Advantages of Buying A Business vs. Starting a Business

Perhaps you've dreamed of owning your own business, and the freedom and control over your own destiny it brings, but you've been put off by the widely known drawbacks of starting a business perhaps therefore you should buy a business.

So you have decided to buy a business, it's certainly a less riskier option than establishing a new business, and provided that you buy the right business you can be sure of years of profitable trading .

Here are some facts to help you in your decision whether to establish or buy a business:

• 60% of startup businesses fail within 3 years
• It takes two years on average for a startup to become profitable
• You can usually buy a business with a 2 year payback period

The advantages of buying a business vs. starting a new business are summarized in the table below.

Advantage vs. a Start Up	Buying an Existing Business	Starting New Business
Much higher risk of failure
Generating cash from day one (in most cases)
Proven business concept and processes
Proven products and services
Established customer base and referral business
Established supplier relationships
Trained employees in place (that can help train you)
No immediate credibility and perception of success
Financing via Banks difficult to obtain

At Horizons we do not take instructions to sell any and every business, we only market to quality businesses, this is done via our canvassers personally visiting every business we market to before they decide whether the business meets our criteria for a saleable business. As a result you will not find hundred of businesses on our lists as with other agents. Just a short listing of quality businesses for sale which can be found on our shortlist page.

We are here to help you buy a business, and have access to trusted financial advisors, solicitors and accountants ready to help you in your buying decision. You can find a list on the resources page to help you buy a business. Alternatively you can email or telephone Horizons for advice on buying a business.

Finally, if we do not currently have the business you wish to buy we can still help you either by valuing a business on your behalf or acting as a retained agent, where we act for you buying a business not the seller.