M&A Education | OpnRoad

M&A Resources

We created the most comprehensive mergers and acquisitions resources library.

How to make the most of our Resources with Founder & Lead Advisor, Scott Duke

M&A Education | OpnRoad

Upcoming Webinar

Preparing an Excavation Company for Transition

Join us for an informative session to prepare your business for sale to a strategic buyer. Learn about the business sale process, transaction types, and how to improve your company’s value upon sale – even if you’re years away from selling.

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M&A Education | OpnRoad

Podcasts

Tune into Scott’s latest podcast appearances where he shares his entrepreneurial and M&A experience for listeners from around the world.

Why Become an Entrepreneur with Robert Szmigiel

Why Become an Entrepreneur with Robert Szmigiel

Scott joins Canada's Podcast host Robert Szmigiel to shine some light on his entrepreneurial journey. Amongst many topics, the two discuss why people become entrepreneurs and how to sell a business for $20 million. Canada’s Podcast was created out of a need to build a...

Avoiding the Owner’s Trap with Chris Goodman

Avoiding the Owner’s Trap with Chris Goodman

Scott Duke has founded 11 companies during his entrepreneurial journey; from fleece clothing to a hot-dog stand to a property management firm. All of Scott’s experiences taught him the value of building transferability into a business so that one day, when you’re...

Preparing Your Business for Acquisition with Jason Hunt

Preparing Your Business for Acquisition with Jason Hunt

This podcast goes over how to properly prepare your business for sale. We cover what you need to get in order in terms of selling your business. We’ll also discuss how to go about selling your company, and the changing dynamics you need if selling your business for a...

M&A Education | OpnRoad

Business Owner’s

Saleability Checklist

A complimentary, one-page road map for you to think about when selling your business. Decades of OpnRoad experience and transactions, all in one clear document to help you get started.

M&A Education | OpnRoad

Business Sale Accelerator

As a valued podcast listener, we are offering an exclusive discount for our  Business Sale Accelerator course (as offered by our subsidiary and learning arm, Gateway Capital).

M&A Education | OpnRoad

Sale Process

Step 1: Set Objectives

Knowing what a perfect exit looks like for you, your shareholders, your family, and other stakeholders is the first and most crucial step toward a successful exit. Owners need to have a clear vision of what makes their exit a success and define how the sale drives purpose for their next stage in life.

 

Step 2: Valuation

Know precisely what your business is worth in today’s market and where the value comes from in the eyes of a buyer. When your business’s value drivers are identified, only then can they be leveraged during negotiation.

Step 3: Risk Analysis

Determine if your business is salable, and if it will make it through a buyer’s due diligence process.


Step 4: Marketing

Create your Blind Profile (teaser), Financial Overview (normalized financial statements), CIM (Confidential Information Memorandum). Confidentially market business to your network, or leverage our marketing system to put your opportunity in front of 10,000+ active buyers.

 

Step 5: Negotiation

Navigate the bidding process, LOIs (Letter Of Intent), and negotiation to maximize the sale price.

 

Step 6: Closing Activities

Navigate legal documents and the transition of all tangible, and intangible assets.

M&A Education | OpnRoad

Top 5 Deal Killers

Profitability

If a business’s normalized earnings are under $100K, it creates challenges for a sale because there is not enough free cash flow to pay the new owner’s salary and service the debt from financing the purchase.

 

Role-Identity Fusion

In many instances, businesses are unsellable because the owner has tied their identity, social well-being, and life’s purpose to the creation and operation of the business.

Subconsciously, they feel as if a part of them is dying when selling their business. This subconscious thought prohibits the owner from signing the sale document, and they walk away from their own successful sale agreement.

Owner Dependence

An owner is deemed dependent usually when being involved in the business for more than ten hours per week. Some owners can quickly resolve this issue by delegating work to a General Manager. Others have difficulty transferring power and are forced to stay for 2-3 years post-sale to train a new manager for the buyer.

Sometimes, the owner’s skill set is not transferable, making the business unsellable.

Customer Concentration

If a single customer represents more than 15% of gross revenue, most buyers will not move forward with the purchase. There are more variables to be considered of course, including industry standards and the quality of the customer.

As investment banker Rob Slee states, “the company is one phone call away from oblivion.”

