If you're thinking of going into business then you need a philosophical outlook. Consider The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. He says...

It's my belief that history is a wheel. 'Inconstancy is my very essence,' says the wheel. Rise up on my spokes if you like, but don't complain when you're cast back down into the depths. Good times pass away, but then so do the bad. Mutability is our tragedy, but it's also our hope. The worst of times, like the best, are always passing away.

To summarise, we are all on a wheel of fortune and the good times like the bad are always receding. So if things are going well for you - enjoy it, make the most of it, don't take it for granted. If things are not so hot - don't worry because it's already getting better.

Don't Dream It. Do It. BusinessesForSale.com

Six million Americans who work for an employer say they plan to strike out on their own and start a new business or company in the next 12 months, according to a new opinion poll.

A total of 13.6 million employed, unemployed or self-employed adults 18 years of age and older, who represent 7.8 percent of the U.S. population, hope to take control of their financial futures by starting a new business within the next year.

Click here to read full article

There are 100s of florists for sale on BusinessesForSale.com, but what does it take to run one?

Not much has changed. Flowers mark occasions; decorate our rooms; express our feelings. It’s not surprising then, that a florist is one of the most popular choices for those running their own business for the first time.

While the traditional, impulse-based trade has been losing ground to the supermarkets for several years, aiming at the quality market – catering for birthdays, weddings and other special events – can still reap rewards. 

Don't Dream It. Do It. BusinessesForSale.com

Click to read more ...

From Inc.com A new report shows that women are starting businesses more than twice as quickly as the general population.

The number of women-owned businesses is growing more than twice as quickly as the national start-up average, according to a new report by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy.

While the number of all U.S. businesses increased 7% between 1997 and 2002, the number of women-owned firms grew by 19.8%.

In 2002, women owned 6.5 million businesses, accounting for 28.2% of all U.S. non-farm firms and 4.2% of the nation's total receipts.

Click here to read full article

From BusinessWeek As your small company progresses through the five stages of growth, your financing options could go from begging to a "reverse merger"

Building a company from scratch is never easy. You have got to create products customers want, a business model that works, and a team that can execute with precision. On top of that, you need lots of luck, good timing, and money in the bank.

Click here to read full article

Investing in a franchise? Then you should consider using a bfa franchise accountant.

If you are looking to invest in a franchise it is important that you have the right team behind you. Your choice of accountant will affect your franchise business from day one. Your chances of being successful can depend on the advice, knowledge and level of service you receive from your accountant.

Click to read more ...

Claire Collins is a socially conscious London businesswoman setting up a competition to help young, female entrepreneurs get finance. By Adam Bannister for BOB

There are many more men in the top echelons of business than women – so runs a story that is no less familiar than the annual furore over a perceived decline in GCSE and A-level standards. But Claire Collins thinks there is something else that gives the lie to meritocratic Britain: it is sometimes harder for women to get finance to start or grow a business than it is for men.

“Statistically, male-led businesses are much better funded,” says Claire, who in March embarked on her dream to own her own business, selling women-only luxury business accessories such as laptop cases.

Click to read more ...

Be the owner of the last cigar smokers’ retreat in Central London. You can buy the business exclusively at BusinessesForSale.com.

The owners cliam that this is the only cigar store and fully licensed cigar bar in London, which fully complies with new smoking ban regulations coming into force in July 2007.

The cigar bar has an enxclusive location in the St Johns Wood area and is stylishly designed with a comfy atmosphere.

Click here for more information about this business opportunity

Fast food may have taken a battering in the press as a result of the nation's increased obsession with its health, but the market remains strong.

According to Euromonitor, the UK market for fast food and takeaway was worth £6.8bn in 2002, an increase in 5% on the figure for the previous year.

More people are living alone and working longer hours, and are unable or unwilling to cook for themselves, providing retailers with a constantly growing market.

Buy a Franchise at FranchiseSales.com

Click to read more ...

Starting a business is tough. Doing it alone is tougher. That's why people collaborate. But how can you make a partnership work?

Sometimes, you have no choice. You have to go into business with other people. However, if you can make it work, two heads are better than one.

Some of the most successful businesses are run by a pair - Charles and Maurice Saatchi (the brothers who founded Saatchi and Saatchi), Sergey Brin and Larry Page (friends behind Google), Ben and Jerrry (ice cream buddies), David Filo and Jerry Yang (the pals that started Yahoo) and so on.

Other partnership collaborations include Bill Gates and Steve Balmer at Microsoft, the billionaire twin Barclay Brothers (owners of the Ritz hotel among other things) and India's Mittal brothers. My favourite sandwich shop in London is run by two Turkish brothers (both of whom are called Oz) and I run Dynamis with my brother Andrew.

Collaboration works but only if everyone is clear about the rules, boundaries, aims and expectations. There is a maxim that you should never go into business with friends or family but the people mentioned here would strongly disagree. You can go into business with anyone you like as long you have a very clear understanding of who owns what and who does what.

Click to read more ...

From ABC News Businessman and motivational speaker Farrah Gray says you should ask yourself three questions.

Farrah Gray began contributing to his family's financial support at the age of 6, and he made his first million by the time he was 14. His success made a lot of people change their thinking about where life in the projects of Chicago's South Side could lead.

Click here to view full article

From BBC News How can a business with hundreds of buildings and thousands of employees only be worth £1?

The struggling furniture firm MFI, once worth £1bn, is now reported to be in take-over talks which could see the company sold for £1.

