Buy Then Build Blog
Articles on Practicing Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition

How Proper Exit Planning Benefits The Buyer And Seller
I recently had the honor of interviewing John H. Brown, author of Exit Planning: The Definitive Guide. My goal was to pull out of him his take on exit planning from the buyer’s side. I had a theory, and in our conversation, I found that great minds think alike. Conceptually, exit planning from a seller’s perspective makes

What Private Equity Can Learn From Entrepreneurs
I live at the intersection of entrepreneurship and private investments. Typically, I approach it from the perspective of an entrepreneur. Most of what I write about — including my book— focuses on what entrepreneurs can learn from the private equity business model. That said, as I recently prepared to speak at the Alliance of Merger

What Assessments Can Tell us About Entrepreneurs
Bill Bonnstetter is the founder of TTI Success Insights, the world’s leading source for research-based, validated assessment tools via their own patented solutions and products. TTI is the administrator and R&D firm behind the assessments Buy Then Build provides through our online courses and mentor programs. Below we’ve combined two articles originally published at Harvard

Hustle With Caution: Capitalizing on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition
Acquisition entrepreneurship sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship and investing. With the right balance of those two worlds, it’s a field brimming with opportunity. Simply put, acquisition entrepreneurs apply their business-building smarts not to a fresh startup, but to buying and growing existing businesses. In the quick-footed world of startups, it might seem counterintuitive to imagine

Great Entrepreneurs Steal Ideas
“Good artists copy; great artists steal.” – Picasso When most people think of entrepreneurs, they envision a creative mastermind who founds an innovative new company or creates some kind of disruptive technology. That’s not an incorrect perception of entrepreneurs, but it is an incomplete one. Steve Jobs knew that great entrepreneurs also steal ideas. “We

Lessons I’ve Learned From Buying Seven Businesses
I recently had the pleasure of appearing on the Think Like an Owner podcast. I talked with the show’s host, Alex Bridgeman, and Karen Spencer from Searchfunder, about my experience with acquisition entrepreneurship and the lessons I share in my book, Buy Then Build. If you’re looking to buy or sell a business, the conversation