Insights and perspectives
Insights features commentary from KitsWest Capital on business valuation, business brokerage, and business financing matters affecting owner-managed and privately held businesses across BC and Alberta.
Our articles focus on practical issues relevant to founders, shareholders, and management teams evaluating business sales, acquisitions, financing decisions, recapitalizations, ownership transitions, and broader strategic alternatives.
Based in Vancouver and serving clients across Canada and the United States, we publish content intended to help small to mid-market owner-managed businesses in BC and Alberta better understand the issues that often arise before, during, and after important financial and strategic decisions.
Topics we cover
Our Insights content is focused on practical issues across three core advisory areas:
Business valuation
Articles on what drives value, how businesses are assessed, and how valuation fits into succession planning, ownership discussions, financing matters, and transaction decisions.
Business sales & acquisitions
Commentary on preparing a business for sale, evaluating offers, acquisition strategy, transaction readiness, and broader ownership transition matters.
Business financing
Insights on debt structures, refinancing initiatives, acquisition financing, recapitalizations, and the broader financing decisions that affect flexibility and long-term value.
Selling a Commercial Real Estate or Property Services Business in BC
What commercial real estate and property services businesses sell for in BC, and why contract quality and retention drive the number.
Due Diligence in a Private Company Sale
What happens during due diligence in a Canadian private company sale, and how to prepare so the agreed price survives to closing.
Selling a Distribution or Wholesale Business in BC
What distribution and wholesale businesses sell for in BC, and how inventory, customer concentration, and working capital move the final number.
The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption When Selling a Business
The LCGE can shelter about $1.275M of gain per person in 2026. The three tests your shares must pass, why so many companies fail them, and how to fix it.
Selling a Technology Business in BC
Tech businesses are priced on revenue quality, not earnings. The metrics buyers demand, the IP issue that kills deals, and how these transactions get structured.
Selling a Business in Calgary and Alberta
Alberta is a different M&A market from BC. How the cycle moves buyer appetite, what Calgary and Edmonton buyers want, and the tax question to ask first.
Selling a Transportation or Trucking Business in BC
Carriers are valued on two tracks: the operating business and the fleet. How BC trucking deals get priced, what buyers scrutinize, and how to prepare.
Selling a Business in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland has the deepest buyer pool in BC. Who buys here, how to handle the real estate, and how to run a process that makes buyers compete.
Selling an Accounting or CPA Firm in BC
Accounting practices trade on their own conventions. What BC firms are worth, who is buying, and how retention clawbacks and transition periods shape the price.
Selling a Manufacturing Business in BC
Selling a BC manufacturing business involves industry-specific buyer pools and valuation drivers. Learn the dynamics across subsectors.
Selling a Construction or Trades Business in BC
Construction and trades business sales involve bonding, backlog, owner-dependence, and active consolidator buyers. Learn the key considerations.
Selling a Business in the Fraser Valley: A Guide for Owners in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, and Beyond
Fraser Valley businesses span manufacturing, food processing, trades, and logistics. Learn the buyer dynamics and considerations for owners selling.
Management Buyouts in Canada: Structure, Financing, and Considerations
A management buyout (MBO) can be an attractive liquidity path for owners. Learn how MBOs are structured, financed, and negotiated in Canadian deals.
Selling an Agriculture or Food Processing Business in BC
From Fraser Valley dairy to Okanagan vineyards, selling an agriculture or food business in BC has unique considerations. Learn the landscape.
Selling a Forestry, Wood Products, or Mill Services Business in BC
Selling a forestry, sawmill, or wood products business in BC involves a specialized buyer pool. Learn the considerations for owners across the province.
Letters of Intent in Private Company Sales: Key Terms to Negotiate
The LOI sets the framework for a private company sale. Learn the key terms that should be negotiated before signing and going into exclusivity.
Working Capital Adjustments in M&A: What Sellers Often Get Wrong
The working capital adjustment is one of the most disputed items in private company sales. Learn how the target is set and where sellers most often lose value.
Earnouts in Business Sales: When They Make Sense (and When They Don’t)
Earnouts can bridge price gaps in private company sales, but they often produce disputes. Learn when earnouts make sense and how to structure them.
Selling a Business on Vancouver Island: A Practical Guide for Owners in Victoria, Nanaimo, and the Comox Valley
Owners in Victoria, Nanaimo, and the Comox Valley face a unique buyer pool. Learn the considerations for selling a business on Vancouver Island.
What Is a Quality of Earnings (QoE) Report and Why Buyers Demand One
A Quality of Earnings (QoE) report tests reported EBITDA against economic reality. Learn what it covers, who prepares it, and why both buyers and sellers use one.
Who our insights are for
Our articles are written for owner-managed and privately held businesses, founders and shareholders, management teams, and the accountants and legal advisors who support them.
The objective is not to provide generic market commentary. It is to deliver decision-oriented content tied to the situations that small to mid-market private companies in BC and Alberta commonly face.
Related advisory services
The issues discussed in our Insights section often connect directly to our advisory work.
Business valuation
Independent valuation advice for transaction, planning, financing, shareholder, and compliance-related purposes.
Business sales & acquisitions
Advisory on business sales, acquisitions, ownership transitions, unsolicited offers, and broader strategic transaction matters.
Explore Business Sales & Acquisitions
Debt & capital advisory
Advice on acquisition financing, refinancing initiatives, recapitalizations, growth capital, and broader business financing matters.
Mike Busch, CPA, CBV · Founder & Managing Partner
Mike brings nearly a decade of experience across investment banking, corporate finance, valuations, and restructuring. Prior to founding KitsWest Capital, Mike advised businesses across Canada and the United States on transactions ranging from business sales and acquisitions to capital raises, refinancings, and corporate restructurings at Big Four firms and mid-market investment banks. Mike is a member of CPABC and the CICBV.
Discuss a valuation, financing, or M&A matter
If you are evaluating a business sale, acquisition, refinancing initiative, recapitalization, financing process, unsolicited offer, or valuation assignment, we welcome a confidential discussion.
KitsWest Capital
595 Howe Street, Suite 306
Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5
Advising owner-managed and privately held businesses across Canada and the United States.
Our associations
Our principals are members of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators (CICBV). KitsWest Capital is a member of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
