Most people buy businesses through a business broker.
Other common methods of acquiring a business are through newspaper ads, realtors, suggestions from your accountant or lawyer, and friends or relatives. The first major consideration of buying a business is to verify that the business is performing as represented. We prefer to obtain three years of income tax returns. We suggest looking at three years, since the most recent year may only be an aberration. Trends are difficult to fake, and show you not only the current situation, but in which direction the business is headed.