Buy the right small business at a price it can carry, with every file for every step
A complete kit for first-time buyers, searchers and owners buying a second business in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia and New Zealand: from your buy box to the first 100 days, ready to use with your lawyer, accountant and lender.
- A 23-sheet Acquisition Workbook: readiness self-assessment with a gap-to-action plan, buy box, deal funnel, add-backs, earnings bridge, evidence register, decision log, RACI, roadmap and a jurisdiction crosswalk
- A Deal Model and Business-Case Calculator (11 sheets): valuation range, sources and uses, DSCR, a revenue stress test, loan schedule and an earn-out tester
- Five fillable worksheets and brand-ready templates: LOI discussion draft, a 48-item due diligence request list, deal rules with a lender pack and sign-off memo, and 40 messages and scripts
- A worked example, 26 AI prompts, four cheat sheets, a dated rules-by-country sheet, a team briefing with a 15-question knowledge check, a roadmap calendar and a task board
The Buying a Small Business Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 318 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you buy a small business?
Decide what you can put at risk, write a buy box, talk to lenders early, source deals from brokers, marketplaces and compliant outreach, screen fast, normalise the earnings with evidence, value on SDE or EBITDA, test debt service, sign an LOI, run due diligence with a quality of earnings review, then close and lead carefully. The Buying a Small Business Kit from Bodhih Training gives you every file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Buy a Small Business: A Step-by-Step Guide.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Every listing looks good
Without written rules, each seller's story sounds convincing and the hours disappear. A buy box with deal-breakers ends weak deals in ten minutes.
The earnings are not what they seem
Add-backs, one-offs and a missing working capital clause can make a business look far more profitable than it is. You need evidence for every dollar you pay for.
Debt that the business cannot carry
A price that works on last year's best numbers can fail after one lost customer. You need DSCR and a stress test before you sign.
Advisers, lenders and sellers all at once
LOIs, diligence lists, lender packs, consents and staff announcements arrive in the same few weeks. You need a register, a roadmap and the words for each moment.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine the evening you open the Acquisition Workbook and score your readiness. Within an hour you know your three biggest gaps, the most you will invest and guarantee, and the five rules every business must pass.
As you screen listings over the following weeks, notice how quickly weak deals fall away. When a good one arrives, you type its numbers into the Financials and Add-backs sheets and see the earnings you actually believe, then open the calculator to find the price it can carry and the revenue fall that would break it.
When the letter of intent is signed, the request list goes out the same day, every document gets a row on the evidence register, and every finding gets a decision. On the morning after closing, you stand in front of your new team with a script that promises only what is true.
Whether you start with the self-assessment tonight or the calculator on your next promising listing, the next step is small and the file for it is already open.
23 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Buying a Small Business Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: buying a business map
The job in ten steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan and the 'Brand it in five minutes' box.
Acquisition Workbook
23 sheets: Settings, buyer readiness self-assessment with a gap-to-action plan, buy box, deal funnel, pipeline register, outreach log with consent check, three-year financials, add-backs and QoE adjustments, customer concentration, working capital, earnings bridge, red flags, due diligence evidence register, decision log, RACI, roadmap, jurisdiction crosswalk, official sources, What changed log, glossary and a dashboard with four charts and traffic lights.
Deal Model and Business-Case Calculator
11 sheets: inputs, valuation range, uses and sources, debt service and DSCR, stress test, loan schedule, earn-out tester, the business case for diligence and advisers, and a dashboard with four charts.
Buyer thesis and buy box worksheet
Three fillable pages: why you are buying and what you can put at risk, your thesis and buy box with deal-breakers, and your search plan with weekly routine and advisers.
Listing screen and first-call forms
Three fillable pages: a 10-minute listing screen with fit scores and deal-breakers, the first-call question sheet, and first-call notes with the next step.
Site visit and management interview form
Three fillable pages: what to look for on a site visit, the owner interview, and key staff and customer reference conversations (with the seller's permission).
Offer and LOI planning worksheet
Three fillable pages: the numbers behind your offer and your walk-away price, the LOI terms checklist for your lawyer, and a negotiation plan.
Closing and first 100 days planner
Three fillable pages: the closing checklist, day one with the staff meeting and first customer calls, and the 30, 60 and 100-day reviews.
Letter of intent discussion draft
A plain-words letter of intent (heads of terms) with asset or share options, price and peg, seller note and earn-out table, conditions, transition, exclusivity and confidentiality, for your lawyer to formalise.
Due diligence request list and procedure
A due diligence procedure starter (8 steps) and a 48-item request list in 9 areas, numbered to match the Evidence register and your data room folders.
