First-time buyers
People moving from a job to ownership who want to understand valuation, SBA financing and due diligence before they talk to a broker or lender.
About us
Plain-English guides for people buying an established business
BusinessBuy.site helps first-time and experienced buyers research, value, finance and close on a small business, without the jargon.
In short
BusinessBuy.site is an independent educational site about buying an existing small business. We explain valuation (SDE and EBITDA), financing (SBA loans and seller financing), due diligence and country-specific buying rules for the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and we link to live listings on World Businesses for Sale. We are a GetServices.ai company, founded and edited by Shaheen Arif.
Buying a business is a big decision. Good information should be easy to find.
Buying a business that already has customers, staff and cash flow can be a faster and less risky route to ownership than starting from scratch. But the process is full of unfamiliar terms, financing rules and checks that most people only go through once or twice in their lives. Much of the information online is written by brokers, lenders or sellers, each with their own interest in the deal.
We started BusinessBuy.site to give buyers one place to understand how acquisitions actually work: what a fair price looks like, how deals are financed, what to verify before you sign, and how the rules change from one country to another. Every guide is written to help you ask better questions of the professionals you hire, not to replace them.
Built for buyers
01
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Experienced owners
Operators adding a second location or a complementary business, who need quick refreshers on multiples, deal structure and red flags.
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International buyers
Buyers looking at the US, UK, Canada or Australia who need to know about visas, foreign-investment rules, leases and tax differences.
Our guides
Valuation
What is it worth?
SDE vs EBITDA, recasting the P&L with add-backs, and typical market multiples.
Read guide → FinancingHow to pay for it
SBA 7(a) loans, seller notes, earn-outs and how buyers keep their cash at closing low.
Read guide → Due diligenceWhat to check
A 28-point checklist across financial, legal, operational and commercial review.
Read guide → RiskRed flags
The warning signs that should slow a deal down, and what to do when you spot one.
Read guide → ProcessThe timeline
From search and letter of intent through due diligence, lender approval and closing.
Read guide → MarketsCountry guides
Buying in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia: marketplaces, rules and financing.
Read guide →Our editorial standards
Our guides are educational. We do not give legal, tax, lending or investment advice, and we always recommend working with a qualified accountant, attorney and lender on your deal.
- Sourced, not invented. We base guides on public sources such as SBA program information, industry associations and published marketplace data, and we do not make up figures, ratings or case studies.
- Ranges, not promises. Valuation multiples, margins and timelines vary by industry, location and deal. We give typical ranges and explain what moves a number up or down.
- Kept current. Financing rules and market conditions change. We review guides and update them when we find something out of date.
- Corrections welcome. If you spot an error, email [email protected] and we will review it.
Free to read, supported by partners
BusinessBuy.site is free. Some links are affiliate links, including links to World Businesses for Sale, where you can browse live listings, and Bizee, a business-formation service. If you use those links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions never decide what goes into a guide. Full details are in our affiliate disclosure.
Founder and editor
Shaheen Arif
Founder and Editor, BusinessBuy.siteShaheen Arif is the founder of GetServices.ai and the editor of BusinessBuy.site. He has more than 10 years of experience in IT and project management, and he oversees the research, writing and updating of every guide on the site.
BusinessBuy.site is a GetServices.ai company.
Questions, corrections or partnerships
Email [email protected] or call +1 (313) 729-1534.