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Building your acquisition criteria

Sharp acquisition criteria save you months of wasted effort chasing the wrong businesses.

Reviewed by Valius AdvisoryUpdated Autumn 2026Find track (Before and during the search)

Why Criteria Matter More Than People Think

Most first-time buyers start with a rough idea: something profitable, not too big, ideally local. That is not criteria, it is a mood. Brokers and advisers cannot act on a mood, and neither can you when a deal lands on your desk and you have thirty seconds to decide whether it is worth a phone call.

Written criteria force you to make decisions early, when they are cheap, rather than three months into a process when you are emotionally invested and thinking with your gut instead of your head.

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