Explore the leaders and experts sharing insights on stage this year.
Halifax Convention Centre
Discover Actionable Growth & Transition Strategies from Top Entrepreneurs
Since 2015, the Business Transitions Forum has been guiding entrepreneurs through comprehensive growth strategies and ownership transitions, including opportunities for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to enhance shareholder value.
Join top entrepreneurs and North America’s leading experts to:
- Increase market share and shareholder value
- Identify growth and scaling opportunities
- Understand the acquisition and sale process
- Assess if M&A is the right growth path for your business
- Implement actionable strategies to elevate your business’s value at any stage in your transition journey
MAY 6, 2026 • Halifax Convention Centre
Introducing our 2026 Speakers
Dr. Lesley Steele
CEO & Founder
Steele Veterinary Group of Companies (Sold Eastern Passage Village Veterinary Hospital)
Paul LeBlanc
Founder & CEO
7th Wave Capital (Sold Coastal Communications, Arrivals+Departures & CMP Equipment)
Hear From BTF Alumni
I wished I had of participated in something like this before we transacted.
Natalie Benson
Partner & COO, Benson Cabinetry and Millwork
BTF has been amazing, and I mean that. I have met so many great people here today, and I will absolutely be back. I love what you have done here today.
William Donnellan
CEO & President, IRL Group
It’s a very welcoming conference, and a conference that anybody can just approach anybody and strike up a conversation.
Jalal Jetha
Managing Director, Cascadia Equity Partners
I think BTF does a great job of really setting the tone of community, connection and really making sure entrepreneurs feel supported.
Emily Savage
Principal Lawyer, Miller Titerle + Company
May 6, 2026 • Halifax Convention Centre
Early Bird Sale!
SAVE UP TO $400!*
*With 2+ Entrepreneurs
Stay Up To Date
Gain expert insights, success stories, and practical resources to drive business growth and navigate transitions.
Get updates on upcoming events, promotions, and the latest strategies and trends from industry leaders to elevate your business’s value and ensure a successful transition.
Explore the Latest Articles from The BTF Insider
From CrackBerry To Clicks: Kevin Michaluk On Life Before & After The Exit
Every founder dreams of building a business worth millions, few expect the emotional roller coaster that comes after they do. For Kevin Michaluk, better known as CrackBerry Kevin, the journey from a $15,000 bet to a $115 million exit was both exhilarating and disorienting. The Winnipeg-born entrepreneur turned his love for BlackBerry into Mobile Nations, a pioneering tech media company that built passionate online communities around mobile brands.
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Mike Milani On Building A Sale-Ready Business
For many business owners, selling a company is the most significant financial and emotional transaction of their life. Yet too often, preparation begins only when the decision to sell has already been made. Mike Milani, Executive Managing Director & Principal at Baker Tilly Capital, LLC and Chair of BTF SoCal 2025, has spent nearly four decades advising owners through M&A transactions. His message is clear: the owners who achieve successful exits start thinking years, not months, ahead.
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Why Trust & Culture Define Enterprise Value: Insights From Debby Carreau
Debby has advised countless executives through acquisitions, turnarounds, and restructuring. In every case, the first question is the same: do people believe what you say? “The leader needs to be trustworthy. Without that, no matter what you do, your organization’s not going to be successful because the people… they’re not going to believe your strategy.”
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Radical Transparency in a Negative Equity Crisis
Every entrepreneur faces moments when survival feels uncertain. For Mike and his team at Manitoba Harvest, that moment lasted more than two years. The company was in negative equity (its liabilities outweighed its assets) and it was relying heavily on trade credit to keep operations alive. For many leaders, this would have been the time to go quiet, hide from creditors, and hope for a turnaround. Mike chose the opposite path.
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Canada Must Focus on Scaling Homegrown Businesses, Says Haskayne Finance Professor
Ari Pandes, Associate Professor of Finance and Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, is sounding the alarm on a troubling trend in Canada’s economy: the steady decline of operating companies listed on public markets, and the broader failure to scale up domestic businesses.
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10 Years of BTF: Reflecting on the Past and Building the Future
When we launched the very first Business Transitions Forum in 2015, it was driven by one idea: founders needed a better way to prepare for what’s next. Ten years later, that idea has grown into a national series of events and a trusted place for entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors to gather, learn, and connect. To mark the 10-year milestone, I sat down to reflect on how BTF started, what we’ve learned along the way, and where we’re headed next.
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