"Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards--as well as personal and...

"The power your company can generate in concert with another is immense. But mergers and acquisitions are incredibly complicated, involving issues ranging from valuation and deal structure to tax and securities laws. And things have only gotten more complicated in the increasingly global,...