HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business

Is small business

entrepreneurship right for you?

Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own startup seem too risky? There is a compelling third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—as well as personal and professional fulfillment. It means you can be your own boss, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success.

In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard S.

Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you:

• Determine if this is the right path for you
• Find and evaluate the best prospects
• Understand why a "dull" business might be the best investment
• Raise capital for your acquisition
• Negotiate a potential deal with the seller
• Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute

Authors: Richard S. Ruback, Royce Yudkoff