Every case study below is a representation of the type of acquisition we guide — anonymized to protect buyer privacy.
These deals span restaurants, HVAC companies, dental practices, franchise resales, and SaaS businesses across Metro Vancouver and BC. Each one illustrates the real complexity that arises in business acquisitions — and how a buyer-only advisor navigates it.
5
Deals Shown
5
Industries Covered
$475K–$1.85M
Deal Range
Metro VAN
Across BC
Each case study below covers the challenge, our approach, and the outcome. Click through to read the full story and the lessons any buyer can apply.
The seller was motivated for a quick close due to personal circumstances, which created pressure to compress the diligence timeline. The financial books showed healthy cash flow but approximately 60% of it was tied to the owner's personal relationships with a core group of repeat customers — a concentration risk that normalized earnings could not easily capture. On top of this, the commercial lease had less than eight months remaining on the current term, with no written renewal commitment from the landlord. For an immigration-linked acquisition, these factors created compounding risk: the BC PNP stream requires the business to remain operational for a minimum holding period.
Read Case StudyThe seller verbally represented that all four lead technicians would stay after closing — a claim the business valuation heavily depended on, since recurring maintenance contracts were effectively tied to those technician relationships. However, no employment agreements existed for any of the four. Additionally, the vehicle and equipment fleet was aging — three of seven service vans were over 10 years old — with no documented maintenance history. Revenue was also concentrated in two property management companies that collectively represented 51% of annual billings, and neither had signed contracts extending beyond a rolling month-to-month arrangement.
Read Case StudyThe seller's business broker had prepared a valuation using a revenue multiple approach — a common method in dental practice sales that produced a significantly higher number than what an earnings-based model would support. The resulting valuation gap was approximately $280,000. Beyond the valuation dispute, a complicating factor unique to regulated health professions surfaced: the patient charts were not assignable under the BC Health Professions Act without explicit patient consent. Managing a patient notification and consent process for a practice with over 1,200 active patients required careful timing to avoid triggering patient departures before closing. The buyer also needed BDC financing for the majority of the purchase price.
Read Case StudyThe existing franchise agreement had four years remaining on its current term, with renewal at the franchisor's discretion and not guaranteed. The Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) indicated that renewal royalty rates could be adjusted at renewal — a significant financial planning uncertainty. The franchisor's approval process required the buyers to complete a formal qualification review, attend a multi-day training program in another city, and receive written approval before any transfer could complete. Additionally, the sellers were not forthcoming about two informal complaints in the system's audit history, which only surfaced during our direct review of the FDD and franchisee communication records.
Read Case StudyThe seller was benchmarking against SaaS acquisition multiples he had read about in US tech media — a 6x ARR valuation framework that produced a $2.4M asking price. Market-comparable deals for Canadian bootstrapped SaaS businesses in the $300K–$500K ARR range were consistently closing at 3.5x–4.5x trailing twelve-month EBITDA, not ARR. The $550,000 gap between seller expectations and market reality was the central negotiation challenge. Compounding this was a material IP ownership risk: approximately 40% of the core codebase had been written by a contractor under a services agreement that did not include an explicit IP assignment clause. The seller was unaware of this gap. Additionally, the product's ongoing development and primary customer relationship were both managed by a single senior developer whose departure would have materially impaired the business.
Read Case StudyRegardless of industry, deal size, or buyer profile — the way we approach every acquisition is consistent.
We represent the buyer only — there is no conflict of interest with a seller's commission.
Every deal begins with an independent financial review, not with the seller's provided numbers.
We run legal, financial, and operational diligence in parallel so nothing waits on anything else.
We negotiate directly on the buyer's behalf — not just as an advisor on the sidelines.
We stay engaged through ownership transfer, not just through the signed purchase agreement.
We build a post-acquisition integration plan so the buyer has a roadmap on day one.
Start with a free 30-minute Discovery Call. We will review your acquisition goals, share what is realistic in your target industry, and explain how we work.