What if buying a business was more achievable than you think?
As more Canadian business owners prepare to retire, someone needs to step in and buy the companies they've spent decades building. But how do those deals actually get done?
Dustin Serviss sits down with Erin Sisko, who spent 10 years at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) helping entrepreneurs finance growth before becoming a business owner and investor herself.
Erin shares what happened when she bought her first business, why her next acquisition proved much harder to finance, and how buyers can use bank lending, seller financing and private capital to put deals together.
They also explore why Erin's appetite for risk has actually increased with age, the value of a strong operating partner, and how owning businesses can create wealth without necessarily running them day to day.
It's a conversation about business ownership, money, confidence and recognizing opportunities that might be closer than you think.
- How much money do you need to buy a business in Canada?
- Can a seller help finance the purchase of their business?
- How do you buy a business without running it yourself?
- How does BDC financing work for business acquisitions?
- Is buying an existing business better than starting one?
- How do you find an operating partner for a small business?
Connect with Erin Sisko
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-sisko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elle.iance/
The Elleiance Network: https://www.elleiance.ca/
More from Erin: https://linktr.ee/erinsisko
Further Reading
BDC (2026): Historic $300-Billion Wave of Business Acquisitions Set to Reshape Canada's Economy
As thousands of Canadian business owners prepare to retire, who will buy their companies? This BDC research explores the scale of the opportunity and why business acquisitions could play an important role in Canada's economic future.
