Initial conversation
30 minutes, confidential, no fee. We look at your situation, your goals and a realistic horizon.
Week 1
Montreal · Canada · International
Advisory firm for selling and transferring businesses.
Cardinal M&A helps SMB owners get clarity on value, timing and available options — long before a transaction is even on the table.
Powered by the largest M&A ecosystem and a leading AI platform.
3,000
M&A Club members
250+
partner firms
Premium
certified Optionality partner
1
transaction that truly matters
Approach
Human expertise, augmented by AI.
We combine senior advisory expertise, deep transaction experience, access to the largest M&A ecosystem and AI-powered analysis.
- —Senior M&A judgment
- —International experience
- —Proven preparation and execution frameworks
- —Continuous AI-powered analysis
What it means for you
- 01Better preparation, faster
- 02Better-informed decisions
- 03Less friction throughout the process
- 04Fewer surprises at the finish line
Is now the right time?
Six situations where a conversation is worth it.
If even one sounds like you, it's already time to talk. Most owners call us a year too late.
Check my situation01
You're getting approached by buyers and can't tell whether they're serious.
02
You're targeting an exit in 2 to 5 years and want to know what to fix now.
03
More than 70% of your net worth is tied up in the business.
04
Family or internal succession is uncertain.
05
A partner wants out, or you're considering buying their stake.
06
You simply want to know what the business is worth, without starting anything.
Who you'll work with
Eric Cardinal, your single point of contact — from first coffee to closing.
You'll never be handed off to a junior team. Eric sits down with you, listens to your company's story and tells you straight where you stand — even when the answer is "not yet". Hundreds of conversations with SMB owners have taught him one thing: selling a business is first and foremost a human decision.
Eric Cardinal
Founder · Executive, M&A Club · VP Executive Committee, HKCBA
“My job is to give it to you straight, before you have to decide anything at all.”
Eric Cardinal
The journey, no grey zones
You always know where you stand, what's coming next and what's left to decide. You can stop at any stage.
Diagnostic and valuation
A value range backed by comparables, plus the risks that pull the price down and the levers that push it up.
Weeks 2 to 4
Preparation
Normalized financials, reduced owner dependence, documentation ready for due diligence. This is where value is created.
3 to 12 months
Confidential go-to-market
Qualified buyers approached anonymously. Your employees, clients and suppliers learn nothing.
3 to 6 months
Negotiation and closing
Letters of intent compared on structure, not just price. Support all the way to cash and transition.
3 to 6 months
Complete confidentiality
Blind profile, agreements signed before anything is disclosed. Your employees find out when you decide.
Clear fees
Structure explained in writing at the first meeting. No fee for the initial conversation.
No pressure
If waiting is the right call, we'll say so. You leave with a plan, even without a mandate.
Three ways to work together
Each can be used on its own. Together, they create real leverage.
The M&A Club
Access to the Canadian and international transaction ecosystem.
Eric Cardinal is an executive within the M&A Club, a network of nearly 3,000 members and more than 250 firms across Canada and internationally. Direct access to trusted buyers, advisors and specialists, when it matters.
- 3,000 members
- 250+ firms
- Canada & international
Advisory services
Execution, when it matters most.
Senior-led support for entrepreneurs who want to prepare and execute with confidence.
- Transfer planning
- Sell-side and buy-side M&A
- Capital structuring
- Fractional CFO
Optionality
The AI platform dedicated to business transfer and sale.
Cardinal M&A is a certified Premium partner and authorized distributor of the Optionality platform. Every mandate starts here, and the platform becomes the system of record throughout the journey.
- Valuation and benchmarks
- Buyer mapping
- Goals and horizon
- Exit roadmap
The questions owners actually ask
Real answers, before you even speak with us.
What is my business worth?
Nobody can answer that seriously in one sentence. Value depends on normalized profitability, revenue recurrence, dependence on you and the type of buyer. The diagnostic sets a realistic range backed by comparable transactions — not a showroom number.
How long does it take to sell an SMB?
Usually 9 to 18 months from decision to cash, longer if preparation is still to be done. Owners who start 2 to 3 years ahead almost always get better terms.
Will my employees and clients find out?
No. The process is confidential from start to finish: blind profile, NDAs signed before any disclosure, buyers qualified one at a time. The announcement happens when you choose.
How are you compensated?
The fee structure is explained in writing at the first meeting: no fee for the initial conversation, preparation mandates with defined scope and price, and success fees tied to closing. No surprise invoices.
What if it isn't the right time to sell?
We'll tell you. In many cases the best recommendation is to wait 12 to 24 months and fix two or three things in the meantime. You leave with a plan, even without a mandate.
Is my business big enough?
We work with established, profitable SMBs, generally between $2M and $50M in revenue, in food, aerospace, CNC machining, transportation, manufacturing, business services, distribution, construction and technology. If in doubt, just ask.
Eric Cardinal
Founder · Executive, M&A Club · VP Executive Committee, HKCBA
Based in Montreal
Contact
Let's talk about the most important transaction of your life.
A first 30-minute conversation, no obligation and fully confidential. You leave with answers, not a proposal.
- Phone
- 514 824 0162
- eric@cardinalma.ca
- Office
- 1117 Rue Sainte-Catherine O, Montreal