Articles Sell-Side
Build a fast-growing business that sells for a premium
Why the right time to add functional leadership is almost always sooner than it feels
Karl E. Sigerist, Jr., ICD.D
Executive | Lender | Investor | Adviser | Author, Selling Your Canadian Business | Helping Canadian owners and boards navigate growth, governance and exits
Articles Sell-Side
Maximize net proceeds: The planning window sellers miss
from Chapter 3 of Selling Your Canadian Business: A Step-by-Step Guide to Maximizing Value and Securing Your Legacy
Articles Sell-Side
When should you start planning to maximize net proceeds?
How much tax can a Canadian business owner save by planning their sale 24 months in advance? Tax planning is the highest-return activity a Canadian business owner will undertake before a sale. The difference between an optimally structured transaction and one executed without planning routinely amounts to hundreds of
Articles Sell-Side
What I heard from owners at BTF Toronto
Reflections from the Selling A Business 101 panel at Business Transitions Forum Toronto, May 12, 2026
Articles Sell-Side
The most expensive mistake Canadian owners make before selling
Why assembling the right advisory team, 24 months before going to market, is worth more than any price you negotiate
Articles Sell-Side
Define your ‘why sell?’ before anything else
Before the valuations, the advisors and the buyer meetings, there is one question every Canadian business owner must answer honestly.
Articles Sell-Side
How do you know if your business is ready to sell?
By Karl E. Sigerist, Jr., ICD.D Last updated: June 2026 Most Canadian business owners in the $5 million to $50 million revenue range are not as ready to sell as they believe. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), 76 per cent plan to exit within the
Articles Sell-Side
When deals die
Why Canadian lower-middle-market M&A transactions fail, and what you can do about it
Speaking Past
Notes from BTF Alberta in Calgary
I sat on a panel at the ninth annual Business Transitions Forum Alberta in Calgary on April 21, 2026. The session, “Selling a business 101: why, who, when, where, what and how,” was Session 1A in Imperial 1/2 at the Hyat...
Articles Sell-Side
What eight forces will shape business sales in 2026?
What are the eight forces reshaping the Canadian M&A market in 2026? For owners of Canadian businesses with $5 million to $50 million in revenue, 2026 may be one of the most consequential years in their company's history. Eight demographic, economic, regulatory and geopolitical forces are
Articles Sell-Side
Canada's M&A market is pausing, not retreating
If you are a Canadian business owner watching the M&A headlines and wondering whether now is the right time to sell, the Q1 2026 data tells a more nuanced story than the top-line numbers suggest.
Articles Sell-Side
Canada's M&A market closed 2025 at record highs
Canada's mergers and acquisitions market ended 2025 above the 2021 all-time record on aggregate deal value, posting US$389.69 billion for the full year. If you own a Canadian business and have been waiting for the right ...