When you start your program to purchase your "ideal" company, you quickly realize that your ultimate success will depend on two primary skill sets: 1) Your ability to FIND viable companies that are for sale, and 2) Your ability to effectively qualify the potential acquisition investment once found.
This article is about only step one, how to creatively find viable companies and one's that are able to be purchased.
Assuming you have clearly defined your business purchase criteria and you have decided to pursue only companies that are "officially" for sale, versus attempting to find and contact company owners who might be willing to sell, you will need to explore as many ways as you can to find companies for sale as possible.
As a business buyer you want to use the best means possible to position yourself to get the first shot at your most promising acquisition candidates and to do such in as cost effective means as possible.
Often the more "creative" you are to find deals, the quicker you'll find the "right" deal. The more diverse your means to locate viable companies for sale the better your chances of finding a quality acquisition candidate that few others are aware of.
When you are pursuing acquisition candidates you really never know where your next deal will come from. It could be word-of- mouth, something your read in a newspaper, a visit to a website or a lead from an association meeting. Listed below are a variety of ways you can use to find businesses to buy:
25 Ways to Find Businesses For Sale
* Investment Bankers: Regional, National, International
* Investment Banker websites: Listings of businesses for sale
* Business Brokers: Regional and National
* Business Brokerage websites: Listings of businesses for sale
* Venture Capital Firms: Good referral potential
* Mezzanine Lenders: Regional, National, Always aware of potential deals
* Newspapers: Listings in Local, Regional, National and Industry specific
* Magazines: Listings in Regional, National and Industry specific
* Newsletters: Listings in printed or "Ezines" on the internet ? Industry specific
* Commercial Banks: Many of their clients are considering sale of their company
* Consultants: All varieties, many have extensive practices and many owner contacts
* Associations: All varieties, some are focused just on merger & acquisition activities
* Business Directories: All forms of printed and electronic, many industry specific
* M&A Service Providers: They know who is selling what often on a national basis
* Product Suppliers: Many product manufacturers/ distributors are in the know
* Trade Shows: Walk a trade show in an industry of interest, salesman love to talk!
* Accountants: Many have large practices with extensive business owner contacts
* Professors: Many provide consultative services to business owners or are board members
* Corporate Officers: Especially Corporate Development managers, seeking "spin-off's"
* Bank Trust Departments: Sometimes viable businesses surface in trust situations
* M&A Legal Specialists: Many are in the "crosswinds" of constant deal opportunities
* Networking Meetings: Your local business newspaper publishes many of these
* Technology Licensors: Always aware of companies getting "out" of new technologies
* Directory of Board Members: Board members typically know other board members
* Business Associates: Current and previous business associates and service providers
These "25 Ways to Find Businesses for Sale" are only a few of the creative means you can use to find acquisition candidates. Keep this list and add your own methods once you start your business pursuit program. With today's endless capabilities of the internet, its worldwide reach into various countries, industries and industry participants, there are countless variations for most of the means listed here.
As important about being proactive to locate companies to acquire you need to be as diligent to broadcast and document your specific business purchase interests and purchase criteria whenever and wherever possible. Business owners; individuals, corporations with multi divisions, merger and acquisition intermediaries, private equity firms need to know who you are and what specific businesses you seek to purchase.
This notification effort can be manifested in printed or "electronic" formats. The internet again is the most cost effective means to document your exact business purchase criteria and interests. However, be aware that there are few e commerce sites that specifically accommodate proactive business buyer needs. Most business transaction websites focus on listing businesses for sale, facilitating primarily business sellers needs, not business buyers.
Take the time and effort to research and try all these different means to locate companies to buy. Some will be more productive than others, while some may be more accommodating to your specific business pursuit requirements. You must do what you must to throw away as much hay as you can to get to that needle in the stack!
About the Author:
Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria.
While writing an article recently on effective ways to bridge... Read More
When you start your program to purchase your "ideal" company,... Read More
Strategic alliances are increasing at a rapid rate. It is... Read More
It's easy to lose sight of what needs to be... Read More
Let us look at a few of the big distribution... Read More
Many business start-up kits or consultants will tell you one... Read More
The new check cashing instant clearing will take some time... Read More
Anyone who has been watching the Idaho Market Carefully for... Read More
Richard L. Daft one of the country's recognized academic leadership... Read More
Here is an abstract thought on studying nature and the... Read More
Business owners and entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and... Read More
As a business owner, you've likely created a hurricane plan... Read More
"I don't need a business plan."Neither did Alice in Wonderland."Would... Read More
If you own a mobile franchise business and wish to... Read More
Business plan financial projections seem daunting because they are so... Read More
If you're a solo professional like I am, you know... Read More
Many movies have been made about the tragic story of... Read More
Remember reading "Alice in Wonderland?"She asks the Cheshire Cat, "which... Read More
What do Mark Victor Hansen, Robert Allen, Anthony Robbins, Andrew... Read More
No matter what product or service you provide you will... Read More
Canada's lean leaders need to look beyond the horizon and... Read More
With the help of balanced scorecard strategy map, it is... Read More
One of the quintessential parts to any business is your... Read More
There is a story, about a business owner who wasn't... Read More
Is there really anything as a problem? Does chaos or... Read More
home cleaning services Wilmette ..I. INTRODUCTIONThe term resilience, which is of frequent use in... Read More
You might be thinking to yourself, "Why should I waste... Read More
Fun From The StartFor those with the will to start... Read More
After 128 years of business, a household word, Montgomery Wards,... Read More
The time when a website was just a simple set... Read More
When looking at Akron carefully one cannot help but notice... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits horizontal markets clientele and in case... Read More
No matter what product or service you provide you will... Read More
A focus group is a group of employees or current... Read More
One of the most powerful driving forces in human nature... Read More
Writing a business plan is no easy task, sure you... Read More
Note to Northwest Airlines ? It's not about fuel costsFor... Read More
This week I coached a wonderfully lovely woman I'll call... Read More
Growth through acquisition should not be considered an option reserved... Read More
If you own the mid-size business and actively work in... Read More
Business seems to drop, slow or even stop during the... Read More
A recent conversation started with a typical question, "How's business?"... Read More
Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word... Read More
Many movies have been made about the tragic story of... Read More
Business planning is widely acknowledged as one of the keys... Read More
If you're a solo professional like I am, you know... Read More
While writing an article recently on effective ways to bridge... Read More
One of the quintessential parts to any business is your... Read More
Please take a moment before you read any further and... Read More
"Bozo" ? A clown with a forlorn look, always finding... Read More
Strategic Planning |