HBR Guide Series

HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business

Richard S. Ruback

Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to work, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success. But finding the right business to buy and closing the deal isn't always easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business , Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you:Determine if this path is right for youRaise capital for your acquisitionFind and evaluate the right prospectsAvoid the pitfalls that could derail your searchUnderstand why a «dull» business might be the best investmentNegotiate a potential deal with the sellerAvoid deals that fall through at the last minute

HBR Guide to Better Business Writing (HBR Guide Series)

Bryan A. Garner

DON'T LET YOUR WRITING HOLD YOU BACK.When you’re fumbling for words and pressed for time, you might be tempted to dismiss good business writing as a luxury. But it’s a skill you must cultivate to succeed: You’ll lose time, money, and influence if your e-mails, proposals, and other important documents fail to win people over.The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, by writing expert Bryan A. Garner, gives you the tools you need to express your ideas clearly and persuasively so clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and partners will get behind them. This book will help you:• Push past writer’s block• Grab—and keep—readers’ attention• Earn credibility with tough audiences• Trim the fat from your writing• Strike the right tone• Brush up on grammar, punctuation, and usage