And, a going concern requires less capital and embodies less risk. Finally, there is little question about valuation, since you've been inside and perhaps had access to the books for several years. Valuation and financing can be troublesome in the case of a purchase by an outsider. This is conceivable because the business you seek may have been neglected for reasons of health, competing interests, etc. These two problems look more manageable than the four we started with at the beginning of this article.
Ample assistance is available.
The University of Maryland's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship has an excellent website with links to a universe of resources for entrepreneurs of all kinds. A Dingman Center affiliate, the Maryland Small Business Development Center, is co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and can provide a full range of advice and training from offices in Eastern, Central, Southern and Western Maryland. SBDC serves small businesses of every type. Technological entrepreneurs can benefit from regional high technology councils for suburban Maryland and Anne Arundel County. The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development maintains the valuable MD Business site.