There was a time—not long ago—when if you ran a decent business, there was always someone ready to buy it. That’s not the case anymore.
Canada’s private business market is starting to feel crowded. Too many owners are heading for the exit at once, and most don’t realize it yet. Baby boomers make up the majority of private ownership in this country, and many are only now starting to think about selling. Some are already late. And the ripple effect? Fewer buyers, more negotiating leverage on the other side of the table, and more businesses quietly folding into the hands of whoever shows up with a cheque.
What’s interesting is how many of these exits are reactive. A health scare. Burnout. A competitor sniffing around. None of those are great moments to figure out what the business is actually worth—or what you need from it.
There’s a gap between what you think it's worth and what it sells for
That gap is wider than most owners expect. It’s not about revenue. It’s not even about profit. It’s about how transferable the business is. The less it depends on you, the more valuable it is to someone else. Simple idea. Hard to execute.
You can have a million in EBITDA and still scare off buyers if you’re holding it all together with duct tape and hustle. Systems matter. Team strength matters. Even the clarity of your contracts and your customer mix can be the difference between a clean exit and three years of back-and-forth with no deal.
Failing to plan means planning to fail
Here’s the part people tend to avoid: the planning. Not the spreadsheet part—most owners can rattle off revenue targets and sale numbers in their sleep. But the harder stuff. What do you really need from a sale to step away? What would you do if that number isn’t possible?
And then there’s timing. The prep work to get a business ready for sale—financial cleanup, operational tightening, value positioning—can take two to three years. Which means if you’re looking to exit anytime before the end of the decade, the clock’s already ticking.
No one talks about the after
Even when the sale goes well, the “after” can catch people off guard. A lot of owners build their identity around the business. Once it’s gone, there’s a vacuum. Not everyone’s wired for the golf-and-grandkids script. Some want to consult. Others want to invest or build something new. But if you haven’t thought about what that version of you looks like, the exit can feel more like a dead stop than a milestone.
The smartest exits aren’t flashy
They’re clean, quiet, and deliberate. They’re backed by aligned advisors who understand the tax structure, the legal angles, and the emotional realities of stepping away from something that’s taken decades to build. The sale becomes a process, not a panic.
That’s the version more owners should aim for. But it rarely happens without intention.
Before the market tells you what your business is worth, make sure you know what it’s worth to you. If you’re thinking about stepping away—this year or five years from now—have that conversation early. Talk to your advisor. It’s not about selling tomorrow. It’s about being ready when it counts.
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