1M deal line by line to show where the cash actually comes from, and why "no money down" honestly means about a 5% floor.
See the numbers → Market Commentary
The Silver Tsunami Is a Buyer's Opportunity in 2026
Millions of boomer-owned businesses are hitting the market with no one to buy them. That gap is the single biggest tailwind for first-time buyers.
Read the case → Lessons
Why First-Time Buyers Search 18 Months and Quit
Most people who set out to buy a business never close one. It's rarely about money, it's five predictable traps that stall the search. Here's how to avoid them.
Read the lesson → Lessons
How to Read a Business-for-Sale Listing
SDE, "owner absentee," "motivated seller," add-backs, a broker listing is written to sell. Learn to translate it into what the business is really worth.
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