Frequently Asked Questions

The challenges of owning a business are immense. Getting started right with an established business will save you time and money. The benefits of buying an established business range from having an existing customer base and a known location to getting advanced knowledge of how the business has performed. Contrast this with the high risks of start-up businesses where the difficulties of unknown location and product mix result in an average three-year failure rate of more than 75%.

There are always a number of good, profitable businesses for sale. Retirement, illness, death, partnership disputes, relocation, and burnout often cause business owners to sell financially sound businesses. With an established business, you gain the advantages of ownership with two of the benefits required for all successful businesses already built in: a good location and a proven product or service. The third ingredient for success is management, and that’s where you must make the business work. With an established business, you have the benefits of a proven track record, employees, supplies, and identification as well as the existing customer base.

With the challenges of good business management come many rewards. High on the list is the benefit of controlling your own financial and career destiny. You decide how money is spent, when to work, how the business should be run, and how to keep it growing. In return you achieve job security, financial independence, and a great deal of satisfaction from your increased self-reliance.

Immediately! When you buy a business from the previous owner you gain financial advantages right from the start. Your down payment becomes your only real investment because all other costs of the purchase are usually paid by the business through cash flow. In effect, the business buys itself. Unlike borrowing from a bank, the typical advantages of seller financing include a lower down payment, lower interest rates, and simplified credit checks. Add this to the tax benefits of owning your own business and the purchase of an existing business becomes a very profitable move.

After discussing the type of business you are interested in with your OIB representative, we’ll assess your ability to buy one of the businesses we have listed. When you find a business that looks interesting, you will tour the business and determine if it feels right for you. You are then free to make an offer with all the protections and contingencies you feel are prudent. You are in full control of the offer, so your satisfaction and protection are in your own hands.

There are a number of reasons businesses are sold. The most common include: retirement, illness, a desire to relocate, partnership disputes, marital disputes, career changes, lost enthusiasm, burnout or capital reinvestment.

Part of our service is providing expert help in determining what your business is worth. We help you determine a price that is fair to you while being attractive to a buyer based on our knowledge of the current market.

The decision to sell a business is usually driven by personal circumstances. Economically, it’s best to sell the business when it is doing well. But if handled properly, even a business that’s not doing well can be sold.

Some owners try to sell their businesses themselves—and some succeed. The value a professional business broker brings are the resources and expertise for accurate valuation, effective marketing expertise, exposure of the business to a wide market, the ability to help a buyer obtain financing, and experience in closing transactions. Most business owners simply don’t have the expertise or knowledge to successfully sell their business themselves.

We provide all the services you need to bring your transaction to a close, including: business valuation, material and record coordination, creating and executing a marketing plan, qualifying buyers, negotiation, and closing the transaction. In addition, hiring a business broker to handle your sale allows you to do what you do best—run your business!

At Opportunities In Business, we get paid only when your business sells. Our fee is based on the price of the business. Since we can sell businesses for more than an owner can on their own, our services are well worth our fee.