Buy, Run, Build

A guide to Entrepreneurship through Acquisition

Buy, Run, Build

A guide to Entrepreneurship through Acquisition

Charles Skinner (Author)

Hardback ~~$35.00~~ $31.50 Ebook (PDF) $31.50 Ebook (Epub & Mobi) $31.50

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Description

'This book is fun to read, exciting to apply, and profitable to implement.' John Kay, economist

Buying an established company – rather than creating a start-up from scratch – is an increasingly popular path to success for many entrepreneurs. So what's stopping you?

Let's face it – starting a business is stressful, time-consuming and often ends in failure. Buying into an existing business (known as Entrepreneurship through acquisition or ETA) is becoming a popular alternative, and it's not surprising. An existing business already has customers, suppliers and staff; from day one, you can make a positive impact on the company and the people you are working with, rather than risking everything on a new venture.

Whether you are an MBA graduate, a successful corporate manager looking to strike out on your own, or someone who would rather run a business than work for one, Buy, Run, Build is your go-to guide on how to do ETA yourself, and contains all the tools you'll need to embark on this new chapter of your life.

Buy, Run, Build is rooted in real-life business experience and Charles Skinner's own insights as an industry specialist. With over 30 years' experience of running listed companies and acquiring tiny companies and turning them into national champions, Charles shares the secrets of his successes – and the invaluable lessons he's learnt from his failures – and guides you through the dos and don'ts of ETA:
· Finding and valuing companies;
· Funding acquisitions and negotiating deals;
· Managing acquired businesses and running fast-growing businesses, and;
· Most importantly – what to do when things go wrong.

So if you want to run a company, what are you waiting for?

Introduction – why buying up is better than starting up
1. What do you really want to do?
2. Checking out a business
3. Buying and selling a business
4. The money
5. Being the CEO
6. Dealing with the board
7. The business of management
8. People and pay
9. The tough side of people management
10. What to do when it all goes wrong

Product details

Published	Oct 16 2025
Format	Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition	1st
Extent	256
ISBN	9781399427104
Imprint	Bloomsbury Business
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Charles Skinner

Most business books are poorly written, difficult to follow, and not worth the purchase price. This book is fun to read, exciting to apply, and profitable to implement.

John Kay, economist
Charles Skinner is a veteran corporate turnaround specialist who is as frank about his disasters as he is modest about his triumphs. The very opposite of the boastful tech-bros who tell us how to change the world, Skinner makes a persuasive case in Buy, Run, Build for what he's good at – finding hidden value in unfashionable businesses – with honesty and humour. I treasure especially his image of the struggling chief executive as the embattled ambassador played by Sid James in “Carry On Up The Khyber”.

Martin vander Weyer, Business Editor, The Spectator
This is more than just a refreshingly honest guide to growing by acquisition – it is a common sense bible for how to run a business, written by someone who has nothing left to prove. Thoroughly recommended.

Michael McLintock, Chair, AB Foods plc
I started and sold a publishing company but if I'd taken advice from Charles Skinner, I could have easily built a business many times larger. As someone now involved in government and higher education, I wish more people understood how powerful and practical this route to leading business success could be.

Lord Mendoza, HMG Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal
This book is an excellent manual for any entrepreneur or could-be business owner. It is written by a practitioner who understands the tough realities of actually investing in and managing businesses. The book provides practical advice and fascinating case studies of all the pitfalls would can happen to anyone brave enough to embark on an enterprising journey. I strongly recommend it to anyone who has the fortitude and vision to seize the day.

Luke Johnson, entrepreneur, former Chair of the Royal Society of Arts
Management is difficult. This book is essential for anyone who wants to do it well. Clear, insightful, and thought-provoking in equal measure. And, unlike most management books, a good read.

Sir Alex Beard, CEO, Royal Opera House