How to buy a business, stage by stage: set the thesis, source targets, value, finance, write the LOI, run diligence, close and integrate, with a guide for each.

How a buyer builds a due diligence plan: rank workstreams by the deal thesis, staff the team, sequence cheap tests first and set walk-away triggers in advance.

What a buyer does in the first 100 days after closing: day-one communication, retention, cash control, first close, integration order and a deal-thesis scorecard.

How buy-and-build works: platform and add-on roles, why platforms earn higher multiples, add-on valuation and synergies, integration choices and a seller's view.

How a carve-out acquisition works: stand-alone financials, shared services, transition services agreements, separation tasks and how divisions are priced.

What a search fund and a self-funded search are, how searchers find and finance deals, what they want in a target and what selling to one means.

Where buyers find acquisition targets: broker listings, advisor-led processes, direct outreach to owners, industry contacts and referrals, plus pipeline tracking.

How a buyer values an acquisition target: restate earnings, price the risks, test the return and funding limits, then set a walk-away price. With a worked example.

How buyers fund an acquisition: equity, senior debt, SBA-guaranteed loans, seller notes, mezzanine and rollover equity, with a sources and uses example.

SBA 7(a) loans can finance a change of ownership. See the loan cap, guarantee levels, rate and maturity rules, the SOP 50 10 8.1 date and what sellers should expect.

How a buyer drafts a letter of intent to buy a business: price assumptions, working capital, diligence, financing, exclusivity, and what binds and what waits.