Click here to view full article

According to BusinessesForSale.com the most important step you'll take towards buying a business will be to make a sound judgement on the true worth of what you are buying.

On BusinessesForSale.com there are over 35,000 opportunities and it's important that you play the part of a good detective and uncover the truth about the business you are considering.

The first assessment you must make in evaluating a business for sale is to review its history and the way it operates. It is important to learn how the business was started, how its mission may have changed since its inception and what past events have occurred to shape its current form. You should also understand the business's methods of acquiring and serving its customers and how the functions of sales, marketing, finance and operations interrelate.

Click to read more ...

From BusinessWeek Entrepreneurs are creating companies that exploit the creative opportunities in other people's junk, sparing the environment in the process

Two years ago, Eli Reich was a mechanical engineer consultant for a Seattle wind energy company when his messenger bag was stolen. The environmentally conscious Reich, who rode his bike to work every day, decided that instead of buying a new one, he would simply fashion another bag out of used bicycle-tire inner tubes that were lying around his house.

Click here to view full article

Buy a recycling business opportunity at BusinessesForSale.com

From Entrepreneur Magazine Turn a secret family recipe into a not-so-secret success.

As you enjoy the decadent flavor of your grandmother's signature cheesecake or the robust tang of your dad's famous barbecue sauce, you wonder how you can bring those family recipes to the rest of the world. Can you build a business around a family recipe?

Click here to view full article

1000s of food opportunities. BusinessesForSale.com

According to FranchiseSales.com Franchising is a way of expanding an existing business through the licensing of its business model and brand to an individual entrepreneur

How so?
Someone – the franchisee – pays the business operator – the franchisor – a fee for the privilege of using its brand, and for selling its products or services. This provides the franchisee with a tried and tested business.
The franchisor sees an expansion of its operation, while the franchisee has a robust business that they can grow as they see fit. The franchisor takes some sort of management fee, usually a percentage of revenues, however it is the franchisee’s business.

So why should a franchisee take the risk in putting up the capital, while the franchisor sits back and siphons off revenue?
That’s precisely the point – a franchise actually poses less risk. Nine out of 10 franchises survive their first year, and the same proportion say they make a profit; 90% of start-ups fail within the first three years.

But what makes a franchise so much safer?
You have the use of a ready-made, well-established brand; instantly you are bequeathed public trust in the products you sell or services that you are licensed to render.

To buy a franchsie opportunity go to FranchiseSales.com

An entrepreneur is someone who is still in business... Being entrepreneurial is the thing you do to stay in business.

"I wanted to be an editor or a journalist, I wasn't really interested in being an entrepreneur, but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going."
Richard Branson - Founder of Virgin

"Nobody talks of entrepreneurship as survival, but that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking."
Anita Roddick - Founder of Bodyshop

"I'm not sure I knew what an entrepreneur was when I was ten, but I knew that starting little businesses and trying to sell greeting cards or newspapers door-to-door or just vending machine kind of thing is... there's just something very intriguing to me about that."
Steve Case - Founder of AOL

Become an entrepreneur. Buy a Business. BusinessesForSale.com

South London boy Philip Green is the antithesis of a corporate jobsworth. 

Green did not attend university, having left school at 15; he has no business school qualifications; he has no time for marketing or PR jargon; and allegedly has little time for the more academic side of business.

But this lack of tolerance for fluff and an aptitude for sharp deal-making has reaped enormous rewards, turning the heir to a small Croydon business into the 68th richest man on the planet.

Click to read more ...

There are 1000s of businesses opportunities on BusinessesForSale.com. This is BOB's current top five:

1. Matt's Neighborhood Restaurant And Pub Paris, Tennessee, USA. Price: $450k
We just loved the picture of young beautiful people having fun.


2. Outdoor Action Events Centre Norfolk, UK. Price: £150k
Embrace the outdoor life and buy an outdoors business.

3. Contemporary Portrait Studio Nottinghamshire, UK. Price: £300k
The perfect combination: the love of art and making money.

4. Beachside Restaurant and Bar Tenerife Spain. Price: E235k
You may not make millions but you do get to run a business by the sea in the sun.

5. Convenience Store with House Gold Hill, North Carolina, USA. Price: $1.4m
Nothing could be finer than a C-Store in North Carolina!

Don't Dream It. Do It. BusinessesForSale.com

Businesses, like people, grow old and eventually die - or if you believe in reincarnation - they get merged into something else. Business guru Ichak Adizes described the business lifecyle in the following 10 stages:

1. Courtship - You're flirting with the idea, dreaming about the possiblity. Is this true love?
2. Infancy - You're up an running, making money and figuring out how to make more.
3. Go-Go - Things are taking off. It's hectic... busy, busy busy! Can't stop!
4. Adolescence - You're the new kid on the block. Hey baby, check out the new car!
5. Prime - You've arrived - lean, mean, self aware, confident, in control. Life is sweet.
6. Stability - You're still number one but putting on some weight. You don't notice the little things going wrong.
7. Aristocracy - You're still number one but you've underestimated competitors and new technologies. Wake up!
8. Recrimination - The realisation is hitting home (too late). The empire is ending. Everyone blaming everyone. Divorce. Bitterness. Egos dashed.
9. Bureaucracy - Like the Roman Empire on the backfoot - defensive, looking for a way out, losing everywhere. Retreat to the bunker and try to survive.
10. Death - It's over. Lock up the shop. Sell the assets. Memories of days past. Where did it all go wrong?

You can buy a business at any one of these stages at BusinessesForSale.com