Of the three major categories of investments—real estate, paper assets, and businesses—investing in a business is the riskiest proposition. But owning a business also has potential rewards, both personal and professional, that other types of investments cannot match.
This detailed and useful book—part of Garrett Sutton’s Rich Dad Advisors series, which complements Robert Kiyosaki’s bestseller Rich Dad Poor Dad by utilizing that book’s concepts in a how-to format—presents strategies for investing in a business from both a buyer’s and seller’s perspective.
Sutton outlines every aspect of business sales, from confidentiality agreements, to the valuation of a business, to the negotiations between buyer and seller. He discusses how to build a team of trusted associates, including a lawyer, an accountant and business broker, and describes strategies for structuring a purchase agreement. When explaining various kinds of agreements, the author details exactly what should appear in each document and the meaning of each section in them.
Sutton makes effective use of brief, informal case studies, using examples from a range of industries and business types, from manufacturing, to consumer products, to franchise restaurants. He also emphasizes the personal aspects of buying a business: the lengthy preparation required and how to determine if one has “the right entrepreneurial personality.” (In his opening chapter, Sutton provides a useful checklist for prospective business buyers that helps them assess their entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses and pinpoint what they want from their careers.)
Sutton has a background as a corporate attorney, but his book is remarkably free of jargon and needless complexity. He defines the terms he uses while writing in a clear, straightforward style.
Buying & Selling a Business collects impressive business and legal experience and acumen in one volume. All told, It offers a valuable resource for novices and serial entrepreneurs alike.
Also available as an ebook and audiobook.
