Acquisitions and Buying Existing Cash Flow

What this category covers

Sometimes the smartest way to start a business is to buy one that already works. This category covers the whole craft: what's worth buying (websites, laundromats, boring essential businesses), how deals are structured (seller financing, earnouts, asset versus stock), and the diligence that separates durable cash flow from an expensive mistake.

Start vs Buy

• Start versus Buy
• Micro-acquisitions
• Buying Websites
• Buying Newsletters
• Buying Local Services
• Buying E-commerce Stores
• Vending Routes

What People Actually Buy

• Rental Business Acquisitions
• Laundromats
• Storage Businesses
• Boring Businesses
• Seller Financing in Acquisitions
• Earnouts in Acquisitions
• Asset Purchase versus Stock Purchase

Deal Structures

• Hidden Liabilities in Deals
• Customer Concentration in Deals
• Employee Dependence
• Owner Dependence
• Quality of Earnings
• Add-backs
• Revenue Verification in Deals

Verifying the Numbers

• Churn in Acquisitions
• Deal Sourcing
• Off-market Deals
• Brokered Deals
• Roll-up Strategies
• Operational Improvements
• Cheap Bad Business versus Expensive Good Business

After the Close

• The First 100 Days
• Integrations
• Acquisition Value versus Chaos
• Letters of Intent
• Representations and Warranties
• The Purchase Agreement

Related tools

• Business Acquisition Valuation Calculator
• Seller Financing Calculator

Related case studies

• A Regional Equipment Rental Operator
• A First-Time Laundromat Acquisition

Related research

• Small Business Acquisition Market Overview
• Operator Playbook: Buying a Boring Business