The main reason: Some entrepreneurs, hit by losses in the stock market, start looking seriously at buying a business that could give them the double-digit returns they used to get from Wall Street.

"The stock market returns on investments have fallen dramatically this past year from the euphoric highs over the previous several years," Read says. "So buying a business with a normal 20% return on investment is a more desirable option than previously."

Another factor is employment. "A downturn in the economy results in layoffs of both white-collar and blue-collar workers," Read says. "Many of these laid-off workers take this opportunity to purchase a business as a form of buying a job."