For business owners

A successor, not just a buyer.

You spent decades building a business that works. The question isn't only what it's worth. It's who runs it next, what happens to the people who built it with you, and whether your name still means something in five years. Here is our answer to each.

How the process works Start a conversation

What changes, and what doesn't.

Most owners' worries about selling come down to a short list. Here's how we approach each one.

What stays

  • Your team. We're not acquiring headcount to restructure. The people who built the business are the reason it's worth buying.
  • Your name and reputation. Your reputation in the market becomes ours on day one. We protect it the way you have.
  • Your customer relationships. Warm introductions and a transition plan you help design. Customers stay informed, not surprised.
  • Your corner office, if you still need it. Full exit, an advisory seat, a phased handover over a year or two. Your call, not ours.

What changes

  • A full-time owner in the building. Not a portfolio manager visiting quarterly. One person, one business, every day.
  • Capital for the next chapter. The investments you've been deferring, in people, systems, or equipment, get made.
  • An accurate, transparent view of progress. Weekly visibility into what drives revenue and cost, so decisions get easier for everyone.
  • A long-term plan. A 5–7 year hold with no pressure to flip. Growth that is earned, not engineered.

Your transition, on your timeline.

There is no single right way to hand over a business. Slide to the option closest to what you're picturing, and see what it usually looks like.

Step away at close.

For owners who are ready to retire, or move on to something new, and want a clean break. We agree on a short, structured handover before closing, so the knowledge that lives in your head gets written down and introduced in person: key customers, suppliers, the things nobody else knows. Then you're free.

  • Your involvement after closeA few weeks to a few months of availability by phone, on your terms
  • How it's usually structuredFull sale at closing, with a simple transition agreement
  • Best forOwners with a capable second layer of management already in place

Hand over gradually.

The most common path. You stay involved for six to eighteen months, stepping back in stages while Taylor steps forward. Customer relationships transfer with a warm introduction rather than a memo, and your team sees continuity, not a cliff. You choose the pace.

  • Your involvement after closePart-time to full-time for a defined period, tapering down
  • How it's usually structuredFull sale at closing plus a transition or consulting agreement
  • Best forOwners whose relationships and know-how are central to the business today

Keep doing the part you love.

Some owners want out of the administration, the hiring, and the bookkeeping, but not out of the work. If you'd like to keep leading sales, product, a key region, or the shop floor for as long as it suits you, we build that in. Taylor takes on the running of the company; you keep the role that made you start it.

  • Your involvement after closeAn ongoing role with a clear scope, for as long as it works for both sides
  • How it's usually structuredFull or majority sale at closing, with an employment or advisory agreement
  • Best forOwners who still enjoy the craft and the customers, but not the paperwork

Take some chips off the table, stay in the game.

Sell a majority of the business now, keep a meaningful minority, and share in what comes next. You get liquidity and a partner who takes over the day-to-day; you keep a seat at the table and a second payday when the business is eventually sold again.

  • Your involvement after closeA board or advisory seat, and as much or as little operating involvement as you want
  • How it's usually structuredMajority sale with rolled-over equity in the new ownership
  • Best forOwners who believe the next chapter is bigger than the last one
How we work

A process built around respect.

Selling a business is one of the most consequential decisions an entrepreneur will make. Our process is transparent, low-disruption, and always at the pace that makes sense for you. Tap each step to expand.

