Course Description

Tired of someone else calling the shots and limiting your earnings? How much richer would your life be if you owned your own business? Learn from someone who has been there . . . done that, many times over and now shares his insider, hands on knowledge.

There are millions of business owners who are desperate to help the right buyer in a buyout of their business. These business owners must hide behind a curtain of privacy until a smooth transition can be assured. You'll never see these businesses advertised or even listed with a broker. The risk is just too high. This class shows you how to part the curtain to put you on the inside track.

Topics include: Finding a flexible seller - Doing a financial analysis - Pricing the business - 56 ways to leverage the purchase price - Negotiating techniques-The eight important sources of cash - Loan packaging - Managing the cash flow.

Read lessons, participate in exercises, and hold live interactive discussions with instructor Gary Fugere and your fellow students online. Runs for 6 weeks and is self-paced. Complete the lessons on your own timetable. Course requirements include intermediate PC skills. For more information visit www.gsinet.org. Don?t forget to include your email with registration.

Course Outline

Friday, Lesson 2
Identifying Sellers ~ We'll zero in on a specific business profile, how to locate potential sellers, and, finally, learn how to approach the seller.

Week Two
Tuesday, Lesson 3
Your First Meeting With the Seller ~ Discover the ways of determining whether you have a flexible seller and whether the business is worth conducting the due diligence necessary to make an offer.

Friday, Lesson 4
Whose Value, Anyhow? ~ The same business can have many different values depending upon circumstances or whose perspective is used. In this lesson we examine value definitions and how they affect your opinion of the value of any business. If you use the seller's perspective you'll overpay for the business. We will learn elegant techniques to get the seller to see the value from your perspective.

Week Three
Tuesday, Lesson 5
Interpreting the Financial Statement ~ Don't believe everything you see on a financial statement. In this lesson you are given the tools to restate the numbers in real dollars.

Friday, Lesson 6
Pricing the Business ~ In this lesson we examine all of the pricing strategies that you will likely hear about. We are going to dispel most of the myths, and demonstrate that ROI is the only logical method to use in buying any business.

Week Four  
Tuesday, Lesson 7
Where is the Cash Coming From? ~ In this lesson we look at 56 unique and creative ways to capitalize the purchase price.

Friday, Lesson 8
The Do-Able Deal Analyzer ~ This form is the game plan . . . we are going to plan out exactly where every dime is going to come from in order to put together a deal that will close.

Week Five  
Tuesday, Lesson 9
Happiness is a Positive Cash Flow ~ Next comes the most important step of all, how to make sure it all works and it will cash flow.

Friday, Lesson 10
Negotiate a Deal That Closes ~ Getting to Yes!

Week Six  
Tuesday, Lesson 11
The Art of Borrowing Money ~ Now we need to approach the asset-based lenders . . . we are going to look at the care and feeding of a loan officer.

Friday, Lesson 12
Buying a Troubled Business ~ Buying a business that is in trouble or in bankruptcy may not be as risky as it may sound. This type of acquisition can often be diamonds in the rough.