 

Supplier or Key Person dependence

Simply put, the business may not be saleable if the business relies on a single supplier or employee that cannot be easily replaced.

M&A Education | OpnRoad

OpnRoad M&A Library

We created the most comprehensive list of transactional professionals, business sale service providers, valuation tools, lenders, value advisors, and business sale resources. Everything you need to sell or acquire your business.

A photo of the OpnRoad office with Mt. Begbie in the distance on a warm sunny day in Revelstoke, British Columbia.

Valuation Resources

Tools to help you determine the value of your business.

Valuation Tools

The OpnRoad icon logo in yellow.
OpnRoad
Capitaliz Logo
Capitaliz
Value Opportunity Profile
ValuAdder
BixEx Value Calculator
ValueTrax
CalcXML
Buy and Sell A Business Value Tool
Business Reference Guide
Page Up
Jazoodle
Equidam
Business ValueXpress
Biz Equity

General Market Data

IBIS World
BizBuySell - Data
Small Business Trends
IBBA Market Pulse
Avg. Broker Commission Data
Divestopedia
CAN Financial Performance Data
NAICS CODE

Sale Price Comparison

Business Valuation Resources
BizMiner

Listing Your Business for Sale

Domestic and global business listing services.

Canadian Listing Sites

Business for Sale
Business Sell Canada
Company Listing
IBBA Canada
Zolo
Venture Connect
Imagine Kootenay
Kazooga
Otonomy

Global Listing Sites

Acquizition Biz
Buy And Sell A Business
BizBuySell
BizQuest
BusinessBroker.net
Business Explorer
Business Mart
Business Exchange
Business 2 Sell
Dealstream
Exchange
LoopNet
Local Buz for Sale
GlobalBX
Buyertise
BizQuest
Flippa

$1 Million+ EBITDA Listing Sites

Axial
PitchBook
Search Funder
Village Wellth

Marketing Comapnies

ValueCraftz
Pitch Deck Fire
Pitch Deck Services

Value & Exit Planning Advisors

People to help you maximize the value of your company and plan your future.

Value Consultants

OpnRoad
Go SmallBiz
Value Builder System
Supplement Advisory

Valuation Experts

OpnRoad
Kalex Valuations
Hilco Valuation Service
Swift Valuation
JBV Valuation
Biz Equity
Mr Valuation
Fair Market Valuations
Bafoeval Valuation

Financial Planners

Edward Jones
TD Wealth
Investors Group
Iron Shield
Manulife
Workable Wealth
EP Wealth Advisors
Focus Financial
Mission Wealth
KLS Financial

Exit Consultants

OpnRoad
Mackey Advisors
Group 50
Exit Adviser
Cayenne Consulting LLC
Be The Bees
NAVIX
MAUS
Corporate Value Metrics
Effectuation Optimum
Strategy Leaders
ProStrategix
Value Consulting
CMC Partners
John F Dini
Stone Consulting Group
Exit This Way Consulting
Touchstone Advisors
Paratus Business Resources

Accountants

Mazuma
Enkel
Baker Tilly
BDO

Transition Law Firms

Nixon Wenger
The Smith Law Group
Wright Business Law
GLG LLP

Online Law Firms

Rocket Lawyer
Legal Shield
Ask A Lawyer
Law Depot

Tax Strategists

APO Financial
Bomar Law
Matt Chancey
Big Ideas For Small Business
Baker Law Firm

Business Sale Intermediaries

People that will help you sell your company.

M&A Advisors

OpnRoad
Axial's List
Beacon Advisors
BizEx
Catalyst Brokers
Hatteras Group
Osprey Capital Partners
Apex Exit Advisors
Promerita
M&A Worldwide

Business Brokers

OpnRoad
Axial's List of 895 Broker Companies
Website Closers
Sunbelt Business Brokers
Link Business Brokers
Transworld Business Brokers
Murphy Business Brokers
VR Business Brokers

Investment Bankers

DIY Programs

Business Sale Navigator - FREE
Sell By Owner
Sell Biz
Udemy
Lynda - FREE
David C Barnett

Realtors

Keller Williams
NAI Captial
International Financial Group
Berkshire Hathaway
Re/Max
Exit Realty
Coldwell Banker
Sutherby's International

Associations & Networks

Groups dedicated to business sales & exit planning.

