You can find great opportunities for investments in established Indiana businesses for sale. Indiana businesses that are active have an established customer base, source of revenue and business operations. An existing business also may own valuable patents or copyrights.

It is often more expensive to buy an Indiana business for sale than to start a new one, although it is generally easier to obtain financing for an existing business. Investors tend to be more comfortable with a business that has a proven performance.

There are three primary actions to perform before buying a business for sale in Indiana:

1. Review the tax returns and financial statements over the last few years for Indiana businesses for sale. Indiana businesses can measure their growth potential with actual experience rather than conjecture.

2. Examine the current profits for private companies for sale in Indiana. Businesses will have expenditures such as employees’ salaries, utilities and insurance that you must deduct from the sales revenue.

3. Inspect the operations when involved in a business sale. Indiana businesses may have obsolete inventory, dissatisfied employees or outdated distribution methods.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate an Indiana business for sale

Many websites offer listings of companies for sale. Indiana listings of businesses for sale should show the location, asking price and cash flow, among other details.

I recommend: The advanced search option at BizQuest.com will let you select the type of business, city and length of time on the listing, among other parameters. Go to BizBuySell and select Indiana as the business location. You can also narrow the search parameters by selecting the business category and asking price range.

Find Indiana business brokers to assist you in the purchase process

IN business brokers can identify businesses that are clearly undesirable and help negotiate a price on the best candidates. A business broker also will help you obtain any licenses and permits that Indiana requires.

I recommend: Midwest Business Brokers is in Fort Wayne and specializes in assisting buyers and sellers of small to medium-sized businesses in the Midwest. Confidential Business Brokers in Evansville is a full-service business broker that can help you buy or sell a business in Indiana.

Hire a Certified Public Accountant when you find businesses for sale in Indiana

A CPA will need to review the financial records of any business in which you are interested. Additionally, a CPA can ensure that you file any required legal documents.

I recommend: Greenwalt Sponsel & Co. is in Indianapolis and provides a range of accounting services, including business valuation. Baden Gage & Schroeder has its headquarters in Fort Wayne and has a business services group that performs business valuations.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Review the physical assets of the Indiana business for sale. You will need to know if the office equipment, machinery and other property is actually in working order. You will also want to inspect the building itself to know if it meets the health and safety standards that Indiana requires.