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The Smartest Entrepreneurial Decision You Will Ever Make

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Information that can change your life from our free special report, The 10 Golden Rules for Buying a Business

If you spend any time on this blog, you'll soon catch the excitement about starting your own business. Entrepreneurship is so hot here, it's like a bonfire.

Today, I'd like to throw a new log onto that fire for you to consider. It's another kind of entrepreneurship: buying a business.

I've been buying and selling businesses all my life. I actually started my first when I was 12 and sold it when I was 13 - a true story. Since then, I have bought more than 10 businesses. I have started businesses too. Based on my experience, I know that buying a business offers a reliable, quick path to independence and wealth.

In future blog posts, I will give advice that you need to hear before buying a business. I'll cover negotiating your deal and offer other "hard advice." But today, let me give you a list of compelling reasons why buying a business, not starting one, can be your first step toward becoming a triumphant entrepreneur.

When you buy a business, you get these benefits:

  • On your first day you own your business, a customer will probably call. That is a statement that very few people can make when starting business of their own.
  • You get to review financial information about the business you will buy. That helps you decide whether to buy the business or not. But it serves other purposes too, such as showing you where you can improve operations or cut costs to generate greater profits.
  • You can negotiate on price. There are many reasons why people sell businesses for reduced prices. Perhaps they want to retire. Perhaps they have started other businesses and need quick cash. Perhaps they simply like you and want to see you take over the businesses they built. You will be struck by how many bargains are available.
  • Your dollar goes a lot farther. You save the costs of buying brand-new equipment, acquiring facilities, staffing up - and lots more. You get a lot more bang for your buck when buying a business.
  • Your new business can be a platform for additional enterprises. Perhaps the seller sees his company as little more than an accounting firm. But you see that you can expand it into financial planning, investment counseling, lending, business consulting - and more. You're not just buying a business. You are getting a platform for new activities and remarkable success.

So should you buy a business? In coming weeks I will throw more logs on the fire to help you decide. Buying a business changed my life and I know that it will change yours too.

Richard Parker is author of the free special report, The 10 Golden Rules for Buying a Business. An authority on business acquisition, Richard is developing a soon-to-be-launched new home study course, The Art of Buying a Business for Trump University.

Trump University Professor Richard Parker developed Trump University's self-paced multimedia home-study course on Buying a Business. Professor Parker bought his first business when he was 12 and sold it for a profit when he was 13. He has now bought more than 10 businesses and is a national authority on the subject.

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11 Comments

[-] Posted by Roy Duvall on 08/31/2006 1:17 PM
I wonder if tht's a better bet than starting your own biz from scratch. Hadn't thought about it before. Wondering if it's more risky or less.

I work in a "cube farm" and want to get out of here at some point but there is a lot to think about. Read some stuff
[-] Posted by Jonathan R. Zuckerman on 08/31/2006 3:37 PM
What business could a 12 year old boy legally buy??????????
[-] Posted by Karen Oates on 08/31/2006 6:27 PM
So good to see so much valuable information - I am about to purchase another business and find all this invaluable. Keep it coming!
[-] Posted by Mickey on 09/01/2006 12:56 AM
How should you buy a business if you don't have any money?
[-] Posted by Richard Parker on 09/01/2006 2:56 PM
It's so nice to receive this feedback on my blog. Great comments from all. I want to address a few points that have been made:

Mickey - While there is an investment required to buy any business, you may be surprised to learn some of the creative ways in which you can arrange financing. I am a huge believer in seller financed deals. You may want to get a copy of the free report to get a flavor of this option.

Karen - thank you for your kind words. Rest assured there is a lot a great information coming your way via this blog.

Jonathan - I pologize but you actually caught an error. I actually started the business and then sold it. When it was sold, I realized how much better a business it was than having gone through the start up, regardless of the small scale and I decided that buying ongoing ones was the way to go despite the fact that i was only 13 at the time. I was of the lucky few who knew early on what I wanted to do. I guess the rest is history as they say.

Roy - While each situation is diffent, on the whole, an existing business is infinitely less risky than a start up. Michael Sexton's blog has some great points about this so take a moment and read it.

That's all folks. Thanks again for your insightful contributions and I look forward to more.
[-] Posted by Crazy to Sell on 09/02/2006 1:20 AM
I feel weird with buy business and sell business. The fact world always mix up between business and friends. The genuine rule is BUSINESS IS BUSINESS and FRIEND IS FRIEND. I believe Donald Trump is the same faith with me!
[-] Posted by Daniel A. Edoho on 09/02/2006 2:25 PM
I want to say that I am happy to associated with this university and I want to use this medium to commend on your contributions towards ensuring the sustainable devlopment of education.

Best regards
[-] Posted by Bharat Motwani on 09/03/2006 2:31 PM
Thanks Richard for the free report. Can you however illustrate the point of seller financed deals perhaps with an example or two in order to give me a flavor of how it could be used. Warm regards.
[-] Posted by MULI on 09/04/2006 4:04 AM
Hi everyone. Just pleased to have access to such helpful information online. Special thanks to Mr.Parker, who finds the time to respond to future businessmen questions.
[-] Posted by Richard Parker on 09/05/2006 8:45 PM
I'm back! Thank you for your kind words everyone - and Muli it's a pleasure for me to address any questions that are raised on my blog. I think that's what can really make these forums helpful to people. A point was tabled
[-] Posted by Yolanda on 09/09/2006 6:59 AM
I bought a business once,when I was 23...I wasn't ready then, mentally, to take control of all the responsibility that comes along w/ be an entepeneur- I wanted everthing FAST! Especially money which ultimately was a big mistake... now 8yrs later- I'm ready to give it another try...it HAS to be a success. I now see my mistakes & weaknesses-they are my strengths. Wealth is still a motivator, however I now know that PATIENCE is also "wealth"!
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