A generational shift is underway.
Canada is facing a massive transfer of business ownership — and a growing mismatch between retiring owners, willing buyers, and ready operators. This isn’t just a small business story — it touches jobs, communities, supply chains, and long-term national resilience.
The question isn’t if this transition is coming.
It’s how prepared we are for it.
Let’s zoom out.
But first — the jargon…
👉 Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) = business with under 500 employees
🇨🇦 Small Business = a BIG Deal
Canada has over 1.2 million small-medium businesses
Over 98% of all employer businesses in Canada are SMEs
SMEs account for almost 64% of private-sector jobs 🍁
That’s about 8 million jobs 👆
🕰 (un)Ready for Retirement:
76% of SME owners plan to exit within 10 years 🍁
That 👆 represents $2 trillion+ in business assets
Less than 1 in 10 have a formal succession plan
Nearly 2 in 3 have no plan at all
The average owner is now 57 years old — and rising
Source: CFIB (Canadian Federation of Independent Business)
💪 The Backbone of the Economy (Quietly at Risk )
Many of Canada’s SMEs are owner-operated, family-run, or held by entrepreneurs with no clear succession path. Some want to retire. Some need to. Some are burned out…
But exiting isn’t easy.
Valuations are fuzzy.
Legacy emotions run deep.
Financing is tough.
And for would-be successors, the risk feels sky-high — especially in industries with thin margins, regulatory complexity, or aging infrastructure.
👩💼👨🏽🔧 A New Generation Is Interested — But Locked Out
There’s growing appetite among younger professionals to own, not just start, businesses — and their questions are regularly popping up in my social feed.
The concept of buying so-called “boring businesses” (think laundromats, car washes, vending suppliers, HVAC services) is sparking real interest, even — and in some cases, especially — if the operations aren’t sexy.
Why?
These SMEs can offer steady demand, loyal clients, and recurring revenue. Many come with upside too — growth potential, room for easy-lift systems upgrades, or untapped digital opportunities.
Have you looked into buying or selling a business?
Share your story. 👇
There’s even a name for this growing path:
💼 Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA)
It’s gaining traction in MBA programs, startup circles, and business podcasts — as intergenerational succession becomes less common and more fragmented.
Still, the path is rocky.
Platforms and brokers are trying to modernize the buying/selling process, but most deals remain informal, under-marketed, or fail to reach the next-gen operator at all.
The result?
👋 Missed opportunities.
⏳ Slow timelines.
🪦 And growing risk of Canadian ownership quietly disappearing — through closures, consolidation, or foreign acquisition.
🧭 So What Happens Next?
If we treat this like a “small business problem”, we’ll miss the forest for the trees.
This is both a micro and macro community resilience issue. A generational wealth opportunity. And a clear gap in policy and innovation.
It’s a national story — one that touches every sector, from real estate to retail, restaurants to manufacturing — and every Canadian, no matter their background.
🤔 What can help?
✅ More creative deal structures
✅ Easier pathways to next-gen ownership
✅ Clearer tools and incentives to support transition
✅ And new stories to inspire what’s possible
This won’t be solved by one buyer, one business, or one policy — but by a cultural shift in how we think about succession, ownership, and the torch we pass on to future generations in Canada.
The next chapter of Canadian business and business ownership is still unwritten.
Now build. 🍁🚀
💬 Got a story to share?
Whether you’re a business owner navigating retirement — or someone dreaming of acquiring a business — I’d love to hear from you.
Real stories help shape real solutions.
👉 Email me at ashley[@]ashleysmith.now or DM me on LinkedIn — I may feature your experience in a future issue.
Let’s learn from each other. 🤝
➕ Additional Resources
🔗 Succession Tsunami: Preparing for a decade of small business transitions in Canada (CFIB)
🔗 10 things you (probably) didn’t know about Canadian small businesses (BDC)
🔗 Canada faces potential wave of small business closures: MNP (Retail Insider)
🔗 Canada’s silent succession crisis could be your best business opportunity (Digital Journal)
🔗 A succession tsunami is about to hit Canada hard (The Logic)
🔗 An Introduction To Entrepreneurship-Through-Acquisition And The Secrets To Its Success (Forbes)
