This is the Program Archives for the Winnipeg Business Transitions Forum.
The decisions you make today will ultimately impact your business in the future. This session will provide insights into both a macro view of the economy, as well as cast a lens on regional and industry sector differences. You will walk away with:
Factors business owner should consider for the best long-term value for their business
As a business owner, it is important to have a plan to maximize the overall return you achieve on the capital, time and energy you invest in your business. Deciding whether and when to sell all or a portion of your business will help determine your success. Key considerations include (i) the number of years you are willing to commit to the future management of the business; (ii) the depth of your management team; (iii) your personal appetite for risk; and (iv) the marketability and scalability of your business. During this session we will explore each of these topics and review:
Strategies to Quickly Expand Your Business
The best time start growing your company was yesterday. Every entrepreneur has dreams and ideas to expand their business, but the big question is knowing the right time to jump… where and how high?
Business growth plans such as developing new products or services, expanding customer markets, increasing sales initiatives, opening new locations, increasing revenue streams, automating work processes and acquisitions are all exciting plans. Before rushing into expansion, however, business owners need to assess if they are ready for growth. When business starts to scale up, systems can begin to crack under the pressure. Weaknesses can be exposed that can’t always fix them once the journey’s started.
This session will:
This session will address Management Buyouts and Partnerships with Minority Investors
The pandemic has prompted a surge in non-traditional M&A deal structures, accelerated deals and rapid changes in business needs and opportunities. After this rollercoaster ride – perhaps you want to re-risk your business, while still maintaining control?
There are a number of transition options that aren’t reliant on a large amount of cash, and can take a variety of different forms, such as a management buyout or buy-in (MBO/MBI), acquiring minority stakes or entering cooperative arrangements through joint ventures, alliances, or partnerships as a success strategy.
This session will cover topics such as:
Considerations For Acquisitive Entrepreneurs
Implementing an outbound M&A strategy at your company is a high-value, high stakes game. How can you establish your M&A Mindset? The M&A process is intensive, with many steps – it can often take many months to identify acquisition targets, initiate and close transactions – all while you’re still operating your business. Learn how to operate and run your business while embedding process that will improve M&A outcomes.
Whether you want to sell some or all of your business, or simply step away from day-to-day business activities – you should be asking if your company can run by itself. Furthermore, is it time to step aside to hire a CEO to replace yourself?
Why would you want to do this? Understanding your strengths (and weaknesses) is the key to the success of your business. This session will help you better understand the steps to ensuring your team and business can run by itself, and if it’s time to consider stepping out of the way of a new CEO to position your business for greater growth, a longer legacy and/or a more successful transition.
Pro-tip: A business that can run by itself is usually more appealing to acquirers.
Join Bob Tallman, Former Owner and CEO of Princess Auto discuss the growth, transition and success of Canada’s leading auto retailer. He will share specific details about some of their missteps and failures, along with the difficult challenges of running a family business. Bob will also explain in simple terms how the people are the core of everything at Princess.
Knowing if you can afford to sell, and when you are ready to take the leap is the most difficult decision for many business owners. In addition to building a comprehensive succession plan and ensuring your organizational structure will not leave you with a giant tax bill, it is important to address the other factors to ensure a happy and prosperous life after the close. Have you considered what life looks like after the close? The ability to shift from an entrepreneurial mindset to a capital management position requires planning and the right preparation and time to implement appropriate strategies. There are a number of opportunities to maximize the money in your pocket and ensure your financial success long after the close.
This session will look at real-world examples:
Discover the untapped potential of your business’s true value. Learn from an intimate fireside conversation where an experienced Owner/Seller and their M&A Advisor reflect on post-negotiation and post-sale experiences. Gain insights into the immediate value drivers essential for maximizing your business’s marketability, whether you’re planning to sell or secure future success. Moderated by Kristi Miller, this session is sure to provide some great insights that will result in having more in your pocket on the other side of the deal.
You will learn:
Understanding a 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation perspective
Family businesses are unique in that transitioning them to the next generation is a complex, often deeply emotional, endeavor. As a young family owner, aspiring to one day take the reins, how do you prepare for such a monumental responsibility. As an exiting parent (or other family member), how do you impart years of experience and knowledge and ensure younger family members are successful, yet able to chart their own path? For all parties, the goal is to create a business that is resilient, while keeping the legacy intact. Building capacity in the next generation needs to begin early on, and you may also need to consider outside, non-family executives.
Do you really know what your business is worth? Most business owners don’t get nearly what they should because they weren’t prepared, and this can gravely affect the value of your company. As a business owner, it’s imperative to focus on the specific areas of your business that drive value, even if you have no immediate intention of selling. Furthermore, a successful sale for your shareholders can be very different from what you, the business owner, defines as a success. From the get-go you should understand the levers you need to “push or pull” in order to optimize the results you are looking for.
This session will explore key value drivers that require immediate attention in order to maximize the saleability of your business.
Hear from a panel of business owners who have gone through transition with their business and now have the opportunity to share their tales from the trenches. This panel will share insights on:
(add-on, half day workshop for entrepreneurs)
“How to Maximize The Selling Price of Your Business and Protect Yourself In The Process”
A not-to-be-missed educational workshop for business owners who are serious about maximizing the proceeds of an eventual sale.
In this two-part, half-day workshop we’ll take a deep dive into operational and financial engineering that can take years to execute – guaranteed to increase the value of your business and improve the probability of finding buyers when the time is right. We’ll show you which areas of your business buyers value most (and why), and explain how to manage personal and corporate risk.
(Only 50 seats available. Business owners only. Workshop is an additional charge.)
The secret to succession planning success is to be ready to sell, even if your business is not for sale. By being proactive, you’ll maximize the value of your business when the time, buyer and terms are right. Selling or otherwise exiting a business is, by far, the most complex transaction that most entrepreneurs will ever undertake. Detailed planning is instrumental and ideally begins long before any decision to sell. Starting your transition checklist is key to the end result.
Some general key points to include:
The successful sale of a business involves many moving parts, making it the largest and possibly most complicated transaction of your life. You can’t do this alone. You will need a team of professionals to help you successfully sell your company. The right team will get you the best price, terms and most importantly, ensure that the transaction closes.
After attending this workshop, you will understand what the ideal exit team looks like and how to select the best advisors for your business. You’ll also learn what your exit team will cost and how they’ll be paid.
While the idea of providing unfettered access to the confidential information pertaining to your business may sound scary, it is standard operating procedure when it comes to transitioning your business to an outsider. Learn about ways to maintain control of process without impeding success. While you may only go through the process with a buyer who you believe is qualified and fully committed to completion, many deals collapse at the due diligence stage. Buyers and their advisors will be on the lookout for red flags and trouble spots. This is your opportunity to learn about common “deal breakers” so that you and your advisors can prepare for them and maintain momentum during this crucial phase.