Here are some excellent podcasts and books for both business owners building or preparing to sell their business and entrepreneurs preparing to buy or start a business.
Buying and Selling a Business Books
Buy then Build by Walker Diebel
In Buy Then Build, acquisition entrepreneur Walker Deibel shows you how to begin with a sustainable, profitable company and grow from there. You’ll learn how to: ● Buy an existing company rather than starting from scratch ● Use ownership as a path to financial independence ● Spend a fraction of the time raising capital ● Find great brokers, generate your own “deal flow,” and see new listings early ● Uncover the best opportunities and biggest risks of any company ● Navigate the acquisition process ● Become a successful acquisition entrepreneur
Buy the book at Amazon – Buy then Build
Harvard Business Review: Guide to Buying a Small Business, by Professors Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you:
- Determine if this path is right for you
- Raise capital for your acquisition
- Find and evaluate the right prospects
- Avoid the pitfalls that could derail your search
- Understand why a “dull” business might be the best investment
- Negotiate a potential deal with the seller
- Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute
Buy the book HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business
e-book from Harvard Store $21.95
Amazon, hardcover, paperback, Kindle, & Audiobook
Google Books lowest cost ebook
Google Play lowest cost audio book
Own Your Future, Straight Talk about Buying a Business and Building Your Future, by William Grunau
In this comprehensive guide on owning your own future, you’ll learn:
- How to finance an acquisition with Small Business Administration financing;
- How to use your 401K or IRA funds to buy an Orange County business without penalties or taxes;
- How to write offers;
- How to conduct due diligence;
- How to develop a 100-day and first-year plan;
- How to develop an exit strategy
Order Own Your Future: Straight Talk about How to Buy a Business and Build Your Future from:
The Passion Economy, The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century
Adam Davidson, creator of NPR’s Planet Money and New Yorker staff writer, explores companies that successfully transformed from selling products that had become commodities with low margins, to thriving businesses. The stories are inspiring examples of what is possible, even with 100 year old businesses entrenched in their ways.
The Passion Economy, New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century https://www.amazon.com/Passion-Economy-Thriving-Twenty-First-Century/dp/0385353529
Buying and Selling a Business Podcasts
Think Big, Buy Small, Harvard Business Review
Professors Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff explore the path to entrepreneurship through the acquisition of an enduringly profitable small business. Based on their Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition course, episodes feature firsthand accounts from acquisition entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, along with insights and guidance on this unique journey.
Acquiring Minds Podcasts & Webinars, host Will Smith
Will Smith has been an entrepreneur for most of his professional career. Will has sold several of his own businesses over the years and although he has never bought a business, he is passionate about Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (aka ETA).
Acquiring Minds Podcast Interviews with Entrepreneurs and M&A professionals
Acquiring Minds Webinars on How To Buy a Business, Financing the Acquisition, etc
Our favorite episode so far is Will’s interview with The 2 Professors Who Helped Start the ETA (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition) Movement, Harvard Business School Professors Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
Built to Sell Radio and the Book Built to Sell by John Warrilow
John Warrilow hosts Built to Sell Radio where he interviews a wide variety of business owners that have sold their businesses. Some are great success stories and home runs, others had some disappointing results. Business owners will learn valuable lessons from all of these stories.
John also authored three books, Built to Sell, The Automatic Customer, and The Art of Selling Your Business. Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, was recognized by both Fortune and Inc magazines as one of the best business books of 2011.
Buy the book Amazon, Built to Sell by John Warrilow
How I Built This Podcast & Book by Guy Raz
Guy Raz hosts a very interesting podcast, How I Built This, where he interviews entrepreneurs that built a great business from the ground up. The stories are surprising in that they take unexpected detours on their way to building a successful business, often starting with one idea and then going in an entirely different direction.
Listen to How I Built This Podcast https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this
How I Built This Book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/How-Built-This-Unexpected-Entrepreneurs/dp/0358216761
Freakonomics Radio Podcast
The Freakonomics podcast, like the bestselling book by Stephen Dubner, digs into the hidden side of how things work in our economy, business, and society. He has a unique talent for being able to discover the underlying relationships of how things work and are interrelated.
Listen to Freakonomics Podcast https://freakonomics.com/archive/
One of our favorites: “Is Venture Capital the Secret Sauce of the American Economy?” https://freakonomics.com/podcast/venture-capital/