Everything you need to buy a business
The clearest free guides for finding, financing, valuing, and closing your first acquisition.
New here? Follow the path.
1. How to buy a business → 2. Find deals → 3. Value them → 4. Finance with an SBA loan → 5. Do diligence & close → 6. Run it & grow.
New in the library
Buying a trucking company · Buying a home care business · Buying a construction business · Buying an electrical business · Buying an insurance agency · Buying a pharmacy · Buying a funeral home · Junk removal: start or buy? · Buying a self-storage facility · Buying a dental practice · What is deal sourcing? · Business acquisition financing · Best ways to learn business acquisition · Buying a business in Texas · Buying a business in Florida · Buying a business in New Jersey · What an M&A attorney does · What is acquisition due diligence?
How to Buy a Business
The master guide: the full process end-to-end, how much money you need, and what to expect.
Read the pillar → FinancingSBA Loans
The 7(a) program explained, down payment, seller notes, DSCR, timelines, and 2026 rule changes.
Explore → SourcingFinding Businesses for Sale
Marketplaces, off-market deal sourcing, outreach scripts, and reading a listing for red flags.
Explore → The numbersValuation
SDE vs EBITDA, add-backs, industry multiples, and how much to actually offer.
Explore → StructuringDeal Structures
The honest "no money down" math, seller financing, ROBS/401(k), investor capital, and search funds.
Explore → ClosingClosing & Due Diligence
LOIs, due-diligence checklists, quality of earnings, purchase agreements, and closing day.
Explore → TaxesBuyer-Side Taxes
Goodwill amortization, bonus depreciation, entity choice, and the tax benefits of buying.
Explore → OwnershipAfter You Buy
The first 90 days: announcing to employees, retaining the team, and the transition.
Explore → ScalingHoldcos & Scaling
Buying your second business, roll-ups, holding companies, and micro-PE.
Explore → By industryBy Industry
Playbooks for buying an HVAC, laundromat, plumbing, car wash, accounting firm, and more.
Explore → For youBy Your Situation
Laid off, over 50, veteran, keeping your job, buying your employer, or buying with a partner.
Explore → AdvisorsBusiness Brokers
How brokers get paid, getting them to send you deals, and the red flags to watch.
Explore →
“Here's how regular people buyWatch the free training
a business with the bank's money.” Free training with Ben Kelly