Last updated on April 10th, 2024 at 08:27 am
Are you looking to buy a business in South Africa? This article is for you! We have compiled a list of 5 places where you can find businesses that are for sale.
You will be able to use this information as a starting point and then do your research from there.
These listings will give you an idea of the type and size of business that might work well with your goals.
Table of Contents
Why buy a business?
There are many benefits to buying a business in South Africa rather than starting your own:
- You will have an established customer base.
- There is no need for you to spend time and money on marketing as it comes built into the price of the business.
- An existing team that knows how everything works together helps you reduce risk and avoid mistakes when getting started with running a new company.
These businesses in South Africa can help you think through some key questions before making any final decisions, too!
When buying an existing business in South Africa, start by looking at what kind of industry interests you – do not worry about other factors at this point in time because there will be plenty of opportunities later down the line.
If you know where passion lies or even just something that you are good at, this might be a great place to start.
Looking for your dream business? Here is our list of 11 places where you can buy businesses in South Africa:
1). BusinessesForSale.com
This site provides you with access to over 40,000 businesses that are on the market around the world.
You can search using filters such as location or industry type.
To have an idea of what kind of options might be available for your business, try searching by ‘Industry’ and then find a few industries that interest you – this will help narrow down your results list so it is easier to see some potential matches.
Another option would be to run multiple searches under different parameters until you start seeing listings pop up regularly in multiple categories – also note which ones appear most frequently because these are likely good places to begin looking more closely at those companies!
Using their map feature will show you exactly where each company is based too, making it easy to see if that is somewhere you would like to live or travel.
Do a thorough search and use all the tools available on this site – it will help you find exactly what you are looking for!
Possible businesses: bar, restaurant, cafe, buy-out business, manufacturing company, etc.
Search BusinessesForSale now!
2). BizBuySell.com
A great place to look at buying a company in South Africa as well as abroad is BizBuySell.com.
BizBuySell is the Internet’s largest and most heavily trafficked business for sale marketplace, with more business for sale listings, more unique users, and more search activity than any other service.
BizBuySell has an inventory of over 65,000 businesses for sale and more than 3 million monthly visits. BizBuySell also has one of the largest databases of for-sale and sold comparables, as well as a leading franchise directory.
Their website has thousands of listings within your local area so whether you want something nearby right or just browse their list and keep your options open for your next adventure, this is a great resource to check out.
3). Flippa.com
Flippa is an online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers. You can find anything from websites to businesses, apps, and even logos – with over 100k listings on their website, you are bound to come across something of interest!
If you want the full package (website + business) Flippa does offer a ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Make An Offer’ options as well as auctions which might be great if you like challenges and have some money ready to spend.
There are also plenty of free tools available such as advanced search filters so it really depends on what your goals for this site are: do you just want more information about buying a company?
Do not hesitate to use all the features at your disposal – they will definitely help you find a great company or business to buy!
Possible businesses: online store, print shop, clothing line, etc.
4). Gumtree
Gumtree has become a popular way to buy and sell things in South Africa.
The site is trustworthy, easy-to navigate with features that make it work from anywhere.
The saying “put it on gum tree” was first used back when they launched their service in 2005 where millions of people have been helped by using this app or website!
And ever since, it has become a favorite word for those looking to buy a business in South Africa.
Interesting facts about Gumtree in South Africa;
- Gumtree is a well-established international brand and forms part of the Adevinta family. Although their ads are completely local, Gumtree is definitely backed by their international expertise and support.
- Gumtree is by far South Africa’s favourite classified site – it is the 6th largest site in South Africa and reaches 18% of the population every single month (Alexa, Sept 2013).
- Over 600 000 live ads and 30 000 new ads are posted on Gumtree every single day.
- Gumtree is a great place to sell cars, with well over 3,800,000 unique monthly visits and over 230,000 cars listed on the site. They also have more than double the cars inventory of the next closest competitor.
