If you have ever come into a large lump sum of money or decided to borrow money to buy a business you may have asked yourself what exactly it is you are planning on buying, and once you figure that out where to actually go to find businesses for sale?

Most businesses in Engalnd start out as a passion, someone doing something that they like and eventually making enough money to either start their own business or purchase and existing business.

There are millions of example of chef's that have quit their jobs to open restaurants or sub-postmasters buying the post office they actually worked at.

But if you are new in the field you may not know where to go to buy a business.

You do not ever want to buy the first business you see. You should research the marketplace, economic factors, the business, the location, extensively before you decide on which business it is you want to buy.

There are many ways to do this research. The most obvious being of course going out and asking a business you are interested in if they are for sale. This can be a bit awkard and can also lead to some tense situations. Most business owners consider a business there baby so the mere thought of someone offering to buy it is quite offensive to them.

Now that you have been kicked out of the local take away for asking if they are for sale it might be a good idea to start thinking of more practical ways to find businesses for sale.

Here are a list of a few ways to find businesses for sale:

• Your local newspapaer: In the Manchester Evening news there is a classified section which lists all the businesses in Manchester that are for sale.  I am sure that London, Birmingham, Wales, and Bristol all have similar sections with businesses for sale.  The only down point to this is that you are dealing directly with the owner and it can again be quite awkward when negotiation prices and other things.
• Dalton's Weekly: Dalton's weekly is a magazine/newspaper that comes out every Thursday.  In this are listed almost all the business in the UK that are for sale some directly from the owner and some from business sales specialisits.  The good thing about Dalton's is that it will give you an overview of ALL the businesses in the UK that are for sale, not just those businesses in your local area that are for sale.
  
• Business Transfer Agents:Business transfer agents are specialists in buying and selling businesses.  It is there job to find businesses for sale and sell them to prospective buyers. As a buyer they are perfect for you because you never have to deal directly with the owner except for when you want to go in and see the business.  It is much easier to negotiate with someone when they are just a middle man rather than someone that has put their life's work into something.  A great way to find business transfer agents in your specific niche is to use your copy of Dalton's Weekly to find out who is advertising for what type of business sales and just enquire with them.

Remember always do your due dilligence and use an accountant to verify any facts and figures you are given whether buy a business owner directly or by a business transfer agent.