Resources · Buying a Business

Guides for buying a business.

Finding, assessing, valuing and financing an acquisition.

Featured guide

What to Look for When Buying a Business

A business can look attractive at first glance. Revenue is growing, profits are healthy and the asking price seems reasonable.

How to Value a Business Before You Buy It

One of the most important questions when buying a business is also one of the hardest to answer:

How to Find the Right Business to Buy

Finding businesses for sale is relatively easy. Finding the right business to buy is much harder.

How to Finance a Business Acquisition

You don’t necessarily need to have the full purchase price sitting in the bank to buy a business.

How to Buy a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

Buying an existing business can be a great way to become a business owner, expand an existing company or enter a new market without starting from scratch. Instead of building customers, employees, systems and revenue from day one, you’re acquiring a business that already has them. But finding a business that looks attractive is only

Heads of Terms When Buying a Business: What You Need to Know

Once you’ve found a business you want to buy and agreed the main commercial points with the seller, the next step is often to document those terms. This is usually done through Heads of Terms, sometimes referred to as Heads of Agreement or a Letter of Intent. Heads of Terms set out the key principles

Due Diligence When Buying a Business: A Practical Checklist

Due diligence is your opportunity to properly investigate a business before you buy it. By this stage, you will usually have agreed the main commercial terms of the acquisition and have a good understanding of the business. Due diligence is about testing that understanding. You are looking to confirm the financial performance, understand the risks

Asset Purchase vs Share Purchase: What’s the Difference?

When you buy a business, one of the first structural questions is what exactly you are buying. In the UK, many acquisitions are structured as either a share purchase or an asset purchase. With a share purchase, you buy the shares in the company that owns and operates the business. With an asset purchase, you

10 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Business

Buying an established business can give you a significant head start. You are acquiring customers, revenue, employees and infrastructure that might otherwise take years to build. But an acquisition can also go wrong if you misunderstand what you’re buying, pay too much or underestimate what happens after completion. Here are ten common mistakes buyers should