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Investors Look To Grow Their Bottom Line

For years, Pamela Draper helped Canadian companies sell their businesses or buy other businesses through her roles at CIBC and then BMO. And in recent times, Draper has also experienced the process on a personal level with the sale of her business, Bitvo Inc. “We commenced our startup journey in 2018 and we grew Bitvo to a successful business in the crypto asset trading world before deciding to sell it in 2021. We agreed to be purchased by FTX in June of 2022 and we were actively working to get regulatory approval to close that transaction. While we were waiting on that regulatory approval, FTX blew up,” says Draper, President and CEO of Bitvo Inc., a crypto asset trading platform.“ So that transaction did not close obviously.”

The 3 Things That Make A Really Good Business Investment

When business investor Cody Church looks for a company to purchase, one of the keys is the people involved.“ It always comes down to great people, competitive advantages that the business has and growth opportunities,” says Church, President and CEO of Calgary-based Clear North Capital, which is currently involved in three different businesses.

The Importance Of Having Good Advisors When Selling A Company

Andrew Kemper has worked for over 15 years providing corporate finance counsel, expertise and advice to mid-market private and public companies. As a partner with Capital West Partners, based in Vancouver, Andrew has developed experience across a wide range of industries including financial and business services, retail, mining and industrial manufacturing and services.

Seeing The Value In Broken Businesses

Robert Gale is an experienced business owner with a demonstrated history of working in the venture capital and private equity industry. When it comes to acquiring businesses, Gale says he’s learned through experience to pay closer attention to evaluating the owner’s strengths and weaknesses. “My first business was a bankrupt dairy bar, my next business was “Pop Shoppe” Atlantic, it had gone bankrupt. We bought the brand and downstream assets, since then I have owned and operated more than 15 companies with my wife, all of which were in some sort of distress,” says Gale.

Having a Clear Understanding of What’s Important

Judy Brooks, Former SmartSweets Executive Chair, led the team for the multi-million dollar transaction by the Vancouver-based company a couple of years ago. She has also founded and sold three companies in her career. What has she learned through the transactional processes? “For me, the number was not the important thing in the SmartSweets deal. We all were focused on the how. What did it feel like? What was the impact to people, the team, the shareholders? What was the impact on relationships? We had a very clear mission around kicking sugar, did we feel like that mission was going to live on beyond the transaction?,” said Brooks.

The Importance of Being Prepared For Any Opportunity That Arises

Shannon Walker, who was involved in the sale of two companies about three years ago, has some simple advice for business owners. Be prepared. You just never know when someone comes calling and wants to buy your business. “When you’re in the midst of running a family business, you’re running your business and you’re not thinking outside of that, it’s just the day to day,” says Walker, who is Founder & President of WhistleBlower Security Inc.

Learn How To Pivot

Tom Kramer, a veteran and active participant in the area of mergers and acquisitions, has a simple and key piece of advice for people who are buying or selling companies. Most of Kramer’s activity over the years has been in the area of very targeted and strategic acquisitions.“ Be ready to pivot,” said Kramer, President of the Smith Cameron Operating Group. “It’s never exactly what you think it is. There’s always grand opportunity on the other side of closing.

Plenty Of Private Equity Money Sitting On The Sidelines Waiting To Be Deployed

Jon Spencer, Managing Director at TriWest Capital Partners, describes the Canadian M&A activity as having been very busy through the first half of 2022, but more recently slowed due to macroeconomic concerns.“ Activity looks to have slowed with inflation fears and the Bank of Canada’s interest rate response. Since the world initially paused for COVID and subsequently reopened with significant monetary stimulus we’ve seen a flurry of activity for quite a long time,” says Spencer.

Gary Coleman’s Journey To Selling A Successful Transportation Company

When it came time to sell his successful transportation company a few years ago, Gary Coleman says the key was having its financial books in order to facilitate the due diligence process in an easy manner.As President and CEO of Big Freight Systems Inc. for almost 40 years, Coleman led the transition in the sale of the company to American giant Daseke, Inc. just over five years ago. Big Freight’s roots began in 1948 when the Coleman family purchased South East Transfer, a four-truck operation in Steinbach, Manitoba.

Workforce Trends: The Good, The Bad and the Uncertain as We Look Ahead

If there is one word to describe the current state of the the workforce in Canada, it’s “messy”. There was the work from home mandates during the pandemic, followed by the “great resignation”, the “great regret” and as employees look to find balance between home and work post-COVID, now we are seeing the “quiet quit”. Debby Carreau, CEO and Founder of Inspired HR, one of Canada’s leading HR consultancy firms, has never seen anything like it.

Business Acquisitions: A Strategy That Drives Growth

The Canadian mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market has rebounded rapidly following its dip in the early days of the pandemic. Looking ahead, the volume of transactions will likely remain high for the next five years. In that time, 9% of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are expected to come up for sale externally, representing 116,000 businesses. This positive outlook for M&A could be good news for the Canadian economy. After surveying more than 1,500 entrepreneurs, BDC found that acquisitions are an exceptional driver of growth. Its advantages include getting new talent and accessing new technologies. Compared to organic growth, businesses that pursued acquisitions are twice as likely to experience sales growth above their industry average.