Deal rules, lender pack and sign-off memo
Four parts: a deal rules and walk-away policy starter (12 rules and an approvals table), a one-page buyer profile for brokers and lenders, a lender summary, and the investment decision and sign-off memo.
Buyer message and outreach library
40 messages and scripts in 8 groups: brokers, direct outreach with identification and opt-out lines, owner conversations, offers and re-pricing, due diligence, advisers and funders, closing announcements and the first 100 days.
Worked example pack: Nadia buys a commercial cleaning company
The kit's main files completed for one fictional composite deal in Calgary: self-assessment, buy box, funnel, a walk-away, add-backs, earnings bridge, concentration, valuation and re-price, sources and uses, DSCR stress test, evidence extract, sign-off memo and the first 100 days.
AI prompt pack for business buyers
26 tool-agnostic prompts in 6 groups, each with what to paste in and what to check, plus four human review rules: thesis, outreach, reading the numbers, valuation and financing, diligence, closing and the first 100 days.
Deal team briefing session plan and answer key
A 45-minute session plan to run with your co-buyer, partner, investor or search intern: timings, facilitator notes, an add-back sorting exercise and the printable answer key to the 15-question knowledge check.
Numbers that matter: deal card
15 numbers a business purchase runs on, each with plain words, formula, where it lives in the kit and what to do if it moves, plus Nadia's profit-to-price bridge.
Red flags, walk-away rules and mistakes card
Fourteen red flags with what they might mean and what to do, five walk-away rules and fifteen mistakes buyers make.
First-call questions and deal timeline card
Twenty first-call questions in four groups, Nadia's sample deal timeline and her funnel shape.
Buying a business: rules by country (November 2026)
Dated orientation on financing schemes, SBA rules, outreach rules, employee transfers, sales tax elections and merger notification for the US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Gulf.
Knowledge check (LMS-ready)
15 scenario questions on add-backs, owner dependence, concentration, DSCR, outreach rules, re-pricing, working capital, deal structure, employees and LOIs. Imports into Bodhih LMS or any LMS that accepts CSV.
Acquisition roadmap calendar: LOI to day 100
30 events from the signed LOI through closing (LOI day 88 in the sample) to your 100-day review. Day 1 is the day the LOI is signed: change the start date to yours. Import into Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar.
Acquisition task board
33 tasks with list, owner, when, priority and the kit file to use. Import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 23 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 71 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, any LMS that imports CSV
- Best for
- Buyers of owner-operated businesses with SDE of roughly a hundred thousand to a few million, in any currency
Ready to Buy? Readiness, Money and the Search Model
Why you want to own, what you can put at risk, self-funded or funded search, and the scored self-assessment.
Your Thesis and Buy Box
A one-paragraph thesis and a buy box of must-haves, nice-to-haves and deal-breakers you can test.
Finding Deals: Brokers, Marketplaces and Direct Outreach
Working with brokers, screening marketplaces, outreach that follows each country's anti-spam rules, and the deal funnel.
The First Call and the Ten-Minute Screen
The ten-minute screen, the first call, owner-dependence and the reason for sale.
Reading the Numbers: SDE, EBITDA, Add-Backs and Working Capital
SDE and adjusted EBITDA, the three-question add-back test, the earnings bridge, concentration and the working capital peg.
Valuation and Your Offer
Valuation ranges from your own evidence, the walk-away price and structure as part of the price.
Financing the Deal: Lenders, Seller Notes, Earn-Outs and Investors
The capital stack, government-backed loans, seller notes, earn-outs, investors, DSCR and the stress test.
The Letter of Intent and Negotiating Well
What an LOI does, assets or shares, exclusivity and negotiating as someone who will work with the seller.
Due Diligence and the Quality of Earnings
The request list, the evidence register, the quality of earnings review, decisions on every finding and staff transfer law.
