Buy a Business

Whether you’ve bought businesses before and have a wealth of experience or the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is completely new to you, the value of an experienced, unbiased guide cannot be understated.

We have successfully completed over 100 M&A transactions. We know the landscape and are here to ensure that your next acquisition is a resounding success.

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The Steps To Buying A Business

Preparation

Before you start to look for businesses to buy, you need to prepare. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What are your strategic goals and objectives? What is the purpose of acquiring another business?
What is your target timeline for the acquisition?
What is your budget?
What does the type of company you want to buy look like?
What risks are you prepared to accept?
Who do you want on your acquisition team?

We can help you answer all of these questions by offering an in-depth evaluation of your business.

Through our Strategic Executive Coaching Program, we can assess the advantages and risks of buying a business and help you form a team of acquisition specialists (including us, lawyers, accountants, and other business professionals). We have successfully completed over 100 M&A transactions; we’ve walked these roads before, so we are well equipped to help you prepare for the journey.

Finding A Business To Buy

We take the time to understand your strategic goals, budget, and timeline so that we can begin an in-depth research process that will:

Find non-listed companies both nationally and internationally
Vet those companies to ensure that they’re the right fit
Present those companies to you without sacrificing anonymity

Initial/Pre-Sale Negotiations

We reach out to the businesses you are interested in purchasing, and engage them in an initial negotiation process. The goal of this process is to get both parties to sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) with agreeable terms.

These initial negotiations are a crucial step in the purchasing process; once the LOI has been signed by both parties, we can proceed with the due diligence process.

Due diligence gives you the power to reach an accurate business valuation; it also gives you insight into whether or not you can secure financing for the purchase of the business, and the types of financing that may be appropriate. Most importantly, it tells you whether or not the business you are looking to purchase is the right fit.

Final Negotiations

The final negotiations will establish:

The purchase price of the business
The vendor funding structure (if applicable)
The length and nature of the transition process, including how long the former business owner will stay on post-acquisition

These negotiations are necessarily complex; you may be buying assets, intellectual property, and intangibles like goodwill. We can handle all of the negotiations on your behalf or simply provide negotiation support.

Post-Merger Integration

The purchase agreement will typically involve a stipulation in which the former business owner remains to help run the business; there may also be money paid to the seller if the business reaches certain performance metrics (vendor take-back). We will support you throughout the integration process.

Our Process

We begin by assessing the needs of your business. Once we know what your goals are, we can support you in any way you require—from finding non-listed sellers and negotiating on your behalf to acting as a “sherpa” who supports and guides you as you navigate the acquisition process.

Why Choose Catchfire?

Our exhaustive search capabilities

We seek and find non-listed companies that meet your criteria. We will find them and weed out the “not good fits” so you only see the best opportunities. We allow you to expand your national and international search capacity.

Anonymous representation

There are many stories about deals that became too expensive, or not doable at all, because the seller thought the buyer had unlimited resources, or a strategic need, and would pay excessive amounts for their businesses. We have also encountered situations where sellers won’t work with certain buyers because of preconceived biases. Anonymous representation avoids those issues.

Negotiating & Managing The Process

From retained search to finder’s fees, we can be involved as deeply as negotiating your LOI, and managing your Due Diligence process, or as simply as introducing you to pre-qualified prospects.

Our buy side fees are primarily success based so that we do better as you do better, in other words, we are structured and incented to maximize the results for our clients.

Looking To Buy A Business?

Talk to an expert today. We have an over 90% success rate closing M&A transactions at valuations ranging from $1 million to $50 million, and we are proud to have worked with companies around the world.

The right purchase can make your business soar to great heights. We are here to guide you to those heights. When you want to buy the right business at the right time, choose Catchfire.

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Don’t Take Our Word For It

I am delighted to share the exceptional experience I encountered using the services of Catchfire for the sale of my business. From the outset, Catchfire’s professionalism, expertise, guidance and commitment to my M&A journey was truly commendable. Their insightful analysis of our business landscape and market trends allowed me to make informed decisions throughout the entire process of preparing and selling my business.