A confidential, no-pressure call to understand your business, your timeline, and what matters most in a transition. No deck, no agenda, just a conversation. Many of the best transitions start with a relationship built over a year or more before anything is signed. We're comfortable with that pace.
We sign a mutual NDA before reviewing any financial detail. Confidentiality is a firm commitment, not a courtesy: your employees, customers, and competitors will not learn of this process from us. We review your financials or information memorandum confidentially and move at your pace.
A clear, clean LOI that reflects genuine interest. We don't use LOIs as leverage; they're a good-faith commitment to close on fair terms. Our structure is deliberately flexible: seller notes, earn-outs, rollover equity, and phased transitions can all be accommodated based on what makes sense for you.
Organized, purposeful diligence designed to minimize disruption to your team. Taylor has spent years doing this work for professional investors, so we ask focused questions, share what we find openly, and aim to complete diligence in 30–45 days. Diligence is two-way. We want to understand what you've built, not catch you out.
We work closely with your advisors and with you, through close and well into the transition. The first six months of ownership are explicitly a stabilize-and-learn phase: structured knowledge transfer, a financial baseline, and team assessment before any significant changes. Warm introductions to customers and employees aren't optional; they're how we protect what you built.
Value creation follows a phased plan, tailored to the business:
  • Months 1–6, stabilize and learn. Knowledge transfer, weekly KPI visibility, team assessment, one or two quick wins.
  • Months 7–24, professionalize and grow. Pricing reviews, sales and retention discipline, process standardization, light technology where it pays back.
  • Years 2–5+, build. Selective add-on acquisitions, adjacent markets, leadership depth so the business doesn't depend on any one person, including Taylor.
What we offer

What a transition with us looks like.

Flexible structure

Seller notes, earn-outs, rollover equity, or phased transitions. We adapt the deal to your goals. There is no institutional investment committee dictating rigid terms.

Your people stay

We are not acquiring a headcount to restructure. Your employees built what makes this business worth buying, and we intend to keep them.

Customers stay informed, not surprised

Warm introductions, shared context, and a transition plan you help design. Relationships that took years to build are treated accordingly.

Operators, not reporters

We are not preparing quarterly decks for absentee investors. Our attention goes into the business, the decisions, the people, and the work.

One deal, full attention

We are not managing twelve portfolio companies. Your business is the only one. That is not a limitation. It is the entire point.

Backed by operators, not just capital

The investors and advisors we work with have run businesses, closed acquisitions, and navigated difficult transitions. Their experience is available to the business.

Common questions.

The questions owners ask most, answered plainly.

Earlier than you'd think. Most of the owners we speak with are one to three years from a decision. An early conversation commits you to nothing and usually makes the eventual decision clearer, whether or not it involves us.
They won't hear it from us. We sign a mutual confidentiality agreement before any financial information changes hands, and we don't contact your employees, customers, or suppliers. When it's time to bring your team in, we plan that together, on your timing.
Mostly listen. The first six months are for learning how the business actually runs and earning the trust of the people who make it run. We'd put clear, simple reporting in place so everyone can see how the business is doing, and look for one or two easy improvements. Bigger changes wait until we've earned the right to make them.
From a group of experienced investors who back Taylor to find, buy, and run one company. Many of them have owned and operated businesses themselves. A purchase is typically funded with their equity together with a loan from a Canadian bank, and sometimes a portion paid to the seller over time. You will know exactly who is involved before anything is signed.
Whatever role makes sense for you and the business. Some owners want a clean handover. Others stay a year or more in an advisory or operating role, or keep a minority stake and share in the next chapter. The transition selector above shows the common patterns; we're open to combinations.
On the profit it reliably produces, confirmed by an independent accountant, and compared to what similar businesses have sold for. We show our work. If our view of value and yours are far apart, we'll say so early rather than waste your time.
No. If you already have a broker, accountant, or lawyer, we're glad to work with them and will never ask you to switch. If you'd rather start with a direct, informal conversation, that works as well.

Start with a conversation.

No deck, no agenda. Tell us a little about your business and where you are in your thinking, and Taylor will reply personally. Every note is held in confidence.

EmailTaylor.Miller@dovetailgp.ca
BasedToronto, Ontario

Notes come straight to my inbox. I read every one and reply personally, usually within a few days. — Taylor

Thank you. Your note is on its way.

Taylor reads every introduction personally and will reply within a few business days. If you don't hear back, email Taylor.Miller@dovetailgp.ca directly.