You've spent years — likely decades — building your business. Selling it is the most important financial transaction of your life. You need more than a business broker. You need an advisor who treats it that way.
August Cove Capital provides institutional-grade sell-side M&A advisory for lower middle market business owners across Alberta and Western Canada. We work exclusively with a small number of clients at any time, which means you get direct access to a senior advisor — a CFA charterholder with 18 years of experience — from the first conversation through to close.
Who We Work With
We work with business owners in Edmonton, Calgary, and across Alberta and Western Canada who are considering selling their company, typically for the first time. Our clients are founders and entrepreneurs who have built profitable businesses with enterprise values between $2M and $25M, and who want to maximize the outcome of a transaction they've worked a lifetime to earn.
If you're thinking about retirement, a transition, or simply the right time to exit, we can help you understand what your business is worth, who the right buyers are, and how to run a process that gets you the best possible result.
What We Do Differently
Most business brokers manage ten or more listings at once. The result is a generic process, minimal buyer outreach, and an advisor who isn't deeply invested in your outcome.
August Cove takes on fewer than three mandates at a time. That means we invest more than 300 hours in every engagement — building your marketing materials, identifying and approaching the right strategic and financial buyers, managing due diligence, and negotiating hard on structure and price. You deal directly with Andrew Plohy, CFA, CAIA throughout the entire process, not a junior associate.
What that means in practice:
Comprehensive buyer outreach across strategic and financial acquirers
Institutional-quality marketing materials and confidential information memorandum
Market valuation support so you know what your business is actually worth before you go to market
Competitive tension created through a structured process — not a single buyer conversation
Deal structure optimization, not just headline price
Full process management so you can keep running your business while we run the sale
Regular updates and complete transparency at every stage
Our Process
1. Discovery & Valuation
We start by understanding your business, your goals, and your timeline. We build a detailed valuation analysis so you know what to expect before committing to a process.
2. Preparation
We prepare your business for market — financial normalization, positioning, and a full suite of marketing materials including a teaser and confidential information memorandum.
3. Buyer Outreach
We identify and approach a targeted list of strategic and financial buyers — confidentially. We cast a wide net to create competitive tension while protecting your identity in market.
4. Negotiation
We manage offers, run a structured bid process, and negotiate on price, structure, earnouts, and terms to maximize your total outcome — not just the headline number.
5. Due Diligence & Close
We manage the due diligence process alongside your legal team and stay fully engaged through to closing. Our target timeline is under 12 months from engagement to close.
Why It Matters Who You Hire
The difference between a good and average sell-side process isn't small. Buyer outreach breadth, competitive tension, deal structure, and timing optimization can collectively move your outcome by hundreds of thousands — or millions — of dollars. Hiring the wrong advisor, or trying to sell your business on your own, is the most expensive mistake a business owner can make.
August Cove charges a success fee of 3–10% of transaction value with a modest retainer. You pay for performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does a sell-side M&A advisor do? A sell-side M&A advisor represents business owners through the full process of selling their company. That includes valuing the business, preparing marketing materials, identifying and approaching buyers, managing due diligence, and negotiating the final transaction. Unlike a business broker, a sell-side M&A advisor runs an institutional-grade process designed to maximize value — not just find a buyer.
Q: How much does it cost to hire an M&A advisor in Alberta? August Cove Capital charges a modest upfront retainer and a success fee of 3–10% of transaction value, depending on deal size. You pay for performance. There are no hourly fees and no charges for unproductive time.
Q: How long does it take to sell a business in Alberta? A well-run sell-side process typically takes 6–12 months from engagement to close. The timeline depends on how prepared the business is when we go to market, buyer interest, and the complexity of due diligence. Early engagement and proper preparation are the best ways to compress the timeline.
Q: What is the difference between a business broker and an M&A advisor? Business brokers typically manage ten or more listings simultaneously, focus on smaller transactions under $3M, and provide limited process management. An M&A advisor like August Cove takes on fewer mandates, invests significantly more time per engagement, runs a structured competitive process, and brings institutional-grade expertise to transactions in the $2M–$20M range.
Q: How do I know what my business is worth? Business value in the lower middle market is primarily driven by a multiple of normalized EBITDA. The multiple depends on your industry, growth profile, customer concentration, owner dependence, and the quality of your financials. August Cove provides confidential valuation opinions for business owners considering a sale.
Q: Do I need to have my financials in order before engaging an advisor? Not necessarily — we can help you get there. That said, having three years of clean, normalized financial statements significantly accelerates the process and strengthens your position with buyers. The earlier you engage us, the more time we have to prepare your business properly before going to market.
Let's Talk
If you're considering selling your business in Alberta or Western Canada, the best time to start the conversation is before you're ready. Early engagement gives us time to prepare your business properly and go to market at the right time.
Email andrew@augustcovecapital.com or fill out the form on our contact page to arrange a confidential, no-obligation conversation.