WESTIN SOUTH COAST PLAZA, ORANGE COUNTY

A Conference For Entrepreneurs About Growth & Transition

Join us on November 13, 2025 in Southern California!

Presenting The BTF Experience

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

Full-Day Conference

VIEW PROGRAM

Entrepreneur Workshop

Add-On

MORE INFO

Mike Milani

2025 Conference Chair

Mike Milani is a seasoned investment banking professional with over 35 years of experience leading mergers and acquisitions. As a Principal with Baker Tilly Capital, he brings deep expertise from his previous roles as President and Senior Managing Director at a national firm’s corporate finance group, along with a strong foundation in commercial banking.

Mike Milani

Executive Managing Director & Principal

Baker Tilly Capital, LLC

Featured Speaker

David Dressler

Coach & Advisor to Founders & Execs
Dressler Holistic Advisory

David Dressler is a seasoned founder, executive, and leadership coach who helps growth-stage CEOs and executives navigate the next stage of leadership, without burning out the old one. Known for what clients call “laser-guided business therapy,” David blends the perspective of a $100M brand builder with deep expertise in emotional intelligence and leadership alignment.

David Dressler

Founder

Dressler Holistic Advisory (Sold Tender Greens)

Hear From BTF Alumni

What I love about BTF is that it’s really that one stop shop for an entrepreneur.

Celine Bacani

Owner & CEO, Lee’s Donuts

The Business Transitions Forum have really fostered that sense of let’s share, let’s learn, let’s grow together and let’s help each other.

Tom Shepansky

Founder, Rethink Communications

BTF is a great place for business owners to potentially find people to buy their business.

I know I made a lot of mistakes and I wish I went to something like this in the past.

Grant Findlay Shirras

Co-Founder, Hylo AI & Director, Startup Grind Kelowna

The earlier you can come to a conference like this in your entrepreneurial journey the better.

Katie Bennett

Master Certified Forum Chair MacKay CEO Forums

November 13, 2025 • Westin South Coast Plaza, Orange County

Early Bird Sale!

Save $500 when you purchase 2+ tickets!

Get your tickets now!

Explore the Latest Articles from The BTF Insider

Canada

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

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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Canada

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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Canada

Retired Entrepreneur Chantal Shares Lessons From Building & Selling A Family Business

After nearly two decades at the helm of Southwest Doors and Hardware based in London, ON, Chantal Hampson, a seasoned business leader and recent retiree, is reflecting on a journey defined by family legacy, grit, and smart succession planning. A featured speaker in the May 21 session “Through the Buyer’s Lens” at Toronto’s Business Transitions Forum, Chantal offered candid insights into transitioning out of a family-run enterprise—and what others can learn from her experience.

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Canada

Why Branding Before Selling Your Business Can Increase Your Valuation

Sean Stephens, CEO of digital transformation agency Treefrog, is in the business of helping companies grow. Based in Ontario and founded in 1989, Treefrog has grown into a collective of companies specializing in digital strategy, tech, marketing, and transformation. Stephens joined in 1997, bought the business in 2002, and has been leading it for over two decades.

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Canada

Former Business Owner Mike Mann Reflects On Emotional Journey Of Selling His Company At Exit Forum

After selling two businesses over the span of his career, Mike Mann, a Moncton-based entrepreneur, is taking time to reflect—not just on the numbers, but the emotional toll that comes with stepping away from something you’ve built. Speaking during a recent interview following his appearance at the Atlantic Business Transitions Forum in Halifax, Mann shared insights from his experience, emphasizing the human side of selling a company.

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