Closing and the First 100 Days
The closing checklist, the sign-off memo, day one with staff and customers, and learning before changing.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Buying-a-Business-Map.pdf: the job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan and the 'Brand it in five minutes' box
Workbooks
- Acquisition-Workbook.xlsx: 23 sheets including Settings, a buyer readiness self-assessment with a gap-to-action plan, buy box, funnel log, pipeline register, outreach log with consent check, financials, add-backs and QoE adjustments, customers, working capital, earnings bridge, red flags, due diligence evidence register, decision log, RACI, roadmap, jurisdiction crosswalk, official sources, What changed log, glossary and a dashboard with four charts and traffic lights
- Deal-Model-and-Business-Case-Calculator.xlsx: 11 sheets with inputs, valuation range, uses, sources, debt service and DSCR, stress test, loan schedule, earn-out tester, the business case for diligence and a dashboard with four charts
Fillable forms
- Buyer-Thesis-and-Buy-Box-Worksheet.pdf: 3 pages: money and risk at home, thesis and buy box, search plan
- Listing-Screen-and-First-Call-Forms.pdf: 3 pages: ten-minute screen, first-call questions, first-call notes
- Site-Visit-and-Management-Interview-Form.pdf: 3 pages: site visit, owner interview, staff and customer conversations
- Offer-and-LOI-Planning-Worksheet.pdf: 3 pages: the numbers behind your offer, LOI terms checklist, negotiation plan
- Closing-and-First-100-Days-Planner.pdf: 3 pages: closing checklist, day one and week one, 30, 60 and 100-day reviews
Word templates
- LOI-Discussion-Draft-Template.docx: a plain-words letter of intent with asset or share options, price and peg, seller note and earn-out, conditions and exclusivity, for your lawyer
- Due-Diligence-Request-List-and-Procedure.docx: an 8-step procedure starter and 48 numbered requests in nine groups
- Deal-Rules-Lender-Pack-and-Sign-Off-Memo.docx: deal rules and walk-away policy, buyer profile, lender summary and the investment sign-off memo
- Buyer-Message-and-Outreach-Library.docx: 40 messages and scripts from the first broker email to the 30-day update
- Worked-Example-Pack-Nadia-Commercial-Cleaning.docx: the main files completed for one composite deal
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Business-Buyers.docx: 26 prompts with what to paste in, what to check and four human review rules
- Team-Briefing-Session-Plan-and-Answer-Key.docx: a 45-minute session with an add-back exercise and the answer key
Cheat sheets
- Numbers-That-Matter-Deal-Card.pdf: 15 numbers with formulas, where they live and what to do if they move
- Red-Flags-Walk-Away-and-Mistakes-Card.pdf: 14 red flags, 5 walk-away rules and 15 mistakes buyers make
- First-Call-Questions-and-Deal-Timeline-Card.pdf: 20 first-call questions, a sample timeline and funnel
- Buying-a-Business-Rules-by-Country-November-2026.pdf: dated orientation for the US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Gulf
Training, calendar and import
- Knowledge-Check-Buying-a-Business.csv: 15 scenario questions, ready for Bodhih LMS or any LMS
- Acquisition-Roadmap-Calendar.ics: 30 events from the signed LOI to day 100
- Acquisition-Task-Board.csv: 33 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
E-book
- The Buying a Small Business Kit e-book: about 10,000 words, 10 chapters and 23 figures
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Score your readiness and work your biggest gaps first
- Write a thesis and a buy box with testable deal-breakers
- Source deals from brokers, marketplaces and outreach that follows each country's rules
- Turn a seller's SDE into earnings you can evidence, and see the gap
- Build a valuation range, a walk-away price and a structure that shares risk
- Test DSCR and find the revenue fall that would break the deal
- Run due diligence with an evidence register and record a decision for every finding
- Close carefully and lead the first 100 days with staff and customers
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Four Quarters: Financial Judgement for Managers Who Are Not in Finance
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentNegotiation & Value Creation
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentDecision-Making Under Uncertainty
Take the assessment →JobularyIf-then plans that make habits stick (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 9
A quality of earnings (QoE) review is an accountant's examination of whether the earnings are real, repeatable and correctly measured. It typically includes a cash proof (do bank deposits match reported revenue?), a review of add-backs, working capital and the peg, payroll accruals, customer concentration and one-off items. For larger deals some lenders require one; for smaller deals it is your choice. The Business case sheet in the calculator compares the cost of doing it with the exposure of skipping it. For Nadia: C$51,000 to C$61,000 for the QoE, legal review, tax advice and her own time, against an exposure range of C$10,000 to C$528,000, all her own estimates. She did not need the high end to be right to make the decision.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Search | A list of websites | Buy box, funnel log, pipeline with fit scores and an outreach log with a consent check |
| Numbers | An SDE formula | Three-year financials, add-backs with evidence, QoE adjustments, concentration, working capital and an earnings bridge |
| Price and money | A rule-of-thumb multiple | Your own valuation range, sources and uses, DSCR, stress test, loan schedule and earn-out tester |
| Countries | One country, undated | A crosswalk for six markets plus India and the Gulf, a dated rules sheet and an official sources register |
| Diligence | A checklist | A 48-item request list, procedure, evidence register, red flags and a decision log |
| Compared with hiring help | Advisers start from scratch on your thinking | You arrive at your lawyer, accountant and lender organised, with the questions and records ready; you still need them |
Made for you if…
- First-time buyers who want to own an existing business rather than start one
- Self-funded searchers and entrepreneurs through acquisition
- Search fund principals who want a disciplined deal process
- Managers and professionals planning a career move into ownership
- Owners buying a second business or a competitor
- Partners, spouses and minority investors who decide alongside a buyer
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for legal, tax, investment or valuation advice: the kit prepares you to work with your lawyer, accountant and lender, it does not replace them
- Sellers preparing a business for sale: see The Exit-Ready Kit
- Buyers of large companies running auction processes with investment banks
- Anyone wanting a guaranteed deal, price, loan approval or return: no kit can promise those
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Your next business, bought with your eyes open
Open the Start-here map and give it one hour tonight. Whether you begin with the self-assessment or the calculator on your next promising listing, you will know what to do next and which file to open.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use, including sharing with your partner, co-buyer, investors and advisers for your own acquisition. Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
No ratings yet. Only people who have bought this kit can rate it - every buyer gets a one-click rating link a couple of days after their purchase.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Outbound Prospecting Playbook
Build a repeatable outbound prospecting system for B2B.
