Buying a Business Articles For Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners

Franchises Are Turnkey Business Opportunities

Turn the Key—Open the Door—Start Making Sales For people exploring the prospects of starting their own business, a strong argument for buying a franchise involves the “turnkey” aspect of things.  While not every franchise business opportunity is a turnkey business opportunity—more about that below—every franchise has the potential for making a grand opening an easy […]

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Buy a Franchise or Start Your Own Business

Living the Self-Employment Dream Many people think about owning and running a business all their own, with no one to answer to but themselves.  The two most common ways of achieving this dream involve starting your own business or buying a franchise.  Each has pros and cons, and you must examine your personal preferences, business […]

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Is Franchising a Safer Path for Entrepreneurs?

Business Start-Ups Are Risky According to statistics compiled by the SBA (Small Business Administration), a U.S. government agency responsible for, among other things, guaranteeing loans to owners of small businesses, somewhere around 33 percent of new ventures fail within their first two years. When deciding whether or not to start a business, an entrepreneur must […]

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Franchise Financing: How to Find Financing to Buy a Franchise

Taking the Money Step There are many factors to consider when buying a franchise.  You have to decide what industry to enter, what form of operation your franchise will take, and which brand to represent.  No single decision is more important, however, than figuring out where the money comes from.  Very few people have enough […]

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Five Secrets to Buying a Great Business in Uncertain Times

Plenty of Economic Challenges The Dow Jones Industrial Average continues to show erratic behavior and the unemployment picture remains bleak despite recent government intervention.  In spite of disappointing economic news that never seems to end, there are still some terrific opportunities out there for entrepreneurs who want to buy an existing small business.  Uncertain times […]

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How to Investigate a Franchise

Look Before You Leap – Or Buy a Franchise Once you have convinced yourself that a buying a franchise is in your future, you will want to do a great deal of investigating before signing on the dotted line and writing a big, fat check.  There are a number of things to look for when […]

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How to Buy a Small Business for Sale

What is a Small Business? Although the term is somewhat malleable depending upon where you live, a “small business” is generally considered to be one that is privately owned and operated—that is, not a public company listed on any sort of stock exchange—with fewer than 100 employees (or fewer than 50 in the European Union).  […]

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Top 10 Pizza Franchises in 2009

Pizza Franchise Review The pizza business includes both mom-and-pop establishments as well as some of the largest corporate players in the world of franchising.  Because ingredients are relatively inexpensive and equipment is minimal – the most you need is a pizza oven, a clean workspace, and some well-trained pizza flippers – owning a pizza franchise […]

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Eight Tips on Writing a Business Plan for Your Franchise

Do I Need a Franchise Business Plan? Unless you have enough money to buy a franchise outright, including all the start-up costs and a nice safety net of cash to carry you through the lean times until your business is more firmly established – of course you need a business plan!  Even if you’re independently […]

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Can Accountants Value a Business For Sale?

Short Answer… Yes. The Concept of Business Valuation Whether you own a business and want to sell it, or else you’re an entrepreneur who desires to buy an existing small business, somehow or other you need to know what the company is worth.  On the selling side, the plan is to make the price low […]

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How To Use 401(k) For Business Financing – 401k To Buy a Business

Creative Business Financing There are a number of interesting ways to finance a business purchase.  The most traditional method involves securing a loan from a bank or a credit union.  You could also pool funds from friends and relatives or ask the seller to carry a note for a portion of the purchase price, or […]

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What Are Different Types of Franchise Ownership?

Choices – Lots of Choices The decision to buy a franchise as your entry into the world of business ownership should not be taken lightly.  Franchising is one of the most popular ways for people to run their own business, but even that field can be divided into subsidiary choices.  Once you have determined that […]

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Franchise Investment vs. Return – How Do You Find Franchises With Great Return On Investment (ROI)?

What is ROI? There are a number of technical definitions to describe the business term ROI, or “return on investment”.  For example, InvestorWords.com says, “A measure of a corporation’s profitability, equal to a fiscal year’s income divided by common stock and preferred stock equity, plus long-term debt.  But what does that mean to a prospective […]

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The Role of a Franchisee – Franchisee Responsibilities

Franchising: A Two-Way Street After choosing to purchase a franchise, you rightfully expect the parent company to come through with a great deal of support.  After all, you are forking over tens of thousands of hard-earned dollars in the form of a franchise fee, not to mention additional sums of cash for equipment, supplies, inventory, […]

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Should You Buy a Franchise After You Retire?

Retirement Is Not a Dead End Americans today are living longer than ever and enjoying an active lifestyle at a more advanced age than their parents ever did.  A famous saying from a decade or two ago was, “Forty is the new thirty.”  When it comes to business owners, though, you might say, “Seventy is […]

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How to Value a Business

Why Business Valuation Is Important The process of arriving at an accurate assessment when valuing a business is perhaps the most challenging aspect of any prospective small business purchase.  A seller has arrived at a specific price he or she wants for the company, and one must determine if that business value is accurate.  Pay […]

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First-Time Business Buyers: What You Need To Know

Taking the Entrepreneurial Leap Making the transition from worker bee to small business owner involves a great deal of time, effort, money, and personal commitment.  It is not a decision to be made hastily nor taken lightly.  There are certain questions you need to ask and certain elements to consider, with every step along the […]

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E-2 Visas: What is a E-2 Visa?

Investing in the United States from Overseas Depending upon the state of the U.S. dollar and its relative value against various foreign currencies, overseas investors may find that putting their money into U.S. investments will grant them a very favorable rate of return.  For foreign nationals who wish to take this path, the U.S. government […]

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Franchise Scams – Franchisees Beware!

Let the Buyer Beware The old adage, “A fool and his money are soon parted,” is never more appropriate than for people who are looking to buy a franchise.  There are literally thousands of business opportunities out there for an entrepreneur who wants to own a business.  But as with any situation that involves spending […]

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How to Buy Medical and Dental Labs

No matter what field of medicine you work, the majority of offices and practices need some sort of lab work done for patients.  Many places have on-site medical and dental labs while other practices send their lab work out to specific medical and dental labs.  Prior to buying a medical or dental lab it is […]

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