HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business

About

Written by Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, who teach the popular HBS course on entrepreneurship through acquisition, this guide provides a rigorous framework for evaluating and acquiring small businesses. The authors argue that buying a small business is the most underappreciated path to business ownership and wealth creation. The book covers how to identify enduringly profitable businesses, assess their value, negotiate favorable terms, and finance the acquisition. Drawing on decades of research and their experience advising hundreds of MBA students who have gone on to acquire businesses, Ruback and Yudkoff provide both analytical frameworks and practical advice for aspiring acquisition entrepreneurs.