HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company (HBR Guide Series)
by Richard S. Ruback, Royce Yudkoff
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Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical 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. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to work, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success.
But finding the right business to buy and closing the deal isn't always easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you:
- Determine if this path is right for you
- Raise capital for your acquisition
- Find and evaluate the right prospects
- Avoid the pitfalls that could derail your search
- Understand why a "dull" business might be the best investment
- Negotiate a potential deal with the seller
- Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute
Discussion questions for HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company (HBR Guide Series)
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- 1
How does the idea of buying an existing small business compare to the traditional career paths of climbing the corporate ladder or founding a high-risk startup?
- 2
What personal traits, risk tolerances, and professional skills do you think are most essential for someone taking on the role of a first-time owner-operator?
- 3
The book suggests that "dull" businesses often make the best investments; how does this perspective challenge our cultural obsession with flashy, disruptive innovation?
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