For entrepreneurs wanting to grow their business, knowing when and how to do it can be a big barrier. It takes a solid strategy, a little luck and (sometimes) nerves of steel to scale. Alex Webb understands firsthand that the path to growth is never a straight one and there are bound to be a few hard lessons along the way.
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A CFA charter member, Axel has more than 25 years of mergers and acquisitions, as well as corporate finance experience. With a career focused on serving small- to mid-sized B.C. companies across a wide range of industries, he’s routinely sought out by entrepreneurs who want to successfully transition their businesses.
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Allison Maher is the co-founder of Family Wealth Coach Planning Services, based in Calgary, Alberta. Over the past 20 years, she has become the “Chief Legacy Officer” for many Canadian families and their businesses. She specializes in working with multigenerational family offices, family businesses and high net worth individuals, with a focus on estate, insurance and succession planning.
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This week we’ve rounded up some of the best entrepreneur advice on family business, growing your business, and preparing to sell.
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Gord Smith knows the waste management industry. After spending his adult life in the business, he’s seen the big players become bigger by acquiring smaller family businesses. In fact, Gord has been through the process three times and shares his unique insights into building, buying and selling businesses within Vancouver’s waste management industry.
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While selling a business during a pandemic isn’t easy — especially in an industry heavily impacted by the economic fallout —Tea Nicola, co-founder of WealthBar Financial Services, shares her tips for knowing your numbers so you’ll be ready to sell when the time is right.
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A serial entrepreneur and long-time BTF supporter, Paul LeBlanc loves doing deals and has started up and invested in multiple successful companies over a 25-year span. He has recently exited from the successful advertising agency he founded in 1997 and gives invaluable advice for entrepreneurs contemplating their own exit.
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For some businesses, the transition to remote work environments and the pandemic lockdown brought opportunities and growth. For the majority though, it was a challenging time that has stretched resilience and resources to the max. Much has changed since Canada went into its first lockdown, but (spoiler alert) we feel optimistic that the future is bright .
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Laura Zanchin, Principal, Zanchin Automotive Group, knows what it takes for a family business to thrive, even through challenging times. We recently sat down with Laura to have a wide-ranging conversation about how her family’s business has grown from a single dealership founded by her father, Joe Zanchin, in 1973 to a thriving company boasting over 30 locations and 19 brands.
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Whether you’re considering a partnership opportunity, or looking to bring a new partner in to benefit your business, asking the right questions can guide your decision. Susan Steeves, retired partner at Vancouver interior design firm SSDG, has experienced both sides and shares her best advice.
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So, you’re launching a company and energy is high among the partners. According to John Nicola, Chairman and CEO of Nicola Wealth, this is the perfect time to start planning your exit.
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The road to closing a deal and selling a company can be long and winding with a few unexpected bumps (or potholes) along the way. For Paul Hemsley, founder of Hemmera – a leading Canadian environmental consultancy, the initial road he took to selling the company he built from the ground up hit a sudden dead end, forcing him to start a whole new journey.
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Tracey McVicar knows deals. Having bought and sold countless businesses, she is a well- recognized and sought-after advisor on them. She understands the challenges and nuances of the world of deals in both a pandemic and pre-pandemic world. She also has some thoughts on how things may look in post-pandemic times.
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Charles Chang knows a thing or two about attracting investors. His own business success story is one for the books, having started Vega in his basement and then selling the iconic lifestyle brand for US$550 million just over a decade later.
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Kristin Delwo shares her survival tips How do you survive an economic downturn like the one we are experiencing in 2020? Our interview with BTF NOW | West Edition speaker Kristin Delwo, Founder of Stacks Inc., shares her story from the trenches as a preview to our survival stories panel discussion. Kristin shares why looking… Read More
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Paul LeBlanc is the Chair and MC of the upcoming BTF Now East conference and was also the Chair of the BTF Atlantic conference that was unfortunately cancelled last March due to COVID restrictions. A serial entrepreneur, Paul loves doing deals and has started up and invested in multiple successful companies over a 25-year… Read More
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We recently spoke with Laura Zanchin, Principal, Zanchin Automotive Group, who will be sharing her business “Survival Story” at BTF Now | East. Laura’s spent her lifetime in the automotive business, with her earliest memories including the smell of gas and sound of laughter in the showroom of her family’s car dealerships. Join us… Read More
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Axel Christiansen is the Chair/MC of the BTF NOW | Western Edition conference and originally helped to launch the Business Transition Forum brand five years ago. With over 25 years of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance experience, Axel focuses on serving small to mid-market BC companies across a wide range of industries and is… Read More
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With only one week away from BTF Vancouver, we continue to spotlight the profiles of amazing business owners who will be sharing their experiences on stage. This time we spoke with Delna Bhesania, CEO & Co-Founder of Bardel Entertainment, who will be sharing her journey next week. Delna is an Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer and… Read More
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With only a couple of weeks away from BTF Calgary, we continue to spotlight the profiles of amazing business owners who will be sharing their experiences on stage. This time we spoke with Bill Darling, former President of Big Guns Energy Services. Bill is a native Calgarian and has worked in the oil patch… Read More
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One of best reasons to attend the Business Transitions Forum is the opportunity to hear directly from business owners who have gone through transition and now have the opportunity to reflect on the process in the rearview mirror. To give you a little taste of what’s to come and also to shine a light on one of the amazing business owners who will be… Read More
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Originally published on Calgary Herald Donald Cranston still remembers the pit that formed in his stomach more than a decade ago when he and his business partner saw the cold, hard numbers about their successful business. For decades, he and his cousin Lynn Cranston had run the Medicine Hat-headquartered retail business Nutters Bulk and Natural Foods,… Read More
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As we move into the new season of BTF events, we are excited to share some insights into how our sessions, speakers and success stories have helped 1000’s of business owners over the past five years plan for successful transitions. To kick things off, we sat down with Mark Stephenson – President and Co-founder of Cube… Read More
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A successful business is one that is able to transition and move with the ebbs and flows of the economic landscape – and a big part of that has to do with times of transition in the company. There are many shapes and forms of business transitions, from a direct seller-buyer transaction to… Read More
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The owners of Zender Ford in Spruce Grove will, in the coming years, face a query many parents do as their children grow up — can I borrow the car. But the issue is more complex for the three siblings that make up the company’s ownership group. After all, they’re in the business… Read More
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Laura Zanchin gives a hearty laugh when asked if there was any uncertainty about whether she and her sister Andria would take a leadership role in the family business. “Was there ever any question? Absolutely not,” says the executive vice-president of Zanchin Automotive Group, which includes 32 automotive dealerships across the Greater Toronto Area…. Read More
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