Banks are willing to loan money to a proven business more often than they would be willing to if you were starting from scratch.

“If this business is so great, why would someone ever sell it?” It’s a fair question, but it’s usually based on a wrong assumption. Most people assume businesses only get sold when something is broken. In reality, that’s not how it usually works. In most cases, owners aren’t selling because of the business. They’re selling because of life. Retirement is the big one. A lot of owners are in their 60s or 70s and have been running the same business for decades. They’re tired. They’ve made their money. They want to slow down. Relocation is another common reason. Family moves. Health changes. Grandkids show up in a different state. The business works, but life pulls them somewhere else. I talk to sellers all the time. The most common reasons I hear are retirement and relocation. Sometimes both. A surprising number of people just want to be done. They want to travel. They want to spend time at the beach. They want to walk their dog every morning instead of dealing with employees and customers. In the past, a lot of these businesses would have been passed down to kids. That happens far less now. Many kids don’t want to take over their parents’ company, which leaves selling as the most practical option. That’s why there are more good businesses for sale than people expect. It’s also why plenty of solid businesses never sell at all. They just shut down because there aren’t enough serious buyers who know how to evaluate them. If you’re early in the process, it’s easy to talk yourself out of opportunities by asking why someone would sell a good business. Once you start having real conversations with real owners, the answer becomes obvious. People change. Priorities change. Great businesses still get sold. Scott