The Lifestyle Business Owner: How to Buy a Business, Grow Your Profits, and Make It Run Without You

I want to preface this by saying I’m not a business or financial expert by any stretch of the imagination.I have worked for 20 years at a small business and seen pretty much every side of that business. I also work at a university with an entrepreneurial major that is incredibly popular. I can certainly see the appeal of owning your own business.Generally my rule in dealing with almost anything is if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. This book promises to teach you how to buy a business, put a year into it building it up, and then withdraw to work 5-10 hours per week while making $100,000 or more per year.To me it really sounds too good to be true.As I said I do work for a university so I am a big proponent of higher education. The author proudly states several times that he took no classes beyond high school which does not necessarily fill me with confidence. I would also say that the author, who is a business broker, strongly pushes the idea that anyone buying a business needs a broker. In fact that is the very first thing the author suggests in the chapter about additional resources. My other criticism is that it does seem to contradict itself in a few places, such as the suggestion that you must be deeply invested and interested in the business and also more than willing to give it up if it is not profitable.That said I don’t think it would hurt anyone that is considering investing in a business to read this book. There is a wealth of advice in this book, especially in looking at financials and choosing the correct business. Since I’m not an expert I’m not qualified to tell you how useful this information is, but at a glance it seemed useful to me.Since they offer the promise of working only five hours per week as a business owner the book also gives advice on hiring a manager to handle the day-to-day work after a year or more building the business.So if you have large amount of money to invest (something else the author strongly encourages) and are looking to buy a business I think this book could have some good advice for you. I’m a little skeptical that it will have you working ten hours per week and making $200,000/year.

As a small business owner, I found this book quite informative and helpful. I had never heard of a lifestyle business owner before, but the concepts make total sense. Running the business rather than letting it run you is important in my mind because why would anyone want to go from working a normal 40 hour a week job to an 80 hour a week job for less pay.I was skeptical at first about the author’s advice to buy an existing business especially since I felt that it would be hard to find a company that could fit one’s ideal preferences. However, he convinced me of the soundness of that advice. I hadn’t really thought about how much time, effort, and money is spent just getting the business off the ground. Why go through all that hassle if other opportunities are available to fulfill your plans?!I enjoyed the fact that the author provided specific examples to reinforce his points and I found this book a great read. I will definitely be referring back to this book as I grow my business and look for other opportunities to expand.

Sorry if the title seems redundant or confusing, but I was just making a point about how if I *had to* name a fault, I'd say that this book is often times a bit repetitive. Sometimes I felt like the author was just going on and on about a certain point or example instead of just telling me whatever the bottomline was and moving on. But as in my real life, it's just that once I feel I've understood the point, I want to move on to the next part. Impatience is an ugly beast at times and as such that's why I put my one “negative” first. I do appreciate that not everyone is like me and some people will probably rave about how the same example I found exasperating brought them to enlightenment. I'll admit some actually did so for me too.However, if that doesn't sound sane to you, then I'll ground it back to a “review” by saying that this book is an informative read about how to become a Lifestyle Business Owner (LBO). As such, it takes you by the hand from the beginnings of even if being a LBO is right for you to the “end” of how to manage your running business.The whole concept of was extremely interesting and though it sounds like commonsense it was really good to see it all together spelled out in black and white. I really liked how the book was structured and one topic naturally flowed to the other in a completely related and logical manner. Ever step is mapped out and explained well.That said, and as much as it does have a business connotation to it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much of the “business advice” can be just “life advice”. For example, in the chapter about how LBO's think, there's a principle called systemized assumption questioning which in essence, is to not make assumptions. You'd think that's just commonsense, but the way it's put was eye opening, at least to me. It had me reflecting on what an assumption is and how very true to life it is to always question whether in *any situation* one is being applied or not and why.This book also surprised me with how it went above and beyond and addressed some common fears, misconceptions and myths. It clearly knocks down any 'if's or but's' you might have put in your own way if becoming a LBO is what you want to do.Overall I found the book to be very informative and well written out. At every turn the topics are well explained and exemplified, leaving little room for doubt. Though I myself don't have any desire to buy a business it's so well written, to my own shock I found I was almost on the verge of signing up to getting on the LBO train.I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever thought about becoming an entrepreneur or at least some curiosity on the subject matter. However, bear in mind that this isn't a blueprint to success, it's just the foundation, or an example, if you will. The author himself says so in his “note to readers” at the very beginning of the book. As long as you keep in mind that this book doesn't guarantee your success if you follow it, then I definitely think it's a great informative read, as long as you're interested in the LBO, otherwise it will likely be boring. Life lessons and all.

Get this book before deciding to start or buy a business, or if you are in one but the lifestyle you dream of hasn't materialized. This book reconfirmed why I decided to be a business owner versus an employee working for someone else. Does the vision of working 5 hours a week in a profitable business that runs without you sound appealing? Author Muller is authentic and has walked the pathway to lifestyle business ownership himself. The blueprint within this book takes the reader through buying a good business, increasing profits, and empowering people...a sizzling formula to create a lifestyle business. Easy to read and guaranteed to be used as a daily reference guide, the author also provides additional free videos to enhance the reading experience. This book is now in my reference library and should be in yours!

I really enjoyed this book. It provided great information on the process of becoming a Lifestyle Business Owner. If you're a beginner or advanced, you will gain value. With that being said, I hope a second edition comes out with more advanced concepts and information! I really enjoyed this book and will use it as a blueprint for the beginning of my business empire!