At FE International it has always been a priority that investors feel safe and secure when buying a business through us. However, historically our industry has not been known for producing a great deal of information for buyers to make informed decisions.
As such, in 2014 we went to work on creating a complete end-to-end guide for buyers aimed at building a much stronger knowledge base for buyers interested in acquiring online businesses: welcome the Guide to Buying an Online Business.
The hard work paid off and many buyers reported that this had given them the confidence to make their first acquisition. Since its publication in September 2014, nearly 2,000 buyers have downloaded the book. Some of its most popular content, including how to value an internet business has received over 10,000 pageviews to date.
Going Advanced
Online business brokerage remains something of a seller’s market and it’s important for buyers to be able to prove their knowledge, credibility and authority if they are to secure approval from sellers during the sale process.
There’s no doubt that the more buyers know, the better deal-makers they will become. To secure the best possible deal, buyers need to know more about identifying and evaluating businesses as well as offer structuring and due diligence. Buyer education helps to achieve this and at FE International we are aiming to help provide resources to close knowledge gaps and improve deal-making for all those involved.
Following the success of the first guide, we wanted to build on the expertise shared and create an advanced resource for those buyers wanting further in-depth detail on the inner workings of successful online business buying.
Having surpassed 300 deals by closing a further 50 deals since the first book ($10m in sales in 2014 alone), the advanced guide also gives us a chance to bring the very latest and most relevant advice to buyers. Closing more deals means more lessons learnt and more challenges overcome: we have identified additional ways of protecting buyer’s interest, observed unique approaches for growing online businesses, seen deals structured more creatively and seen real online business automation in action.
Presenting: The Advanced Guide to Buying an Online Business
By reaching out to buyers across the market, from the least to the most experienced, we built a view on what information was lacking in the market: due diligence, offer structuring and legals. This is the focus in the 123-page Advanced Guide to Buying an Online business, as well as how to find the right business and what to do post sale.
The Advanced Guide covers the acquisition process end-to-end, from business selection right through the sale process to post-sale management, automation and growth.
The best practices from precedent deals have been written down for sharing with our buyer community.
Buying a business is a practical exercise and as such the Advanced Guide is packed full of actionable knowledge, case studies and examples. The Advanced Guide to Buying an Online Business builds on all of the practical advice covered in the Guide to Buying an Online Business, with an advanced buyer in mind.
What does the Advanced Guide contain?
Here is what is in the book:
Chapter 1: The Right Online Business for You
How to assess your skills, background and investment criteria to find the online business model that suits you.
Chapter 2: Finding and Evaluating Online Businesses for Sale
The best places to find a suitable investment target and the evaluation techniques that should be employed.
Chapter 3: Identifying Growth Opportunities
How to evaluate the potential growth opportunities that can be exploited post-sale and grow your new asset.
Chapter 4: Buying an Online Business
How to go about acquiring a quality internet business for sale and advice on hiring buy side representation.
Chapter 5: What to Do After Buying an Online Business
What to do after buying an online business including quick wins, technical, SEO, CRO and commercial audits.
Chapter 6: How to Manage an Online Business
What to do after you have completed a website audit and mapped out short, medium and long-term tasks for effective day-today operations.
Is The Book Right For Me?
The book is suitable for entrepreneurs who have had some experience building / acquiring internet businesses. Likewise, it suits offline investors that have a strong understanding of sales, marketing and business management, who may be looking to move online.
If totally new to online and entrepreneurship, we would recommend starting with our initial Guide to Buying an Online Business.
Celebrating
To celebrate the completion of the new guide, we are giving away a sample chapter which you can download here.
We hope you enjoy reading and download the new guide when it becomes available in July.
Team FEI
Thomas Smale
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Awesome. Thanks for the free chapter. When is the book out?
No problem! We plan to release first thing in July.
Thanks guys. Really liked the first guide. Look forward to it.
Thanks!
Nice write up David. Good first chapter.
Thanks. Plenty more good insights to come.
As always, great information! Looking forward to the book. Will it be available to purchase online?
Thanks Danny! Yes it will be available online in early July and in print shortly thereafter.
David,
Excellent preview and looking forward to the completed material in July. I am hoping you will be including comprehensive list of metrics and tools that potential buyers should research for evaluating SaaS business models. Always enjoyed your blog postings and look forward for more.
– Sri