Freedom for Founders

Library

Everything we know about exiting well, in one place.

Blogs, founder stories, e-books, short answers, photos and videos for Canadian business owners. Free to read, watch and download, with no form in the way.

Blogs

Plain answers to the questions owners ask first.

Every article from our blog, from the 12-month playbook to vendor financing.

12 items See all blogs

Selling process

How to Sell a Business in Canada: The 12-Month Playbook for Founders

Read the article15 MIN READ

Valuation

What Buyers Check Before Buying a Business in Canada (and How Sellers Should Prepare)

Read the article8 MIN READ

Selling process

Why Deals Lose Value in Due Diligence (and How to Prevent It)

Read the article6 MIN READ

Selling process

Business Broker vs M&A Advisor vs Commercial Real Estate Broker: Who Should Sell Your Business?

Read the article8 MIN READ

Tax & structure

Selling a Business in Ontario: A Guide for Toronto, GTA and Kitchener-Waterloo Owners

Read the article9 MIN READ

Valuation

What Is EBITDA? A Simple Guide for Business Owners

Read the article5 MIN READ

Valuation

What Are Add-Backs When Selling a Business?

Read the article6 MIN READ

Deal terms

What Is a CIM (Confidential Information Memorandum)?

Read the article5 MIN READ

Deal terms

What Is a Letter of Intent (LOI) When Selling a Business?

Read the article7 MIN READ

Deal terms

What is an earn-out, and should you ever accept one?

Read the article6 MIN READ

Deal terms

What Is Vendor Take-Back Financing?

Read the article5 MIN READ

Tax & structure

What Is a Holding Company? A Guide for Canadian Business Owners

Read the article6 MIN READ

Case studies

Founders who have already done it.

What each founder faced, what changed, and how it turned out. Published with their permission.

4 items

Case Study Buying a Complementary Business

Situation
A growing business saw a chance to buy a smaller, complementary company in its own industry.
What changed
A complicated first proposal became a standard share purchase.
Outcome
The share purchase agreement was signed.
Read the story

Case Study Selling a Commercial Services Business

Situation
The owners of an established commercial services business decided it was time to sell.
What changed
We compared the first draft with the signed letter of intent and found the seller note terms differed.
Outcome
The sale closed, with most of the price paid at closing.
Read the story

Case Study Selling a Franchise Business

Situation
A franchise owner decided it was time to sell a profitable business with a capable team and loyal clients.
What changed
A structured, confidential sale recovered after the first buyer withdrew.
Outcome
The business sold for a strong price, with most of it paid on closing day.
Read the story

Founder story

Simon Fallows

Situation
Started his first business at 25 and grew it into a manufacturer with about 50 employees and 40 products.
What changed
Sat on both sides of the table, then sold.
Outcome
Sold at 39, and built Freedom For Founders so owners get clarity first.
Read the story

E-books

Take these with you.

Short reads and checklists to work through on your own time.

4 items

M&A

eBook Inside the mind of an Acquirer (1)

How buyers assess a business, and what makes them walk away.

Free download

PDF. No obligation.

Leadership

The 4 Degrees Of Delegation

How to hand work off so the business runs without you.

Free download

PDF. No obligation.

Valuation

The 8 Key Drivers of Company Value eBook

Why identical revenue can mean very different valuations.

Free download

PDF. No obligation.

Value drivers

The Overlooked Owner

Why owners are so often the biggest risk to their own value.

Free download

PDF. No obligation.

FAQs

Short answers, about thirty seconds each.

The questions founders ask us most, answered on camera. New answers are added as they are filmed.

24 items

Gallery

Moments from the journey.

Photos from our events, trips and the people behind the work.

19 items
A small group out on the water at golden hour.
A small group out on the water at golden hour.
Dawson with dog
Dawson with dog
FFF at Alps
FFF at Alps
FFF skiing trip
FFF skiing trip
logan-talking-to-someone
logan-talking-to-someone
Simon and father without sunglasses
Simon and father without sunglasses
simon and logan
simon and logan
Simon at Bizcon
Simon at Bizcon
Simon at bizcon1
Simon at bizcon1
simon at bizcon2
simon at bizcon2
simon at bizcon3
simon at bizcon3
simon-talking-to-crowd
simon-talking-to-crowd
team at arizona
team at arizona
team at arizona 2
team at arizona 2
Team golf
Team golf
team golf2
team golf2
team hike
team hike
Team surfing
Team surfing
the boss
the boss

Videos

Longer conversations, worth the time.

Talks and interviews on planning an exit, building value and what a sale really feels like.

18 items
7:38

About

Exit or Extinction Get to know me

Who is behind Freedom For Founders, and why the firm works the way it does.

9:33

Do you want to be in control or have wealth

7:04

Unlocking wealth 1 3

6:11

Unlocking wealth 4 7

11:20

Securing your freedom

1:54

A True Story

0:37

About the Classroom

20:57

Breaking Free from the Owner's Trap

52:31

Death is Poor Exit Strategy Recording

26:34

Exiting Out of the Construction Industry_ GVCA Deconstructed Podcast with Jeff MacIntyre

Founder stories

Guest Unplugged

An unguarded conversation with a founder about what the exit journey actually felt like.

2:37

How We Help

10:50

Growth

How we levelled up

How one business moved from owner-run to something that could stand on its own.

39:15

Mastering the Art of Profit-Driven Business

M&A

Selling a business: hidden lessons

The parts of a sale that owners only find out about once they are in one.

24:52

Simon Presentation at CFFB March 22

6:51

The Owner's Dilemma

14:17

Transforming Profitability

Sellability Score

Know where you stand before you decide what’s next.

See how your business scores on the 8 drivers buyers care about. You don’t need to have decided to sell.
Take the Sellability ScoreTalk to our team

Private & confidential. 13 minutes. No obligation.