The Exit-Ready Kit
Prepare a small or mid-size private business for sale over 12-36 months and run the sale w.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Buying a Small Business Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat exactly is in the kit?
An e-book, the Acquisition Workbook (23 sheets) and the Deal Model and Business-Case Calculator (no macros), five fillable PDF worksheets, seven Word documents including the LOI draft, due diligence list, deal pack and 40-message library, four cheat sheets plus the Start-here map, a knowledge-check CSV, a roadmap calendar and a task board: 22 files in all.
How long does it take to buy a small business?
It varies a great deal with the market, your lender, the seller and how organised the records are. In the kit's sample deal the search took eight months and the LOI to closing took 88 days. The roadmap calendar gives you the milestones.
How do I work out what a small business is worth?
Start with earnings you can evidence: seller's discretionary earnings for owner-run businesses or adjusted EBITDA for larger ones. Apply a low, mid and high multiple from comparable sales your broker or accountant can show you, then test the price against debt service. The calculator does the arithmetic; the range is yours.
What is the difference between SDE and EBITDA?
SDE adds one owner's pay back to profit, so it shows what the business earns for one owner-operator before debt. Adjusted EBITDA assumes a manager is paid a market salary. For a small business, adjusted EBITDA is roughly SDE minus that salary.
Can I buy a business with an SBA loan or a government-backed loan?
Often, yes. The US SBA 7(a) programme can fund changes of ownership, Canada has the Small Business Financing Program and BDC, and the UK has the Growth Guarantee Scheme. Each has its own limits and equity rules, and the US rules changed on 1 October 2026. The dated sheet lists the current specifics with official links; your lender confirms what applies.
Do I need a quality of earnings report for a small business?
Not always, though some lenders require one above a size threshold. The kit's business case sheet compares the cost of a QoE review with the exposure of skipping it, so you can decide with numbers rather than nerves.
Can I email business owners to ask if they want to sell?
Sometimes, but anti-spam and privacy laws apply in many countries, including CAN-SPAM in the US, CASL in Canada, PECR and UK GDPR in the UK, and the Spam Act in Australia. The crosswalk and dated sheet summarise each, and the Outreach log records your basis for every message. A printed letter is often the safest first approach.
Can I do this without a broker or consultant?
You can find and negotiate a deal without a buyer's adviser, and many first-time buyers do. You still need a lawyer and an accountant, and usually a lender. The kit helps you work with them efficiently; it does not replace them.
Can I use this with my partner, co-buyer or investors?
Yes. The personal licence covers use for your own acquisition, including sharing the forms, briefing and sign-off memo with your partner, co-buyer, investors and advisers. For use across a search fund portfolio, an accelerator or a brokerage, ask about a company licence at solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method works anywhere. The crosswalk and dated sheet cover the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia and New Zealand, with notes for India and the Gulf. Laws on financing, tax, employees and outreach differ and change, so check each one with your lawyer and accountant.
How can I measure my starting point?
The kit's self-assessment scores your readiness. If you also want a measure of the underlying skills, AssessAll offers Four Quarters: Financial Judgement for Managers Who Are Not in Finance, Negotiation & Value Creation, and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty at assessall.com.
Is this legal, tax or financial advice?
No. The kit is educational. Templates are discussion drafts for your lawyer and accountant to formalise, and nothing in it promises a deal, a price, a loan or a return. To make your deal rules stick, Jobulary's guide to if-then plans that make habits stick is a good companion.
How much does The Buying a Small Business Kit cost?
₹1,999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $49 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
