There’s a huge learning curve when it comes to buying your first business. Not only is the process long, but without the right guidance, it’s easy to make poor decisions. And one bad decision can make or break the long term success of your investment. One of the best ways to ease the anxiety and build your confidence in making the right buy decision is to learn from the mistakes of others. In this post we’ve curated a list of articles that outline some of the most common mistakes business buyers make. A few common items that we found on more than one list:

• Buying more business than you are financially prepared to handle.
• Making too many changes too soon in your new business
• Not doing your due diligence (including proper financial analysis and forecasting)
• Not having the right business structure - buying a business in your own name

• 7 Mistakes Made When Buying a Business
• 14 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Buying a Business
• Top 10 Mistakes Made When Buying a Business
• These are Six Common Mistakes Business Buyers Make
• Avoid These Five Mistakes in Buying a Business

Bonus Links:  if you’ve already purchased a business, you can learn from these articles we found on mistakes that new business owners make.

• 10 Fatal Mistakes Most Small Business Owners make
• 27 Real-Life Small Business Mistakes and What They Learned (Three Part Series)

Tags: Untagged

Advice for anyone looking to buy a small business in the United States.

Tags: buyers, small business, buying a business, sba, franchise

It is always good to check all the details when you buy a business for sale
since the proces can be complex.

Tags: buying a business, buyers, sales agreement

Thinking about buying into a franchise instead of starting your business from scratch? Great idea! Here are some tips on what to look for...

Tags: business buyers, small business, buying a business, franchise

Whether you're thinking of buying a $100,000 tutoring company or an $11 million dollar trucking company, you’ll want to do some serious homework.

Here are a few key factors to look into before you sign on the dotted line and close the deal:

Tags: Untagged

If upfront cash is the only thing keeping you from buying your dream business, consider these alternatives for financing your purchase from Entrepreneur.com:

Tags: ESOP, business financing, buying a business

It's a given that a good business plan is critical if you are starting a business from scratch. But what about when you are buying an existing business? Tim Berry of Palo Alo Software (which specializes in business planning tools) has some great suggestions to consider when planning to buy an existing business.

Tags: Untagged

The boomer generation spans many years creating a unique situation in the business world. Aging boomers are looking toward retirement, while many younger boomers find they're ready to be their own boss. For those younger boomers, and others looking to be a business owner, buying an existing business is a great option.

Tags: Untagged