Buying a muse already in operation?

[TimWieneke]

Has anyone bought a muse that is already in operation and cash flowing? Here's my situation. I could sell my properties and net about 10-30k in cash on each sale. Each house is making me about $3,500-$4,000 in cash each year after expenses, property taxes and all.... Having perused some sites that deal in selling businesses I have found some online businesses selling for 10-20k each with reported numbers that could double my cash flow while geographically breaking me free from the portfolio. Individually the sites don't make enough for their owners per year so I understand part of why they're for sale. However, coming in with cash if I could create a portfolio of operating muses I could create the cash and mobility I need along with a diversification of markets each site serves.

Anyway to the meat of my question. Has anyone here bought one and by what means did you do your due diligence to confirm the numbers that were being reported when it was listed for sale?

[djp]

Looks interesting, let us know what you find out.

It's my impression that people selling their small businesses are mostly people trying to unload their headaches on to somebody else. And most of them are not nearly as turn-key and automatic as they may try to make it seem.

But you know, perhaps they just never applied the 4HWW principles to their businesses. My business is going from a prison that I would do almost anything to escape, to something which should be close to totally automated and something I can tolerate.