3 Ways to Source Deals for Acquisition-Fueled Growth

Acquisition-fueled growth can be huge for a business. A successful acquisition will generate more customers, revenue and potentially an increased valuation. But finding the right company to acquire is a difficult task with a lot of nuances. It’s something Randeep Janjua, Director, Growth & Transition Capital, in BDC Capital’s Vancouver office understands well from his years of assisting companies with capital to acquire.Randeep shared his insights on three ways to find potential companies to acquire as part of your growth strategy.

Growing Your Business by Acquisition and What You Need to Know Along the Way

One of the most challenging aspects of an acquisition is ensuring there is a cultural fit between the company that is buying and the seller. As an entrepreneur who has completed multiple acquisitions, Brian Jones knows how to evaluate fit prior to closing a deal. The acquisition matrix he and his partners use guides their decision-making around the fit of a new business and its people into their current growth strategy.

9 Things to Increase Your Business’ Value

The value of your company is partly determined by your industry. For example, cloud-based software companies are generally worth a lot more than printing companies. However, when analyzing businesses in the same industry, we still see major variations in valuation. So ATB dug through the data available to us from our partners at The Value Builder System™ and found 9 things that can make your company more valuable than its industry peer group.

No Two Exit Stories Are The Same – No Matter How Many Times You Buy And Sell

Barry Wood knows what it takes to build a company. An innovator by nature, Barry has decades of experience starting and acquiring businesses ranging from manufacturing to sales distribution and services. Along the way, he’s encountered his share of challenges and tough lessons, as well as the steps required to build a healthy employee culture and set a company up for success.

The Chemistry Behind Building Seven Successful Businesses

After founding seven successful companies, Chris Micetich is a bona fide serial entrepreneur. Now he’s putting his experience in pharmaceutical innovation to work as the mastermind behind an innovative new accelerator program designed in collaboration with the University of Alberta that is celebrating great early success.

Seven Tips For How To Scale Your Business For Sale

You’ve done well. You’ve taken your business from start-up to growth and profitability over the years and now it’s time to get it ready to sell. You’ve heard a lot about how important scalability is to a potential buyer for your business. But what does that mean, and what should you be doing about scaling your business at this critical point in its life cycle? Do you need to scale up the business completely before you try to sell it, which could take many years? Or is making a serious commitment to scalability and putting the right mechanisms in place enough?

Choosing The Right Transition Path For Your Family Business

The decision to transition from a multi-generational family business is not an easy one. Watching loved ones build a business from scratch, growing it into a successful, thriving enterprise – and knowing the sacrifices that were made along the way – can weigh heavy. Just ask Ashlynne Dale, the former CEO of Norwood Industries, a personal portable sawmill company turned global outdoor lifestyle brand.

How to Unlock Equity Without Selling Your Business

The decision to sell a business is a difficult and multi-layered one with many considerations. Besides the complexity of the process and emotions involved, entrepreneurs need to make sure they maximize the value of the business they’ve put so much effort and time into building. Claude Miron, Managing Partner, Growth Equity Partners with BDC Capital, said that anywhere between 75 and 80 per cent of transactions his team executes are geared toward some form of an ownership transfer. But, for entrepreneurs considering a transition, selling out is not the only option.

How To Navigate The Emotional Side Of Selling

Making the decision to sell your company and navigating through a deal is a complex process. One aspect that is often overlooked is the emotional toll that selling a business can take on an entrepreneur. Vern Sabeski is an entrepreneur who knows first-hand about the emotional and psychological side of selling a company built from the ground up. He recently sold a successful software company and is sharing how to ensure your emotions don’t jeopardize the deal.

5 Things Founders Should Pay Attention To When Potential Acquirers Come Knocking

When a potential acquirer reaches out to buy your business, it can be downright euphoric. But you can’t let that initial excitement cloud the fact that this is a business transaction. Dave Greenberg, General Partner at JMI Equity, shared his advice for what founders should pay attention to when an acquirer comes knocking.

The Unique Considerations Of Selling A Service Business

An interesting turn of events led Steve Duyvewaardt and Dale Mumford to think about selling their successful commercial property management company in 2019. The firm carried key man insurance, a common type of insurance for small business that helps protect the value of the company. However, the partners wanted to confirm that the coverage was an appropriate reflection of the value of the company and to ensure the correct coverage, they had the business valued by an investment banker. The result confirmed that the existing coverage was inadequate.

Finding the Right Strategic Partner to Grow Your Business

Entrepreneurs sometimes don’t know when to get out of their own way. The passion and drive that builds a successful business can also be detrimental when it comes to knowing when to seek help to get to the next level. Kleo Landucci, CEO & President, CrescentView Investments Ltd. and Board Member and former Managing Director of Ashcroft Terminal Ltd., has gone through the process twice and in this issue, she shares her experiences and the lessons learned along the way.

