Business Strategy

Developing your business strategy can be complicated and may raise several questions including:

• How should your business be structured and financed to take advantage of future opportunities?
• What are your financial needs?
• How important is it to maximize value and how do you go about it?
• Should you retain a financial stake in the company and how does that work?

Strategic Plans

Before you can successfully transition your business to new ownership or management, or even adopt a new business direction, you need to develop a longer-term strategic plan in consultation with key players. This should outline where the business is heading, what it will take to get there, and who will be responsible for keeping each aspect of business operations on track.

We help convene and coordinate planning sessions with management, shareholders and board of directors. Our corporate finance strategists and cross-border advisors can help you:

• review existing performance
• develop expansion plans
• align operations with your strategy
• raise capital
• reduce Canadian and foreign tax exposure

Exit Strategies

It’s tricky to work out how best to leave the business, either on retirement or to pursue other interests. Ideally, the planning process should start 5-10 years before you want to leave or sell to allow time to:

• identify and prepare a successor
• put tax and insurance strategies in place
• calculate the financial needs of the owners
• assess the value and marketability of the business; and
• implement steps to maximize its value by preparing the business for sale or internal transfer.

We will work with you to decide whether to sell the business or transfer it to your family, management or employees. We can also help you plan your departure, and calculate and meet your financial needs.

Governance

A clear definition of roles, responsibilities, authority and accountability helps the business run efficiently. We will work with you to develop an appropriate governance structure that allocates roles, responsibilities, authority and accountability among key managers and staff. This ensures that your management team can guide the business effectively, and reduces the risk of conflict among key personnel.