Will Canadian Firms Size-Up Enough?

In the past year, many company owners have contacted me to sell their companies. They do not have anything near the value they expect. Why is there such a gap in expectations?
First and biggest reason for the gap is if your company is under $20M in revenues, this greatly reduces your universe of potential buyers. This smaller size also means you get an immediate steep discount on your end sale valuation. Investors with the money are seeking companies with operating revenues over $20M, and if you are under that amount, your asking price drops off the cliff.
Canadian companies are small and conservative. Many are family owned and do not wish to risk growing organically or by acquisition. I do not blame them, but they must see the game has changed. Right now, we are global. It means you have to think global and that means get bigger than $20M. I have had this conversation with many family business owners and it is not necessary. If they got in private equity partners at 30% ownership, they would get money out for their family and get on with growth. Their second sale would be worth far more.

Exempt Market Dealers Have Business Trigger

Canadian securities legislation creates two categories of securities that may be sold: 

(i) prospectus securities; and 

(ii) securities issued under prospectus exemption. 

Securities issued under the prospectus exemptions, otherwise known as non-reporting issuers, are typically considered to form the "exempt market". 

Under NI 31-103, a new dealer registration category is introduced in all jurisdictions across Canada to regulate the sale of securities in the exempt market - the exempt market dealer (EMD).

A critical change under NI 31-103 is the introduction of the "business trigger" for dealer registration. Prior to September 28, 2010, the requirement to be registered as a dealer is triggered by a person engaging in a "trade" of securities. With the new rules introduced in 31-103, the "trade trigger" is replaced with a "business trigger", so the dealer registration requirement will only apply to those whose trading in securities amounts to carrying on the business of trading in securities. Companion Policy 31-103CP provides guidance on what acts are deemed to be sufficient to trip the "business trigger".

NI 31-103 introduces consistent rules concerning proficiency, conduct, capital and compliance requirements and makes it clear that EMDs are subject to the same know-your-client ("KYC") and suitability requirements as other dealer categories.

Quick Facts about the EMD

The Exempt Market Dealer - known as EMD - category replaces the LMD category, making the EMD registration category uniform across the country.
Did You Know?
o Existing LMDs automatically become EMDs on September 28, 2009. You don’t have to apply.
o EMDs have capital and proficiency requirements. LMDs had none.
o Not all LMDs will require registration as EMDs under NI 31-103. It’s up to you to make the determination.
o The EMD registration requirement will apply differently in certain parts of the country.
These and other important changes in the regulation of the exempt market under NI 31-103 are discussed below in this issue.


Visit the Exempt Market Dealers association for more information: http://www.emdacanada.com/

3 Hottest Technologies for Investors

Those Harvard Business Review articles telling you how innovation works in big corporates are yesterday's news. Companies like Google, IBM, Oracle and Cisco have massive war chests to buy innovation, not grow it in their own company.
The good news is that Canada is chock full of innovators in technology doing great companies that are being bought by the large corporates for big bucks.
So see if you have one of the 3 specialties to attract investors.
3 Investor Target Technologies
1. You have Real Time Data. for example, a customer goes to a bank to withdraw cash at the ATM but is low in funds. The software checks out his business, his mortgage, his past record and decides to up hs credit for $2,000 as he has a great track record. That's real time data working to make more money.
2. Data Ownership. Thomson Reuter has rights to their data and they are deep and industry specific with their data.
3. Span or Connect the Enterprise. Risk management and compliance are the hottest words out there. One way to reduce risk is to make sure it applies across the entire company. So any technology that can reach across the entire enterprise, end to end is appealing.
Any of the above 3 will get investors itching to invest in your technology company.

Jacoline Loewen, expert in Private Equity, author of Money Magnet: Attract Investors to Your Business.

Private equity grew company at rate of return of 127%

Yellow Point’s investment in May 2005 generated an internal rate of return of 127% and a multiple of 8.5 times invested capital, when the company was sold to Tricor Pacific Capital in December 2009. David Chapman, Managing Partner of Yellow Point and Terry Holland, a co-investor in CCI and a Yellow Point LP, accepted the deal of the year honour at the CVCA's AGM Dinner in Toronto on Tuesday, September, 2010. Dave said:

“We are pleased with the successful sale of CCI Industries. The sale was truly a win-win for everyone involved. We would like to thank Bruce Clark and Norm Duplessis, co-founders of CCI, for the opportunity to partner with them on this investment. We would also like to thank Terry for his value-add contribution to the CCI board. But most of all, we would like to thank Martin Bates, CCI’s CEO, for his leadership, strategic guidance and stewardship of the business. We brought Martin in to lead the business shortly after our investment in 2005, and he did a phenomenal job growing the business and building value for all stakeholders. We are also pleased that CCI continues to be in very capable hands. Tricor is a class organization and will do great things in taking CCI to its next level of success.”

I agree that Tricor is a good private equity firm. Anna Rossetti is their professional CEO for PCI Cards and she is a firecracker.

About CCI Industries

Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, CCI Industries is the world’s largest producer of Allan Block garden, landscape and retaining wall systems and AB Fence products, having sold over 60 million square feet across Western Canada and Washington State. It is also Western Canada’s largest manufacturer of innovative and competitively-priced concrete masonry products having sold over 300 million square feet.

About Yellow Point Equity Partners

Yellow Point Equity Partners is a Vancouver-based private equity investment firm specializing in management buyouts and growth investments for mid-market companies. It invests in and partners with outstanding management teams of later stage private companies with the goal of building shareholder value over the long-term. It aims to be the partner of choice for management teams of Canada’s leading private companies.