There are a lot of details that can be easily overlooked if you aren’t doing due diligence. From analyzing the competitive marketplace to examining the top buyer mistakes, we’ve compiled a list of our six most popular blog posts to provide the wealth of information you need as you consider purchasing a business:

This one of the most frequently asked questions we receive, and we go in-depth to provide all you need to know in this post. We examine the amount needed for a down payment—which can vary depending upon if the business is SBA financeable. We also explain the additional costs that are involved when closing the deal.

It’s National Small Business Month. What are the key personality traits of the successful business owner?

It takes something special to risk everything and jump into the entrepreneurial ring. The business owner gives up the security of a regular paycheck, the predictability of schedule, and luxury at the end of the day to know – no matter how much you care – that it is someone else’s problem.

Vacation - it's often an elusive concept for the owners of small businesses. Even when owners do take time off, chances are they're still checking in constantly, which has become increasingly easy to do in this age of the smartphone and ever-omnipresent Internet connectivity. The ironic thing is that this constant owner involvement can actually be detrimental to the value of the business from the perspective of potential buyers.

An owner-driven business is not as attractive as a business that has an in-place team of employees that can provide continuity and assist in the growth of the business under new ownership. An enterprise with infrastructure guiding its revenue-generating capacity is much more appealing than one with a singular person holding the key to the revenue engine. It is important to have systems running the business and an experienced staff running those systems.

Death is not an exit strategy. Protect your livelihood and your legacy.

One stat that doesn’t need research to prove: 100% of business owners will exit their business someday—either by design or by default. That’s why business owners must begin their succession planning, and successor development, as early as possible.” (Mass Mutual’s 2018 Business Owner Perspectives Study)

All business owners, in one way or another, will exit from their businesses either during their lifetime or when they pass away.

The question is: Will your business exit be on your terms or someone else’s?