Buying a Business Next Year? Start With the Map

Most buyers wait for a broker and see the same listings as everyone else. In one sector we mapped 411 companies and almost none were for sale. Three steps to a different place to start.

The full picture is on the Buy a business page.

Transcript

Say you've got the cash and you want to buy a competitor by this time next year. Where do you start? Most buyers wait for a broker and see the same listings as everyone else. In one sector we mapped 411 companies across seven Scottish areas, almost none of them were for sale. So in the next minute, a different place to start, in three steps.

One, write down what you want, size, place, what it does, what it would add to you. Two, put the whole sector on a map, every company, not just the ones with a for sale sign. Three, rank them against your list. A shortlist, each with a line on why it fits. The best fit is usually a business nobody knew was for sale, because it wasn't until someone asked.

That's the difference between waiting for the market and reading it. Find the right one before you fall for the wrong one. Book a 15 minute call.