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Tools / Buying a business

Guided plan · Downloadable Buyer OS

Main Street Buyer’s Operating System.

Understand the next decision, keep the questions that need answers, and build a record of the business you are considering.

Buy Buyer OS — $9 ↗

One-time purchase · Offline browser application + opening guide

Personal or one-organization use. Team and paid client work included; share completed work. Reusable product distribution requires separate permission. Read the product license

Follow one decision through the journal
Fictional buyer journal, arranged to explain the nine-stage workflow.
What to bring
Your buyer mission, a business you are considering, questions, evidence and the reasoning behind your decisions. You can begin while preparing your search.
What you keep
A nine-stage guide, deal journal and decision log, with copyable and printable summaries. Buyer OS links to the companion tools; their deal entries do not automatically transfer.
Keeping & returning
Entries stay in the same browser where local storage is available. Copy or print a summary to keep a reading record. That summary cannot restore the application, and browser data does not sync across devices.
Reading, related tools & help

Read the guide

Keep claims, evidence, and questions separate.

Carry claims, evidence and unresolved questions through the acquisition work.

Choose related work

  • Buyer Brief

    For someone considering a purchase and deciding what they want to investigate.

  • The Verified Acquisition System

    For a specific opportunity: organize the investigation, explore assumptions, and prepare records for the next conversation.

Find outside help

Find relevant people & guidance

Match acquisition learning, programmes or specialist help to your current question.

Also included in The Verified Acquisition System — $29. Already own the complete package? This application is included.

When this helps.

You want more structure than a collection of articles: a place to work through the purchase, record what you have learned, and decide what still needs attention. Start while preparing your search or use it to organize a business you are already examining.

What you work through.

  1. Prepare yourself to buy.
  2. Find and source a suitable business.
  3. Screen an opportunity.
  4. Understand value and earnings.
  5. Set your walk-away number.
  6. Explore structure and financing.
  7. Prepare for an offer or letter of intent.
  8. Organize due diligence.
  9. Prepare for closing and the first 100 days.

What you receive.

  • The Buyer OS application, with nine decision stages and a dashboard for your buyer mission.
  • A review of how much the business depends on its current owner.
  • A deal journal and decision log for your questions, findings, and reasoning.
  • Conversation scripts, red-flag prompts, worked deal examples, and document walkthroughs.
  • A copyable deal summary and printable reports to keep or discuss with your advisers.
  • A quick-start guide explaining how to open the file and keep your work.

Open it. Work through it. Keep a record.

Extract the downloaded ZIP and open product-15-buyer-operating-system.html in your desktop browser. The application works offline without installing software or signing into a product account.

Enter your buyer mission, work through the stages that apply, and keep your deal journal up to date. Copy your summary or print to PDF when you want a record to share.

Entries are saved in that browser where local storage is available. Moving the file, switching browsers, or clearing browser data can make saved entries unavailable. The printable or copied summary is a readable record, not a backup that restores the application.

Guidance for the decisions.

This is an educational planning tool. Its prompts and scores help organize your review; they do not establish a business’s value, approve a loan, or replace professional due diligence. Check current lending requirements and transaction-specific questions with your lender and advisers.

Buyer OS / Worked example

A deal. A question. A next step.

Follow a fictional buyer considering Alder Bookshop. Keep the open question attached to the deal as you move through the decisions.

01 / The mission

Start with the business you are considering.

Give the application a buyer mission, then use its nine stages to organize the work. You can return to a stage as better information arrives.

Target business
Alder Bookshop
Buyer aim
Operate a neighborhood bookshop
Question in view
Understand the earnings behind the asking price
01Prepare
02Source
03Screen
04Value
05Set a ceiling
06Finance
07Offer
08Diligence
09Close & begin
The highlighted valuation stage is the focus of this illustration. It does not mean earlier checks are completed or that the business is ready to buy.

Fictional educational walkthrough. Stage progress does not establish transaction readiness.

Keep your open draft?

Continuing will discard your unsaved changes. You can return to the draft and save or download it first.

Inside a real tool

The Cash Timing Planner

A screenshot from the working planner, using fictional figures. This example starts with $2,000, reaches a low of $300, and ends the eight weeks at $900.

Swipe across the preview to read the details.

Eight-week cash balance chart from October 1 to November 25, 2026. The lowest balance is $300; the expected end balance is $900. The dotted line marks the example's chosen $500 cash level.

The full tool lets you enter receipts and payments, try a change, and keep an editable copy.