Many business owners only consider launching, or starting-up a new division or new venture when seeking expansion for their business into new areas or territories, and yet there are many benefits to buying a going concern, not least a reduction in risk and the creation of enormous potential for profit. Here are five of the biggest positives when it comes to making a purchase:

1. People | when you acquire a business, often the most important asset you take on is the team of people behind the company name
2. Brand | you’re buying something which already has an identity and an established name, and you can leverage that to great effect
3. Relationships | you’re buying a portfolio of existing clients, suppliers, and other relationships that often took years to build and develop
4. Proven | it’s often easier to finance the purchase of an existing company than the start-up development of your own as it’s considered less risky
5. Speed | you can quite literally hit the ground running with a going concern in a way that you can’t with a start-up business