Investing Information

25 Ways to Find Companies to Buy


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. msmock@business-buyer-directory.com


MORE RESOURCES:

AFP

CIC Head Wary of Investing in Western Banks
Wall Street Journal - 17 hours ago
Lou Jiwei, who head's China Investment Corp., said the uncertainty surrounding Western banks and the policy decisions that may determine their fate makes it ...
UPDATE 1-China wealth fund lacks stomach for financial buys Reuters
Head of China's biggest government investment fund says not ... In-Forum
China reluctant to invest in foreign banks The Associated Press
Channel News Asia
all 234 news articles


Toss your stock-investing assumptions, Bill Gross says
Los Angeles Times, CA - 18 hours ago
So says Bill Gross, noted bond guru at Pacific Investment Management Co. in Newport Beach. Perhaps not surprisingly, Gross argues that it’s “better to own ...


Ziegler Exchange Traded Trust Announces Change to Previously ...
MarketWatch - 3 hours ago
Prospective purchasers of the NYSE Arca Tech 100 ETF should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. ...


Oyak Cement says investing despite shrinking market
Reuters - 9 hours ago
ISTANBUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Turkey's Oyak Cement Group said on Wednesday it was pressing ahead with investments despite an expected 10 percent decline in ...


AFP

Recessions Are Perfect for Currency Investing
Seeking Alpha, NY - 6 hours ago
One thing that I love about the currency market is that there is always a currency or two going up at all times, even when stocks and commodities are ...
Yen Gains on Concern Recession Will Spur Repatriation of Funds Bloomberg
Recession Will Kill These Four Currencies in 2009 World Currency Watch
Market Overview by Forex Yard Forex Hound
Forex Factory - istockAnalyst.com (press release)
all 422 news articles


Research and Markets: Wall Street's Buried Treasure: The Low ...
MarketWatch - Dec 2, 2008
BILL KRAFT, trader, speaker, trading coach, and author of Trade Your Way to Wealth "Investing without Wall Street's Buried Treasure is like trying to live ...
A Blitz of Funds Reopen for Business U.S. News & World Report
Fidelity to Open Contrafund, Low-Priced Stock Fund (Update1) Bloomberg
all 42 news articles


A slow and steady investing strategy
CNNMoney.com - 6 hours ago
Investor Daily: During the flat market of 1966-1982, investors who kept investing every month earned better returns. By Adam Lashinsky, senior writer SAN ...


ProFunds Group Names Todd Johnson Chief Investment Officer
MarketWatch - Dec 2, 2008
Mr. Johnson, formerly with World Asset Management, will oversee all investment operations for ProShares ETFs and ProFunds mutual funds. ...


Global Investing Roundups
Money Morning - Dec 2, 2008
NBER: US in Recession Since Dec. 2007; Fed Reserve Could Buy T-Bills; JP Morgan Sees 0% Interest Rates; Pilgrim’s Pride Files for Bankruptcy Protection; ...


Stockhouse Launches Ticker Trax by Thom Calandra Service
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
Calandra covered the financial market for 25 years and was the San Francisco Examiner's daily investing columnist. He has appeared on the CBS Evening News, ...

Investing - Google News

home | site map
© 2006