Intermediary Associations

Cali Association of Business Brokers
IBBA Canada
IBBA International
DealBuilder Logo
DealBuilder
M&A Club Logo
M&A Club
Alliance of M&A Advisors
M&A Source

Other Associations

NACVA
Canadian Franchise Association
Business Valuation Association
American Society of Appraisers
Association For Corporate Growth

Exit Planning Associations

Exit Planning Institute
Exit Planning Exchange
Exit Planning Solutions

Buyer Networks

Places to find your buyer.

Buyer Websites

Search Funder
The Business Buyer Directory
Global Buyer Directory
E World Trade
Business Buyer Club
Global Buyers Online
Grata

Private Equity

Private Equity Info
Axial's List of 528 PE Compaines
Crunch Base
Snowdon Partners

Buyer Associations

Biz Dev Association
National Biz Dev Association

Capital Sources

Places to find you or your buyer money.

Canadian Banks

Bank Of Montreal (BMO)
Scotia Bank
CIBC
TD
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
National Bank of Canada
Desjardins Group
HSBC Bank of Canada
Laurentian Bank of Canada
Canadian Western Bank

Grant & Government

Canadian Grants & Financing
Mentor Works Financing
Canadian Grant Business Center
Canada Startups
Innovate BC
Fundura Grants
SBA Loan and Grants
USA Funding Options
NerdWallet
Bend US Grants

US Lenders

SBA Loans and Grants
NerdWallet
100 Most Active SBA Lenders
Biz2Credit
Bluevine
Mr Valuation
Kabbage
SmartBiz
FundBox
Seek Business Capital
Fundra

Canadian Lenders

ICapital
BDC
Thinking Capital
GreenBox Capital
OnDeck Capital
Merchant Growth
Lendfied
Sharp Shooter Funding
CanaCap
Company Capital

Crowd Sourcing/Other

Kickstarter
Indiegogo
Crowd Supply
Crowdfunder
WeFunder
Fundly
LendingClub
Crowcube
Funding Circle

US Banks

JPMorgan-Chase
U.S Bank
Bank of America
Citibank/Citigroup
Wells Fargo
State Street
Bank of New York Mellon
TD Bank
Capital One
PNC

General Business Sale Resources

Resources to help you sell a business.

YouTube Channels

The Happy Deal Maker
Brent Cenkus
BizBuySell
Dan Martell
SmallBiz Experts
Moran Pober
Freedom Factory
David Barnett
Financially Simple
Nate Lind
Buy & Sell A Business Marketplace

Podcasts

Built To Sell Radio
Sell My Business
The Happy Dealmaker
Sell In 10 Weeks Podcast
M&A Science
Deal Maker Academy
The Business Owners
Quiet Light

Courses

Business Sale Navigator
Business Sale Accelerator

Slack Channels

Inside Biz

Top 10 Articles

How To Sell A Business
How To Sell A Small Business In 7 Steps
7 Steps To Selling A Small Business
5 Mistakes To Avoid When Selling
How To Sell Your Business In 6 Steps
Tips For Selling Your Business
How To Sell Your Business
Digital Exits 7 Steps
CNBC How To Sell A Business
6 Ways To Get The Best Price
How To Buy & Sell A Business Online

Top 10 Books

Built To Sell
The Art Of Selling Your Business
Private Capital Markets
There's Always A Way To Sell Your Business
How To Sell Your Mid-Size Business
Restaurant Dealmaker
Little Book of What Next?
Walk Away Wealthy
Sell Your Business For An Outrageous Price
If They Can Sell Pet Rocks, Why Can't You Sell Your Business?

Transition Events

Business Transition Forum
Business Transition Conference
Small Business Expo
Virtual Sell Your Business Conference
America's Small Business Summit
Divestopedia Webinars
Exit Plan Summit

Blogs

The Happy Dealmaker
BizBuySell
BDC Business Sale Blog
The Entrepreneur Business Sale Blog
Biz Journals How To Sell
Divestopedia
Fit Small Business
Buy and Sell A Business

Facebook Groups

Business Buying Mastermind
Small Business Ownership Network
Buy Sell Alliance
Small Business Owners United
Entrepreneurs
Business Transition Information Network
Business Buyers Club

LinkedIn Groups

The M&A Forum
National Business Dev Ass.
Business Transition Simplified
I Want To Sell My Business
Small Business Forum
Eprenz.com