Question:
I am highly suspicious of business listings that I come across. If the businesses are running so great, why does the owner want to sell?
Answer:
Although skepticism is a wonderful trait for a business buyer, I think you may be misreading this situation entirely.
There are many reasons why someone sells a good business.
These can include retirement, illness, death, divorce, partnership issues, or just plain boredom. While there may be cases whereby a seller is trying to pass a poor business off to someone else, the research that you do, and the level of knowledge that you have when beginning the process of buying a business will make the difference between being able to identify a good business that is “legitimately” being sold versus one that you reference.
Your question also brings up an excellent point which is trying to determine why someone is selling. This is one of the key questions to ask a seller and to validate.
The average small business changes hands every five years or so. As such, it is not uncommon for plenty of good ones to be on the market.