10
OCTOBER 2016
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE PLANNING MAJOR EXPANSION Business Finders Canada Began Operations In 2009
K
ELOWNA – Leveraging the unsurpassed reach of the Internet, coupled with the skills of a team of professional Commercial REALTORS®, Business Finders Canada is revolutionizing the way Canadian businesses are bought and sold. Now, after having tested, fine tuned and expanded its reach the Kelowna-based real estate brokerage is on the verge of initiating a major expansion of its proven marketing concept. “What we are today is a fully licensed commercial real estate office, we have the expertise and the sales experience to effectively market businesses and commercial properties. That’s our sole focus,” explained company founder and Principal Steve Harvey. An entrepreneur for decades, Harvey has a tremendous amount of experience in the operation, growth and sale of business. This business background, coupled with the skills he learned marketing his own ventures served as the catalyst for the formation of Business Finders Canada. “From 1992 through to about 2009 I had essentially bought and sold my businesses on my own. When I went to look for someone who was an expert in this category of real estate sales I didn’t really find anybody I was that impressed with. I saw that there was a real niche for this service as there was really no one doing these sorts of sales at this level,” he explained. Knowing that the brokering of businesses was something extensively carried out in the United States, he researched how this distinctive segment of real estate sales occurs south of the border and custom tailored a business model adapted to the Canadian marketplace – launching Business Finders Canada at the end of 2009. The new firm became
Steve Harvey is the Principal and Founder of Business Finders Canada
“It’s estimated that within the next 10 years as many as 70 per cent of all businesses in North America could be for sale.”
Business Finders Canada’s office is conveniently located at 1652 Pandosy Street in Kelowna
STEVE HARVEY PRINCIPAL, BUSINESS FINDERS CANADA
a certified real estate brokerage in 2011. Today the company’s coverage area encompasses all of Western Canada. Located at 1652 Pandosy Street in Kelowna, Harvey and his team of real estate sales professionals have the connections to assist their expanding client list buy and sell businesses throughout the Okanagan region, as well as in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and elsewhere. The company’s certified Business Brokers have the skills and the experience to effectively market any sized business.
Terry Prechel
Chartered Professional Accountant
#3, 3185 Via Centrale Kelowna, BC, V1V 2A7 Ph: 250.765.0266 Email: terry@KelownaAccountants.com www.KelownaAccountants.com
Sharing ideas (left to right) Andrew Pohl, Kim Davies and Steve Harvey make plans in the company boardroom “Business Finders Canada was designed right from the beginning with the idea of opening other locations. Starting in January 2017 we plan to start opening licensed offices in Calgary,
Talk to a Scotia Business advisor today! Cooper Harrison, CPA, CA Senior Client Relationship Manager Cooper.Harrison@scotiabank.com
Ph: 250-712-4098 ext 4211 Scotiabank.com
Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Prince George and on Vancouver Island,” Harvey said. “We’re poised for a major expansion and are just finishing off work on our licensing agreements and should have all of the paperwork complete in the next month or so. We’ll then start strategizing on the best way for us to move forward from there.” Combining a sophisticated web presence with the tried skills of a team of experienced Commercial REALTORS®, the Business Finders Canada business model is especially tuned to the needs of business sellers, clients requiring professionalism and confidentiality. “In business transactions most business ow ners don’t want everyone knowing the business is for sale – including their customers and staff. They’re just interested in getting the business sold for the largest amount and with the least fuss. Sometimes
there can be a lot of tire kickers out there, people who have no real interest in buying the business,” he said. “Our approach keeps the information confidential, and far more effectively brings sellers and serious buyers together for everyone’s benefit.” Featuring a two step process that includes a real world market evaluation of the business’ worth, Business Finders will compile all of the information and documentation necessary to allow a prospective buyer to make an informed and accurate decision. While the firm’s online portal is appealing to offshore business purchasers Harvey has discovered that 90 per cent of the company’s transactions occur domestically. With an established and proven business model, with finely tuned and sophisticated web tools, and with outside interests wanting to duplicate the success of the concept elsewhere, Harvey is buoyant about the future of his innovative company. “Today we have seven full time Commercial REALTOR® / Brokers and there are three more in the process of writing their licenses right now, people who have great business broker experience who will be real assets to us,” Harvey said. “Due to the aging of the population, as the Baby Boomers are heading into retirement, it’s estimated that within the next 10 years as many as 70 per cent of all businesses in North America could be for sale. For me there couldn’t be a better time to establish a business that focuses on this important segment of the real estate market. The future for this service is very bright.” For more information visit the company’s website at: www. businessfinderscanada.com