The Real Deal Perspective – Know When To Stay And When To Walk Away

James Pratt knows what it takes to buy or sell a company – and he says never be afraid to walk away from a deal. Over the years, James has grown companies through acquisitions, taken companies public and private, and sold businesses to NYSE listed companies. After originally starting his career in investment banking, he made the move to food and nutraceutical manufacturing industry as a co-founder and senior executive. Today, he works with family businesses and private equity firms, augmenting their management team in a CEO or CFO role, to prepare for a liquidity event such as an exit, merger or even financing.

Gordon Raman: Deal Killers: Preparing for Transaction Challenges

For those working in the world of mergers and acquisitions, there are a lot of stars that have to align before the champagne cork pops. Given the state of our economy and new pandemic work norms, the risks may seem greater than ever, but today’s environment may also be ripe with opportunity for some lucky business owners. The secret to deal making is knowing what might kill a deal and then taking deliberate steps to minimize risk and maximize the success of the transaction.

The Unexpected Factors That Can Be Deal Breakers – In Conversation With BTF Edmonton Chair Cheryl Lockhart

BTF Edmonton returns on May 11, 2022. We recently caught up with this year’s BTF Conference Chair, Cheryl Lockhart, to discuss why Edmonton entrepreneurs should plan to attend. We also discuss the local challenges and opportunities and the overall outlook for the Edmonton region. There are many practical takeaways in this article that are actionable today. Enjoy this issue!

Beanworks CEO Catherine Dahl’s top lessons learned from acquisition

When Catherine Dahl, CEO of Vancouver-based Beanworks, received a message from a consultant saying their client was interested in acquiring her company, she wasn’t in an M&A mindset. It was the March of 2020, and just over a year before, Dahl drafted the company’s three-year plan to keep doubling their growth. “We’ve already had a growth rate in 2019 over 100% and we had over 100% the year before, so…let’s just keep doubling and doubling,” says Dahl. “We had all of our metrics cascading down from that concept.”

Paystone CEO Tarique Al-Ansari explains why you should include HR early in acquisitions

In our interview with Tarique Al-Ansari, CEO of London, Ontario-based Paystone, he detailed the important lessons learned after undergoing five acquisitions, including the importance of a corporate development team and how to align acquisitions with a company’s vision. While these are important business considerations, another aspect of the acquisitions Al-Ansari wished he’d included early on in these deals is HR.

Access To Investment Capital Has Indigenous Peoples In Alberta Positioned To Drive Prosperity For Their Communities And The Surrounding Region

Alicia Dubois, Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC), is leading a Crown corporation created to facilitate Indigenous investment and commercial partnerships in Alberta’s natural resource development. She joined AIOC just over a year ago and has quickly established a first of its kind program designed around building strong partnerships and meaningful relationships with the Indigenous communities they aim to serve. And she’s done it by taking a different approach.

How A Passion For Building Created A Specialty Travel Company That Redefined The Industry

Every entrepreneur has a different story about how they built their business and the lessons they learned along the way. And hearing these stories offers an opportunity to see how others have overcome tough challenges and to learn from their success. Michael Merrithew is one of those people with a great story to share. He’s an experienced leader, CEO, negotiator and proven business development professional who took a single travel franchise and built a business with annual revenues of $400 million.

How to Scale Your Business Through Acquisition

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.

Why You Can’t Miss This Year’s BTF Vancouver Conference

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.

It’s Never Too Early – Or Too Late – To Prepare For Transition

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.

It’s the perfect time to share a round-up of our favourite advice received from the BTF community of entrepreneurs

This week we’ve rounded up some of the best entrepreneur advice on family business, growing your business, and preparing to sell.

It’s three times the charm for Gordon Smith, one of Vancouver’s most successful waste management entrepreneurs

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.

How to confidently set your price when planning to sell your company

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.

Two million dollar tips to consider when selling

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.

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough…Pivot

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 .

Keeping It All in the Family – Keys to a successful family business

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.

The key to successful partnership transitions is all in the planning

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.

What can the Knights of the Round Table teach us about shareholder agreements?

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.

Thinking about selling your company? Here’s how to get the best deal.

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.

Succession and transition in a pandemic: Lessons from a stellar dealmaker

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.

How to attract investors: Top tips from Charles Chang

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.

Taking a local company global – how Kristin Delwo made it work

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

The Benefits of Attending BTF NOW East from a Serial Entrepreneur

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

SURVIVING A PANDEMIC: EXPERT ADVICE ON KEEPING YOUR BUSINESS AFLOAT

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

Our BTF NOW | Western Edition Host Shares What He is Looking Forward at This Year’s Conference

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

Advice From an Emmy Award-winning Entrepreneur

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

A Transition During an Economic Crisis

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

5 lessons on why hiring experts matters: from a business owner who wish she did

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

Retirement dreams put in jeopardy after business valuation

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

How It All Began

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

Passing the torch as a business leader: challenges and advice for business transitions

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

Family dynamics add complexity to business transitions

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

Generational shift brings new dynamics to a family business

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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