Check out this great article by The Wall Street Journal... it aptly summarizes the reasons that purchasing an existing business is sometimes better... By: Sarah E. NeedlemanJuly 31, 2011 Accidential Entrepreneur, WSJ.com Last year, Mark Shelstad set to become his own boss after concluding that his portfolio-manager job had become unstable. But instead of trying to build a company from the ground up, the Chicago-area resident began searching for an existing one he could buy.
"I didn't have a creative idea worthy of starting a business from scratch," says Mr. Shelstad, who is in his mid-50s. Also, "I wanted to get up and running quickly due to my age."
After a few months of research and negotiations, Mr. Shelstad earlier this month purchased a 23-year-old lending-fraud investigation firm, which he renamed Armitage Investigative Services. He used a combination of personal savings and a five-year loan form the seller to cover the purchase price of more than $1 million.
If you're interested in entrepreneurship, but lack ideas or time to create a new business, buying an established company may be a wise alternative. You'll inherit a working infrastructure complete with resources you'd otherwise have to secure on your own, such as equipment and employees. You'll also ideally be taking over a known brand built on a positive reputation over many year's time.
To read the full article... click here.
