Second Look Audit
ListingsNewsLibraryHow we score
Get the weekly report
Second Look Audit

Independent scores for small online businesses already for sale. We read the fine print so you can decide with a clear head.

Explore

All listingsWorth a lookOnes to avoidRed flag guide

Learn

How we scoreBusiness newsLibraryAbout

Trust

Affiliate disclosureWeekly report

We may earn a commission if you buy through an outbound link. It never changes a verdict.

Not affiliated with Empire Flippers, Flippa, Motion Invest, Microns, Amazon, or the companies and sources we cite.

Library

A short shelf for the person doing the buying.

Books we would hand someone before a first acquisition or a first month as owner. The notes are ours. The links go to Amazon.

AllAcquisitionsOperatorsResearch
CardsTable
BookCategoryWhy we picked itPrice
Cover of Built to Sell
Built to Sell (opens in a new tab)
AcquisitionsA short argument for making a company less dependent on the founder. That is the question hiding inside a lot of small online listings: if the seller leaves, does the profit stay.—
Cover of Buy Then Build
Buy Then Build (opens in a new tab)
AcquisitionsWritten for people who want to own a company that already sells something. Read it as a way to think about deal flow and the first months as owner, then come back to our score for the price and the concentration.—
Cover of Buying a Business That Makes You Rich
Buying a Business That Makes You Rich (opens in a new tab)
AcquisitionsA practical walk through the whole purchase: finding a company, valuing it, negotiating and closing. Good to read before your first offer, then keep beside our score when you compare a price with the earnings behind it.—
Cover of HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business
HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business (opens in a new tab)
AcquisitionsA plain introduction to buying an existing company instead of starting one. Useful before you read a listing, because it walks through what to ask about earnings and what you would actually do after the close.—
Cover of Never Split the Difference
Never Split the Difference (opens in a new tab)
AcquisitionsNegotiation notes for the call with a seller or a broker. It will not tell you whether the multiple is fair. Our rubric is for that. This is for the conversation.—
Cover of Search Funds & Entrepreneurial Acquisitions
Search Funds & Entrepreneurial Acquisitions (opens in a new tab)
AcquisitionsExplains how people raise money to buy one company and then run it. Even if you never raise outside capital, the chapters on sourcing, diligence and the first year as owner are worth the read.—

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra and never changes what we recommend. Read our disclosure.