Most people who want to be their own boss assume they have to start from zero. Often the smarter move is to buy a business that already works — with customers, cash flow, and a track record — instead of spending years proving one can exist. And right now, more good businesses are coming up for sale than at any point in history.
Why now: the silver tsunami
Baby boomers own roughly 12 million U.S. businesses — about 41% of all small businesses — employing some 25–32 million people. Over the next several years an estimated $10 trillion in business value will change hands as they retire, with the peak landing by around 2030 and roughly 10,000 boomers turning 65 every day. Yet fewer than a third have a formal succession plan, and most have no obvious successor.
For a prepared buyer, that is the opportunity of a generation: a wave of profitable businesses (by some estimates up to ~78% are profitable) whose owners need an exit and often can’t find one. More on the macro picture in The Silver Tsunami.
Get the free Buyer’s Starter Checklist
A free checklist that walks the first-look numbers, the questions to ask a seller, and the diligence red flags — the on-ramp to the Institute’s full Business Buyer’s Guide.
Get the free checklist →The five questions every buyer must answer
Each links to a short, free read. Start anywhere, then download the checklist.
Why now?
The silver tsunami: ~12M boomer-owned businesses, ~$10T, changing hands by 2030.
Where do I find one?
The listed marketplaces — and the off-market deals that never get posted.
What is it worth?
SDE, EBITDA, the multiples, and what actually moves them.
How do I pay for it?
You rarely need all the cash: SBA loans, seller financing, and your equity.
What do I check first?
The diligence that separates a great buy from an expensive mistake.