Should You Sell Your Calgary Business Now or Grow It First for a Bigger Payday?

Brent Beshore never planned to become a private equity investor. He wasn’t a Wall Street dealmaker, didn’t study finance, and once had to Google the term “due diligence” (typing it in as “do diligence”). He was simply building a marketing firm from the ground up until another founder unexpectedly offered to sell him their business.

That 2010 deal became the foundation for Permanent Equity, the investment firm Beshore has grown over the past 15 years into one of the most respected acquirers of privately held businesses in the U.S. For Calgary and Alberta business owners thinking about their own eventual exit, his experience offers a useful lens on timing, value, and what buyers actually look for.

What Makes Permanent Equity’s Approach to Buying a Business Different?

Unlike traditional private equity, Beshore’s model takes a radically different approach:

• No debt at close – They don’t load companies with leverage.
• No quick flips – Permanent Equity raises 30-year funds and often holds businesses indefinitely.
• No slash-and-burn tactics – Instead of cutting teams to inflate margins, they invest in people and operations to drive sustainable growth.

At the heart of this philosophy is one simple insight: most founders leave money on the table when they sell their business.

How Did One Overlooked Fix Help Double a Company’s Size?

Consider the pool company Beshore bought in 2015. The business had solid operations but a glaring gap, its website had no contact form, no call to action, and no easy way for customers to reach out.

With the seller’s blessing, Permanent Equity revamped the site. On the very first day after the update, it generated 16 qualified leads. Over the next few years, the company doubled in size.

The opportunity was obvious to a professional investor but overlooked by the founder. It’s a reminder that Calgary business owners often sit closer to untapped value than they realize; it just takes a fresh set of eyes to see it.

Should You Sell Now or Wait to Maximize Your Business’s Value?

When you’re approaching an exit, you face a critical choice:

• Sell with upside left on the table. You gain liquidity and peace of mind, but let the buyer capture future growth.
• Realize the potential yourself. By making improvements before you sell, you keep the value created and command a higher price later.

Neither decision is wrong. Selling now gives you certainty. But if you still have the energy and vision, there’s a strong case for what Beshore calls being “long-term greedy”, delaying gratification to maximize the full potential of your business.

As Beshore often tells founders: “If you’re really convinced the business is about to triple, the dumbest thing you could do is sell it to me.”

Are You Ready to Sell the Potential or Would You Rather Realize It Yourself?

Ultimately, the question for every founder is this: are you ready to sell the potential, or will you realize it yourself?

If you’re out of gas, selling can provide security and closure. But if you’ve still got the drive, it might be time to stop thinking like a seller and start thinking like your own investor. For Alberta business owners, that mindset shift often starts with an honest look at sellability: what a buyer would actually pay for today, versus what the business could be worth with 12–24 months of focused improvement.

That mindset could mean the difference between a good exit and a truly great one.

If you’re a Calgary or Alberta business owner weighing whether to sell now or grow into a bigger valuation, our team at Achen Henderson, alongside our exit-planning partners at McFarlane Transition Advisors is happy to walk you through what your business could be worth today, and what it might take to get it there.