Venture for Canada Teaches You How to Buy a Business (w/Scott Stirrett)
What if the best way to start a business is to buy one that already exists?
In this episode of The Unsure Entrepreneur Podcast, host Roger Pierce speaks with Scott Stirrett, Founder and CEO of Venture for Canada, a national charity helping young Canadians gain entrepreneurial experience and skills. Since 2013, Scott and his team have raised more than $80 million and supported over 10,000 early-career professionals through fellowships, internships, and real-world work placements in small businesses across the country.
Scott is also the author of the upcoming book The Uncertainty Advantage, a guide for early-career professionals on how to thrive in a world of constant change.
In the discussion, Scott shares why Canada is facing an entrepreneurship gap. “There are 100,000 fewer entrepreneurs in Canada than there were 20 years ago,” he says. With 42% of Canadian small businesses owned by baby boomers — and over 54,000 businesses currently for sale — the opportunity for young Canadians to step in is massive.
That’s where Venture for Canada’s innovative Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Academy comes in. The course teaches participants how to:
- Find and evaluate small businesses for sale.
- Finance a purchase using debt, equity, and seller notes.
- Negotiate deals and transition into ownership.
There are many good reasons why buying an existing business is a better path into entrepreneurship: there’s already cash flow, there’s a customer base, and the systems are in place. "It’s often a lot less risky to buy something that is already existing than to start something up completely from scratch,” Scott says in the episode.
This episode is essential listening for aspiring entrepreneurs looking for a different way in. Enjoy!
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