You've Built Something Real. Make Sure You Sell It Right.
We help owner-managed businesses in BC and Alberta sell for what they are actually worth, with a confidential, professionally managed process from valuation to closing.
Most business owners sell once. The buyers on the other side of the table do this for a living. KitsWest Capital levels that playing field, with a team that has transacted over $500M in deals over the past five years, nearly a decade of mid-market transaction experience, and the credentials to both value your business and run the sale process from start to finish.
$500M+ in transactions completed over the past five years
Credentialled valuators and advisors: we assess what your business is worth and run the sale in one engagement
Full process management: targeted outreach, public listings, or both depending on what maximizes your outcome
Response within one business day
Our team holds Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) designations, the highest financial and valuation credentials in Canada.
Get a confidential assessment
KitsWest Capital
595 Howe Street, Suite 306
Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5
(604)-762-6225
Not ready to sell yet? That's fine. Many conversations start with a valuation or an options discussion only. All enquiries are strictly confidential.
Not sure what your business is worth first? Try our free valuation calculator.
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.
The problem with how most BC and Alberta businesses get sold
Most business owners in BC and Alberta sell through a business broker. Their business gets listed on a platform, and the owner ends up negotiating with whoever responds, often a single buyer with no competition, no urgency, and every reason to push the price down.
The problem isn't public listings. Sometimes broad market exposure is exactly the right strategy. The problem is having no one in your corner who actually knows what the business is worth, who the right buyers are, and how to structure a process that creates real competition and maximizes value.
That is what KitsWest does. We assess your business, determine the right process for your situation, targeted outreach, broad market exposure, or both, and manage every stage from preparation through to closing. Every decision is made to maximize your outcome, not to generate a quick commission on whatever price we can get.
The difference between a well-run advisory process and a basic business brokerage listing is not just professionalism. It is often measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What makes KitsWest different
We’ve done this at real scale.
Our team has completed over $500M in transactions over the past five years, across industries including manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, food and beverage, construction, and business services, with individual transactions ranging from $100k to over $100M. When we sit across the table from a sophisticated buyer or their advisors, we know exactly what we are looking at and exactly how to protect your position.
We do the valuation and the sale.
Most advisors do one or the other. Because KitsWest holds both CPA and CBV designations, we assess what your business is actually worth before we ever approach a buyer. You walk into the process knowing your number, understanding what drives it, and what you can realistically achieve. That depth of financial analysis is not something a typical business broker can offer. It is the difference between knowing what you should accept and guessing.
We run the right process for your business.
Not every business should be sold the same way. Some mandates call for a targeted, confidential approach to a curated list of strategic and financial buyers. Others benefit from broader market exposure to maximize competition. Many benefit from both. We advise you on which approach is right and then execute it properly, with the same rigor and preparation that institutional transactions receive, scaled to your situation.
We work exclusively for you.
We are not a listing platform. We are not a lender. We do not represent buyers. We take one side of every transaction, yours, and we stay on it from the first conversation through to the day the deal closes.
We tell you the truth.
If your business is not ready to sell, we will tell you. If the timing is not right, we will tell you that too. Our job is to help you make the best decision for your situation, not to list your business and collect a commission on whatever offer comes in first.
Selected transactions
Our team has advised on the following representative transactions:
$70M sale of waste management and technology company
$80M debt & capital raise, investment management firm
$45M acquisition and capital raise, US quick-service restaurant chain
$33M acquisition and capital raise, gravel crushing and construction company
$20M sale of private healthcare and education services college
$20M sale of sports goods distributor
$5M sale of home construction company
$7M debt & capital, industrial manufacturing company
$6M sale of brewery and distillery
$6M restructuring, debtor-in-possession financing and sale of coffee producer
Representative sample. Includes transactions completed at KitsWest Capital and predecessor firms.
How the process works
Selling a business typically takes six to twelve months from first conversation to closed deal. Here is what that looks like with KitsWest.
Stage 1: Know your real number before talking to anyone
Before approaching any buyer, we establish what your business is actually worth. A Chartered Business Valuator leads a rigorous analysis of your normalized earnings, industry position, customer base, and the factors buyers will scrutinize in diligence. You walk away knowing your number, what drives it, and what you could do over the next one to three years to improve it. Many owners who engage us at this stage are not ready to sell yet. That is fine, knowing your value early is one of the best decisions you can make.
Stage 2: Fix what buyers will question
We organize your financials, normalize earnings, address issues buyers will raise, and build a full set of transaction materials including a confidential information memorandum. A well-prepared business commands stronger offers and moves through diligence faster. We have seen the difference across dozens of transactions.
Stage 3: Reach the right buyers, not just whoever responds
We identify the right buyers, strategic acquirers, private equity, family offices, or individual operators, and approach them through targeted outreach, broader market exposure, or both depending on what maximizes your outcome. Every buyer signs a confidentiality agreement before seeing anything material.
Stage 4: Create competition, then negotiate
We evaluate offers across price, structure, and certainty of close, not just headline number. We create competitive tension among qualified buyers, negotiate on your behalf, and manage the process through letters of intent to exclusivity.
Stage 5: Close the deal with no surprises
We manage diligence alongside your legal and tax advisors, coordinate the data room, and keep the transaction on track through to signed purchase agreements and closing. Because we prepared your business properly upfront, this stage moves faster and with fewer surprises.
There is no cost and no obligation to the initial conversation.
Selected transactions
Selected transactions our principals have advised on across their corporate finance careers. Comprehensive listing can be found on our transactions page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to commit to selling to speak with you?
No. Many engagements begin with a valuation or an options discussion only. There is no obligation to proceed with a sale process.
Are conversations confidential?
Yes. All discussions are strictly confidential. No outreach to buyers, lenders, or anyone else occurs without your explicit approval at every stage.
What size of business do you work with?
We advise owner-managed and privately held businesses across a broad range of transaction sizes. If you have an established business with meaningful cash flow, we are likely a fit.
How much does it cost to have an initial conversation?
Nothing. The first conversation is confidential, no-obligation, and free.
How long does a typical sale process take?
Most transactions take six to twelve months from first engagement to closing. The timeline depends on your business, your readiness, and market conditions. Owners who engage early, before they feel urgency, consistently achieve better outcomes.
What industries do you work with?
We have advised businesses across manufacturing, distribution, construction, food and beverage, healthcare, business services, energy, and technology, among others.
How are you compensated?
Compensation for a sell-side engagement typically combines a modest engagement fee or monthly retainer with a success fee paid on closing. The success fee is calculated as a percentage of the transaction value and is structured so that our incentives are aligned with maximizing your outcome, not simply with closing a deal. All fees are agreed in writing at the outset of every engagement, before any market activity begins. There is no cost to the initial conversation.
Our credentials
All of Mike's professional designations and licenses are publicly verifiable through the regulators and bodies that issue them. His CPA designation can be confirmed through the CPABC Member Directory, his CBV designation through the CBV Institute Membership Lookup. We encourage every prospective client to verify the credentials of any advisor they are considering engaging.
Speak with us
If you are thinking about selling your business in the next few years, the best time to start the conversation is now, before you need to.
Call (604) 762-6225 or fill out our contact form. We respond within one business day.
KitsWest Capital: Independent M&A Advisory | Business Valuations | Debt & Capital Advisory