Buying a business seems to be an easy way to enter the business world. However, it can be hazardous if you do not know your way around the financial figures or legal aspects. Remember, buy only where you have skill to manage and develop the business. When negotiating with the seller it is important for you to have the following questions answered – What is the real reason for the sale? No one is going to sell the goose that lays the golden egg. What are you buying? Before deciding on the final purchase price, carefully consider these points.

During negotiations for the purchase of an established business, it is inevitable that the aspect of goodwill will play a factor in the final price paid. That said, determining goodwill is anything but an exact science and can become a moving target during buyer/seller negotiations. There are however, certain factors that need to be taken into account and these can be unique to certain businesses. This article explains the concept of goodwill, and what to consider when negotiating it.

While looking for a solid business to buy, you will no doubt spend many hours deliberating over whether the business itself is the right one for you and ensuring, as far as possible, that the past financial performance of the operation is a fair indication of what to expect in the future. Once you've acquired a business, probably the most important focus area will be sustainability. As the new owner, you will have to decide which aspects of the business will ensure this sustainability. This article looks at some of those aspects.

One of the things you have to think about carefully when starting or buying a business is where it is or will be housed. The location of your business can either make or break it, depending on all the circumstances involved, so it's not a decision to be made hastily and without some experienced advice. For those of you who have no clue about where to start, here are some points to ponder. There are many factors that will influence your decision, but let's look at the most important issues to get you in the right frame of mind.

For many years the due diligence investigation was carried out by the buyer, on the seller. However, with the new dynamics in our country and the substantial increases in the buying of businesses in the SME market, it is often found that the buyer cannot raise the finances for the purchase, and often knows little about the business he/she wants to buy. This article therefore looks at due diligence from the seller's perspective. It is important for sellers to know how to control the buying process.

When asked, the majority of entrepreneurs will tell you that access to finance is their greatest challenge. Funders may target certain industries, types of business or even geographical areas. By knowing who and where these financiers are, you can approach the most appropriate organisation that meets your business's specific needs and goals. This document provides an overview of organisations that provide funding to the smallest micro businesses all the way through to medium-sized enterprises in South Africa.

If you're thinking about starting your own business, there are a number of questions you have to ponder before you can even start the process. These questions range from "Can you afford to start your own business?" and "Do you have the support of your family?" to "Do you have the necessary skills and experience?" and "Will the business yield adequate income?”

Whether you are considering buying or selling a business in the near future, the importance of preparing for either of the two cannot be underestimated – for most people, the buying and selling process will only happen once in their lives, so spending enough time on it is vital. It is impossible to cover every eventuality that may arise during the buying or selling process, but solid preparation upfront will help ensure that you achieve your respective goals within a satisfactory time frame and with a more than acceptable financial outcome.

Negotiating skills are critical when wishing to buy or sell businesses. Here are 3 similar case-studies, which have a direct bearing on the necessity of being able to negotiate to your best advantage. If you don't get it right, you pay too much and inherit many liabilities you don't need and can be bulldozed into accepting things that you had no intention of conceding – you may not even know at the time that you are conceding them.

In the past year or so I have been coaching many buyers of businesses, and giving legal advice on the wording of legal documents. Accordingly, this article is given mainly from the buyer's perspective. In particular, this article looks at how before buying a business, it is important to make sure you understand all the legal documents that you will be signing.

When starting your business, there are certain occasions when it's advisable to get professional advice. A lawyer, for example, can explain the conditions of your loan agreements, contracts and leases. On the other hand, entrepreneurs are at times so intimidated by certain processes that they hire professionals when they can actually do it themselves. So how do you know when it's best to call in an expert and when it's okay to do it yourself?

Many, many new entrepreneurs start out with something they are passionate about, something they love doing and are great at. But soon they find that the new business demands that they spend most of their time on things they really do not like to do at all. Those are also the things they mostly are not so good at. They have to force themselves to struggle through the tasks so that the business can survive, but this does not need to be the situation. In fact, you are more likely to succeed if you do something you love.

The Franchise Association of Southern Africa (FASA) is a trade association for franchisors, franchisees and the professional organizations that service the franchise industry. Its aim is to develop and safeguard the business environment for ethical franchising in South Africa. FASA is the only recognized representative body of the rapidly growing franchise industry. FASA’s criteria for membership conform to international best practices and are acknowledged by government and the public at large.

When you approach a potential financier to provide a loan for starting or expanding your business, it's best to be aware of some of the terminology that may be used and what they mean. This article provides you with a list of terms related to financing and finance that it would be helpful for you to know. While this list isn't the complete financing lexicon, it does point you in the right direction.

Due diligence is an investigation (not an audit) of a potential acquisition, to confirm, to the buyer's satisfaction, whether to carry on with the transaction or to withdraw. The extent of the investigation depends on the size of the transaction and regrettably for the small to medium deals, the investigation can be more complex than bigger deals, because of poor corporate governance, lack of legal compliance, poor accounting/administration systems and often taking short cuts with the tax man – hence the need for buyers to dig deep.

There is a lot of research that must be done before you buy an accommodation establishment. There are the obvious physical aspects like the location, size of the property, quality and age of the building, quality and condition of the furniture, fixtures and fittings as well as number and size of rooms. So now you have found the "perfect" B&B/guesthouse/lodge to buy. There are more questions you need to ask about the establishment and how it is run.

You may have decided that you want to get into the restaurant industry and rather than starting from scratch, you have found a small family restaurant you would like to buy. There is a lot of research that needs to be done and a number of things to consider before you decide to open a restaurant. This article looks at some of the questions that need to be answered and considerations to be kept in mind before taking the plunge.

If you're thinking about buying commercial property, knowing the ins and outs of buying in this sector will ensure that you make a sound investment with both short and long-term rewards. Buying a property for your business is a big decision to make, so do your homework before you commit to something you can't afford right now. Let's explore some of the most important issues around buying a business premises. Get out some pen and paper and start making notes.

It is very important that you understand the business you wish to start. Appraise your experience, likes and skills to determine if that business is a good fit. Through this article, you will learn how to make objective decisions when considering the purchase of a business or franchise, the pros and cons of buying a business or franchise, and how to evaluate how much you should pay.

Buy A Business was established more than 15 years ago and is a premium online resource, marketplace and listing directory for buying and selling of new and existing businesses and franchise opportunities. We aim to find buyers for sellers of businesses of all industries. Here you will be able to browse a number of businesses for sale or list your own business for sale. On this platform you will also be able to get advice or information on franchise opportunities, business valuation or investment opportunities. We offer the extended services of finding buyers/investors specific businesses required.