Rob

Former Business Owner

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Catchfire was brought in to help resolve partnership issues at our company when my partner and I couldn’t agree on a strategic direction for our company. We went through a process and determined that the best solution was for me to buy out my partner. Catchfire helped with deal structure, negotiations, and financial structure of the deal.

They have been providing management guidance in the 2.5 years since and have had a strong positive impact helping us build a sustainable, growing business. We continue to work with them.

Henry

Business Owner

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Gary Brownstone and I ended up working together through the process of restructuring our business. Our company had been in business for 19 years when I met Gary. We had struggled with ideas around managing our growth and HR challenges.

Gary has provided us amazing insight and ideas for many things. From helping to understand our cash, to finding the right time to hire someone, its been amazing to see how this help has allowed us to grow our business. Gary has a direct way of telling it as it is, which for me was needed and welcomed.

Working along side with Gary (which we continue to do) our business has grown from a 2 million a year business to a 5 million a year business in less than 2 years. Now of course that had to come with a lot of work from our end, but not for a second in my mind did we ever think we could grow this to what it is, without the help from the team at Catchfire.

Steve

Business Owner

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It was a pleasure to work with Catchfire through the sale of (my client’s business). Your professionalism, tenacity, and commitment from beginning to end were impressive and I look forward to working with you again.

J.D.

Lawyer

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From initial consultation, Derek demonstrated a profound understanding of our corporate issues, legal intricacies, and interpersonal dynamics inherent in our shareholder dispute. Derek's ability to objectively analyze the situation and propose strategic solutions was instrumental in facilitating productive discussions among stakeholders.

I would recommend Derek and Catchfire to any business facing shareholder disputes. Their expertise, professionalism, and unwavering dedication to achieving a fair resolution make them an invaluable partner in navigating the complexities of such challenges.

MW

Business Owner

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Catchfire was engaged by the seller for a company we acquired. Catchfire is unique in that its principals have been entrepreneurs and operators themselves. This experience combined with their deep Merger & Acquisition expertise made the deal possible despite a challenging macro-economic environment.

They were able to provide real insights that enabled us to get comfortable with the business’ underlying performance and find a transaction structure that worked for all parties. I felt they really had the seller and company’s best interest in mind. The transaction would not have happened without Catch-Fire’s expertise.

Bryan Chew

CEO, Onyx Fire Protection

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Working with Gary and the Catchfire team goes beyond just seeking the highest value – it's about what's truly right for the owner and their business. As a legacy-minded acquirer, this approach is invaluable to us. We deeply appreciate the thoughtful and dedicated service provided by the Catchfire team, which ensures outcomes that respect both the owners' and our vision and legacy.

Decisive Dividend

British Columbia

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We thought we were on a multi-year journey to grow our company and prepare it for sale when opportunity knocked and two interested acquirers from the US reached out to us. We were not at all prepared for the sales process, and fortunately Gary Brownstone and Catchfire were able to

respond immediately and help us navigate the negotiations, due diligence, and other elements of the sale from beginning to end. Catchfire was instrumental in helping us successfully navigate through a challenge we would have been unable to complete on our own.

Greg Johnston

Former Owner, Be a Part Of, Toronto ON

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The Steps To Buying A Business

Preparation

Finding A Business To Buy

Initial/Pre-Sale Negotiations

Final Negotiations

Post-Merger Integration

Our Process

Why Choose Catchfire?

Our exhaustive search capabilities

Anonymous representation

Negotiating & Managing The Process

Looking To Buy A Business?

Don’t Take Our Word For It

Rob

Former Business Owner

Henry

Business Owner

Steve

Business Owner

J.D.

Lawyer

MW

Business Owner

Bryan Chew

CEO, Onyx Fire Protection

Decisive Dividend

British Columbia

Greg Johnston

Former Owner, Be a Part Of, Toronto ON

Ready-To-Sell Assessment

Sell a Business

Due Diligence Services

Fractional Services