This is a step-by-step guide on how to buy any business for yourself, or with your co-workers. Any size of business can be acquired by following the step-by-step guide outlined in the book, by the principals of STERLING COOPER, INC., a consulting firm ( www.sterlingcooper.info ) who have participated in thousands of acquisitions, valuations, appraisals and financings. The book concentrates on the principle of structuring a LEVERAGED BUYOUT (LBO) for the prospective acquisition and guides the reader to a means of accomplishing the purchase in easy to understand, straight forward terminology, with a daily suggested step-by-step program. This is a great handbook for anyone looking to buy a business. Readers may also contact the author directly for initial advice at no cost. The book is designed both for the first time buyer, with the step by step guidance as to how to buy a business, any business, but it also works well for owner who is interested in making an add-on acquisition and grow his business though acquisitions. The principles are applicable to a small business to run personally or one with hundreds of employees. The book involves some 40 years of acquisition experience and has great stories about real and completed LBO'S ( LEVERAGED BUYOUTS) of some well known companies all done on a shoestring budget, using the assets of the acquired companies as the collateral for the loans to acquire the businesses. The book is written to allow even a relatively inexperienced buyer/business owner, to find and to complete the transaction step-by-step. The SterlingCooper firm is available as a total daily step-by-step coach in the entire process if necessary so that you are not out there all alone, trying to just follow the book, but you have a real coach to accomplish the first acquisition. Initial consultation is at no cost to the reader. The entire process is broken down to easy to follow and organized steps what start with describing how the process of structuring an LBO works, and then guides the reader though the individual steps needed to identify the business to be acquired ( or acquire the business you now work for by yourself or with other employees). Every step of the process is documented day by day to accomplish the first transaction in a period of 60-90 working days as the optimum result Since the acquisition process is geared to minimize the funds needed from the buyer and concentrates on using the leverageable assets of the acquired company, the buyer will minimize the use of his own funds...that is the whole basis of a properly structured LBO. You heard the term "OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY"? A properly structured LBO is the best of use of borrowed funds; the bank's Banks are very interested in financing a properly structured acquisition since they want to lend money The book also contains a variety of helpful and ready to use forms and agreements that can be easily used to close the deal including a Draft Stock Purchase Agreement. Most valuable is the INFORMATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE, which provides all the questions to ask relating to the business, its operations and financial statements, and will be the document you can share with your lenders for financing. You will be able to evaluate the entire business, its history of operations and intricacies like a pro, without having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on hiring a battery of professionals to do that job for you. The ability to buy a business, literally any business is now in your hands. Depending on your available free capital there is no limit to the possibilities of what can be acquired. You will enjoy reading about the completed opportunistic acquisition of a divestiture, of a 12,000 employee firm, by a motivated seller, a large publicly traded conglomerate, and even provided a line of credit to help with the acquisition