Reading & Insight

Exit planning
starts with
knowing more.

Publicly available reading, Canadian research, and direct access to an advisor who has been on both sides of this transaction. No subscription. No pitch. Just useful.

The Canadian Context
76% of Canadian business owners plan to exit within the decade CFIB, 2023
Only 9% have a formal succession plan in place CFIB, 2023
$2 Trillion in Canadian business assets changing hands this decade CFIB / CIBC, 2022
Publicly Available Resources

What every business owner
preparing for exit should read.

Each piece below has been selected because it is genuinely useful — not because it is promotional. Where relevant, a brief note from The Exit Story™ explains why it matters for your specific situation.

Succession Planning · CFIB · Featured
Over $2 Trillion in Business Assets Are at Stake as Majority of Small Business Owners Plan to Exit

The landmark CFIB research report that quantified the scale of Canada's business succession challenge. The numbers are striking — but the preparation gap is more striking still.

Read the Report →
From the Advisor's Desk
The statistic most owners remember is the $2 trillion. The one that should concern them more is the 9% — only one in ten has any formal plan at all. The gap between intention and preparation is where value is lost.
— Supriya Devgan, The Exit Story™
How to Create a Succession Plan: Three Common Exit Strategies

The Business Development Bank of Canada's practical guide to exit options — sale to a third party, family transition, or employee buyout — including tax implications for each path.

From the Advisor's Desk
Most owners have not thought carefully about which exit path fits their situation — and each carries meaningfully different tax, timeline, and preparation implications. This is a useful starting point for that conversation.
Read the Guide
Why Succession Planning in Canada Matters Now More Than Ever

A current overview of the Canadian succession planning landscape — the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption, the Employee Ownership Trust structure, and the capital gains inclusion rate changes deferred to 2026.

From the Advisor's Desk
The LCGE alone can shelter hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax on a sale. Whether your structure qualifies requires planning well in advance. This is the conversation to have with your accountant now — not at transaction time.
Read the Article
Addressing Barriers to Succession Planning for Small to Medium Enterprises

The BC Chamber of Commerce's 2025 policy paper on succession planning barriers — including data on the BC labour market transition and what needs to change legislatively to support business owners.

From the Advisor's Desk
This is a BC-specific lens on the national challenge. The labour market pressures facing BC businesses add urgency to the succession conversation that goes beyond individual owner readiness.
Read the Paper
Business Succession Planning: Technical Planning Support

A comprehensive technical overview of succession planning structures — including the Employee Ownership Trust introduced in 2024, CCPC qualification requirements, and the tax treatment of different transaction structures.

From the Advisor's Desk
The EOT structure is worth understanding for owners who see their employees as natural successors. The first $10 million in capital gains is tax-free if structured correctly and closed before December 2026. That window is closing.
Read the Overview
CFIB Urges Federal Government to Support Succession Planning for Small Business

CFIB's 2025 letter to the federal Finance Minister calling for expanded rollover provisions, LCGE improvements, and a business succession immigration stream.

From the Advisor's Desk
The policy environment around business succession is actively evolving. For owners planning an exit in the next 3–5 years, staying aware of these changes — particularly around the capital gains inclusion rate — directly affects your net proceeds.
Read the Article
More resources added regularly.

New articles and insights are added as they become relevant. Follow The Exit Story™ on LinkedIn to be notified — or check back here.

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From the Desk

Short insights.
Straight from experience.

Brief observations on exit preparation, valuation, and what business owners most commonly miss. Written in plain language by someone who has been on both sides of this transaction.

New insights are added regularly. Each piece is 200–350 words — short enough to read between meetings, specific enough to be useful. If a question you submit through the Ask form becomes a piece, you will be the first to know.

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Topic
Valuation
Published
Coming Soon
Supriya Devgan
The Exit Story™
Coming Soon

This article is being written from the field — informed by real engagements and real findings. Follow The Exit Story™ on LinkedIn to be notified when it publishes.

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Ask a Question

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Ask directly.

You do not need to be ready. You do not need to know what you want. If you have a question about your business, your exit, or what preparation actually looks like — ask it here.

No obligation. No pitch. A straight answer from someone who has spent sixteen years applying a lender’s lens to businesses, and built and sold one of their own.

"Every question I receive gets a personal response — from me, not a template. If your question is one I hear often, I will write about it here."

— Supriya Devgan, Founder · The Exit Story
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