In simple terms, Gumtree is the most popular site in South Africa for cars, jobs, property, and buying and selling goods.
5). Aldes Business Brokers in South Africa
Aldes Business Brokers is a leader in the African business broking industry, having been established 40 years ago.
With over 300 franchises across East and Southern Africa we have guided our clients through all stages of buying or selling a company including market analysis to negotiating contracts on your behalf while adhering strictly by EAAB guidelines for the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAA).
Aldes is registered with them as well – they regulate them!
Everyone at Alde’s knows exactly what he needs to do when it comes time to make sure that any deal goes smoothly; you can rest assured knowing every professional person working at Aldes has completed a comprehensive training course taught only at Aldes Business Broker Training course.
Steps to buy a business in South Africa
Step 1: Define your goals.
Defining what you are looking for will help narrow down the options and make it easier to spot potential opportunities when they do arise.
Consider things like how much money you have, where you want to live, whether or not there is room in your life for this new project, and what you would like to accomplish.
Step 2: Narrow down the industry that interests you.
Consider if buying an existing business is right for your goals (see above).
Research what type of business might be suited best with these goals in mind. Do not worry about the location or other factors at this point in time.
Step 3: Start with a simple Google search
Something like, “type of business for sale in [your area]”.
You can also look at classified ads and local businesses – sometimes people sell a business because they are retiring or relocating so it might be listed on their own website!
Other places to find your next opportunity include Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and Craigslist.
Step 4: Create a list
Create a list of potential businesses that you would like to learn more about (include the type of business as well as contact information).
Step 5: Research
Make sure to do your research before meeting with anyone because this will help you ask better questions during negotiations.
You can also use websites such as BusinessesForSale.com or Gumtree for listings.
These sites usually have sellers who are looking for buyers so it is best if they know what kind of business interests them – these places allow you to search by industry and location.
It is important to note that sometimes ads on these types of platforms include fees which means there might be extra costs involved when closing the deal later down the line.
Step 6: Set up a meeting
When checking out these businesses, you can either go alone or take someone with you who has the industry knowledge to help spot any red flags that might show up later down the line.
Make sure to ask plenty of questions about things like clientele and competition in the area – this will give you a better idea of whether or not it is something worth investing your time into!
Having an understanding of the local market will also come in handy when negotiating because then everyone knows what they are talking about.
You do not want to end up paying too much for something so learn as much as possible beforehand!
Once you have the meeting, strike a negotiations weighing in everything.
What to consider before you buy a business in South Africa
A few things you might want to think about when looking at these businesses:
a). How long has the company been in business?
Are they still operating and where do their profits come from? These are important questions that will help assess how well or not so well a particular company may be doing.
It can also give you an idea of what kind of experience the previous owner had with running it – did they make it work for all those years or were there struggles along the way?
This information could prove very valuable down the line because knowing why someone might be willing to let go of their baby may affect your decision making later!
b). Look into the company’s financials
And see what the yearly turnover is like, how many employees they have etc.
Any red flags?
If there are a lot of them it might be worth thinking again about making an offer – unless you want to change things up entirely!
c). What kind of competition do they face in their industry or field?
Is this something that could affect your own success if you bought the business from somebody else and tried to make things work with it right away?
It can never hurt to ask some more questions while looking at different companies so feel free to get in touch with whoever is selling even if you don’t end up buying anything!
d). How much money do you have to spend on a company?
If the listing price seems too high, it might be worth taking a look at other placement options that can help meet your budget.
Final thoughts on places to buy a business in South Africa
More and more people are looking for ways they can buy their own business instead of working for somebody else so if this is something you have been thinking about as well – there is no time like the present to get started!
Whether you want to start from scratch or take over an existing company with established customers and revenue stream – there are many different opportunities out there waiting for someone just like yourself.
Keep these tips in mind when looking for your next business and you will be well on your way to making this a reality.
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