According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 40 per cent of small and mid-size businesses in Canada will change ownership over the next three

years, rising to seven out of 10 by the year of 2017. When Jey Arul first saw this statistic it struck him that we are now in the initial stages of what is expected to be the greatest wave of business transition in Canadian history. At $5,362,440 (2011 census) strong, baby boomers represent the largest single sustained growth of population in Canadian history and this generation started and grew thousands of successful privately held businesses.

As the baby-boom generation ages (this year the youngest boomers turn 52 and the oldest turn 70), a host of succession problems have reared their heads. One noticeable trend is that the children of baby boomers are less likely to take over the family business, and they face less pressure from their par-ents to do so. Statistics reveal today that only a third of family businesses are successfully transferred to the next generation, and a mere 13 per cent are passed on to the third generation.

Armed with this statistic and his entrepreneurial spirit, Jey Arul launched VR Business Brokers in Edmonton in 2010,

representing the first business brokerage to focus on the sale of small and mid-size businesses in and around Edmonton.

Affiliated with VR, the world’s largest business broker net-work and a member of the International Business Brokers Association and M&A Source, VR Edmonton has a team of six fully trained business brokers from a wide range of profes-sional backgrounds including accounting, banking, real estate and sales. In addition to their business broker certificate, each is also required to complete VR’s initial training program.

In the last five years, VR Edmonton has successfully com-pleted the sale of 75 businesses. Arul credits the success to his team as well as the systematic and methodical five-step pro-cess, from an initial appraisal to confidentially managing all aspects of the transaction to a successful close.

“Buying or selling a business is a big emotional and fi-nancial decision for both buyers and sellers, more so than buying or selling a family home,” says Arul. “The satisfaction of helping business owners retire and move on to the next season of their lives and the excitement of helping buyers secure the opportunity of business ownership is why we do what we do.”

VR Business Sales#203, 5104 - 82 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6B 0E6

780-469-4769 | info@vralta.com | www.vralta.com

We sell businesses... we bring opportunities.