Buying a Small Business · MembershipProgress 0%VisitorAll tracks
Beta. Fictional teaching case. Saved on this device only. Beta build. The teaching business is fictional, case figures and model defaults are illustrative, and default loan terms are teaching defaults, not lending rules. Education only, not legal, tax, accounting or lending advice. Your work is saved in this browser on this device only.

Membership

One membership. Everything published.

Membership opens the Deal Lab and the member lessons, where you apply the method to a real deal: define your acquisition criteria, test what you can afford, evaluate a business, prepare diligence and plan the handover. It is built from about 25 years of buying and integrating businesses.

Membership opens soon

Membership opens soon. Billing is not switched on yet.

We will email you once when membership opens, and send occasional Business Buyer School updates. Every email has a link to opt out. Privacy

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Monthly membership

$49 per month

Renews automatically every month until you cancel. You can cancel future renewals at any time.

Annual membership

$490 billed annually

approximately $40.83/month, billed annually. Saves $98 against 12 monthly payments.

Charged once a year. Renews automatically every year until you cancel. You can cancel future renewals at any time.

You choose your own path. You do not buy a track separately. Prices in US dollars. Terms of Use · Privacy Notice.

What membership includes

  • Available now Buying a Small Business: the member lessons and the Deal Lab (Stage 3 in this Beta), on the Beta practice case.
  • Available now The calculators and worksheets inside the Deal Lab: earnings, valuation range, financing, buyer cash, downside, the ten tests and the Decision Record.
  • Available now Saved work and progress. Your work is saved in your browser on your device. Print or copy a record to keep a copy.
  • Available now Updates added to the published member content while your membership is active.
  • In preparation Stages 4 and 5 of Buying a Small Business (offer, diligence, closing and taking over). No date is promised.
  • In preparation M&A Execution. No date is promised.
  • In preparation Integration & Value Creation. No date is promised.

What stays free

  • Stages 0 to 2: eight lessons and four tools, including the Buy Box Builder and the Acquisition Capacity Model.
  • The Initial screen on a fictional deal, and the lesson Advertised earnings are not the cash you keep.
  • The public research reports.

What membership is not

Membership is general education and illustrative tools. Individual consultations, professional transaction reviews and personalized advisory work are separate services and are not part of it. It does not include access to the author for questions about your own deal.

Refunds

  • Annual: full refund within 7 days of your first purchase, once per person. After that the annual fee is not refundable and access runs to the end of the year.
  • Monthly: cancel any time. There are no partial refunds of the current month.

Section 15.5 of the Terms of Use governs.

Billing conditions

  • Prices are in US dollars. Sales tax is added at checkout where it applies.
  • Both plans renew automatically until you cancel, at the price shown at that time.
  • Payments will be handled by Stripe. We will never see or store your card number.
  • Nothing can be bought yet. This page shows the prices and terms that will apply when membership opens.

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Questions

Is membership required to learn?

No. Stages 0 to 2 and the research are free.

Can I get a refund?

Annual: yes, in full, if you cancel within 7 days of your first purchase (once per person). Monthly: no partial refunds, and you can cancel any time to stop the next renewal.

Does membership include advice?

No. It is general education. See the educational notice at the foot of every page.

Educational use only. Not legal, tax, accounting, valuation, lending or investment advice.

Educational use only. Not legal, tax, accounting, valuation or lending advice. Full statement

Buyer School is an independent educational website for learning about small-business acquisitions. Its lessons, examples, checklists, calculators and reports provide general information and illustrative planning estimates. They do not provide individualized legal, tax, accounting, investment, valuation or lending advice, and they do not determine SBA eligibility, financing approval or whether a particular business should be purchased. Using Buyer School does not create an advisory or other professional-client relationship. Buyer School is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Rules, fees, rates and lender practices can change; summaries may omit exceptions. Do not rely solely on Buyer School when evaluating, financing or purchasing a business. Before signing a letter of intent or other agreement, applying for financing, waiving a contingency or committing funds, review the current official SBA website at https://www.sba.gov, including the applicable SOP, program guidance and fee notices, and applicable IRS guidance at https://www.irs.gov, and obtain transaction-specific advice from an attorney licensed in the relevant jurisdiction, a CPA experienced in business acquisitions, and the participating lender. Consult other qualified professionals when the transaction requires them. The lender must confirm how current SBA requirements apply to the proposed financing, and licensing and permit requirements must be confirmed with the issuing authorities.

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