Mr Pascal Thibodeau: The Next Decade Is Being Decided Now in Our Businesses

By Mr Pascal Thibodeau, lawyer and tax specialist, EKITAS Lawyers & Tax Advisors.

Laval likes to talk about growth. A gross domestic product expected to approach $25 billion in 2026, growth faster than that of Quebec as a whole, investments exceeding $2 billion per year since 2021. The picture is flattering. It is also incomplete.

Behind these figures are thousands of SME owners. A significant portion of them will no longer be at the helm in ten years.

What the Figures Say

In the first quarter of 2026, nearly 16,000 Quebec businesses reported their intention to sell or transfer their operations within the following twelve months—a rate of 7.8%, the third-highest volume in Quebec’s history. In the longer term, Repreneuriat Québec estimates that approximately 38,000 SMEs will be looking for someone to take over by 2029.

Let us bring the scale back home to Laval. The Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry serves more than 13,500 businesses, shops and industries in its territory. By cautiously applying Quebec-wide proportions, this means that several hundred Laval businesses will change hands over the next few years. These are not abstractions: they are your suppliers, your subcontractors, your neighbour’s employer. Perhaps even you!

One reality of this entrepreneurial landscape: approximately 61% of SME owners still have no succession plan. The wave is predictable, known and announced. The preparation is not. It is even neglected.

The Real Risk Is Not Selling Too Early

Many business leaders postpone thinking about it, believing they are protecting their value. The opposite is often true. As paradoxical as it may seem, the right time to prepare for the sale is often when the entrepreneur is still in love with their business.

Moreover, a business sells well when it demonstrates that it can operate independently, without its owner. This requires a second line of management, documented processes, a customer base that is not concentrated on a single relationship, readable financial statements. None of this can be built in six months. A well-managed sale is a 12- to 18-month project, and tax planning should begin at least 24 months earlier.

While the entrepreneur waits, the market is moving. In 2023, 38.5% of buyers were aged 55 and over. The pool of buyers is aging at the same time as the sellers.

Two Questions, Two Natures, Two Realities

There is the technical question: how much is my business worth, how should the transaction be structured, what tax considerations, what financing. It has answers that are often mathematical, known or determinable.

Then there is the personal question: who am I on the Monday after closing? What will I live on? What do I lose along with my shares? That one has no ready-made answer; it varies and is often unsettling—but it explains a good portion of the transactions that derail at the last minute, or that never begin.

The right answers are prepared. Rarely at the same time. Unfortunately, often too late.

A Sequence, Not an Event

A business transfer is not a single moment; it is a series of decisions spread over years. The ones that determine your price are made long before the first buyer comes forward.

The real question, then, is not “when will I sell?”, but “what should I do so that the sale, when the time comes, goes well?”

On October 29, 2026, in Laval, EKITAS is bringing together experts to discuss these questions as part of the workshop “Selling Your Business Takes Preparation!”, a day reserved exclusively for owners considering a sale or transfer in the coming years.

Information and registration: Workshop 2026