EP327 Rethinking Succession - Why Employee Ownership Might Be your Legacy Move
Release Date: 08/12/2025
EP 329 Strategic Partnerships and Real Estate Insights
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
In this episode of The Cash Rich Exit Podcast, host Colleen O’Connell-Campbell sits down with Ashley Hopkins, President & CEO of Paradigm Commercial Group, and Sarah Vandenbelt, Broker of Record & Founder of Paradigm Commercial Real Estate. Together, they share how their unexpected journeys into real estate led to a powerful partnership under the Paradigm brand. We discuss: The winding career paths that brought them into real estate. Why building strategic partnerships and strong networks is critical in a male-dominated industry. How property management is more than...
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EP328 Intentionality, Identity, and the Exit Journey
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
What happens when your exit strategy is about more than just money? In this episode, host Colleen O’Connell-Campbell talks to April Harbottle, a highly experienced M&A advisor and business transition specialist. April has spent years helping small and mid sized business owners unlock the value of their companies and transition successfully, whether through exits or by scaling with new partnerships. Together, they explore how values, identity, and leadership evolution shape the founder journey - especially when it's time to let go. 🔍 Key Highlights Start with an...
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EP327 Rethinking Succession - Why Employee Ownership Might Be your Legacy Move
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
With over $2 trillion in business assets at stake and 91% of Canadian business owners without a succession plan, we’re facing a real crisis. In this episode, host chats with Charlie Iscoe, whose venture - CommonShares - is flipping the script on business exits. Charlie brings Wall Street investment experience and a mission to keep Canadian businesses local by transitioning ownership to employees. He explains how their model allows retiring owners to receive fair market value while protecting their teams and communities. If you’re a founder who says, “I’ll deal with it...
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EP326 Identity, Reinvention and Entrepreneurial Grit
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
In this candid and energizing episode of ‘The Cash Rich Exit Podcast’, host sits down with author, educator, and tech entrepreneur . From academia to publishing to leading a fast-scaling SaaS platform, Lindy shares her story of transformation and what it really takes to walk away from one professional identity to build another. Together, they dig into what motivates bold career pivots, the value of knowing your numbers (and knowing your worth), and how to preserve optionality - especially as a woman founder in Canada. 🔑 Key Highlights Why letting go of sunk cost...
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EP325 A Scenic Exit - How Peter Deitz Turned an Eight-Year Journey into Shared Prosperity
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
In this episode, host chats with Peter Deitz, social entrepreneur and founder of Canada’s first-ever employee ownership trust (EOT) transition at Grantbook. Peter shares how his scenic, eight-year exit journey created space for new ventures, empowered employees, and protected the company’s B Corp values. The episode is a roadmap for any founder looking to exit with both financial return and community impact. 🔑 Key Highlights The Long Game: Peter’s exit took 8 years - twice the time he spent actively running the business. He stayed in a governance role and planned a...
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EP324 Community Impact and Resilient Legacies Through Employee Ownership
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
In this final segment of a powerful three-part conversation, Colleen O’Connell-Campbell and Jennifer Williams explore the community-level impact of employee ownership for Canadian business owners - beyond the dollars and deal terms. If you're a founder who wants to leave behind more than just a net worth number, this episode offers compelling reasons to consider how your exit plan could strengthen your community, not just your portfolio. Key Highlights 💼 Employee-Owned Companies = Stability During Volatility Data shows these businesses are more likely to retain staff...
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EP323 The Tax-Smart Exit - Why Employee Ownership Trusts Are Gaining Ground
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
In part two of this three-part series, Colleen welcomes back to explore the financial power behind Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). This isn't just a values-based feel-good exit. EOTs now offer significant tax advantages that can rival, and even exceed, traditional business sale routes. From how to qualify for the new $10M lifetime capital gains exemption to why Canada introduced this legislation, Jennifer breaks it all down - plus, the importance of doing it right with guidance from experts. ✨ Key Highlights and Timestamps 🕓 02:35 Why the federal government introduced...
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EP322 The Case for Employee Ownership (Part 1)
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
Host: Colleen O’Connell-Campbell Guest: Jennifer Williams, Founder of Firefly Insights In part one of a three-part series, Colleen sits down with , a passionate advocate for employee ownership and founder of Firefly Insights. This episode explores how business owners can transition their companies to employees - preserving their legacy, values, and community roots - expanding their options beyond the default of private equity or selling to competitors. Jennifer shares why employee ownership is gaining traction in Canada, how it can stabilize businesses post-exit, and why it’s...
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EP321 Employee Ownership could be your Best Exit Strategy
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
👋 at RBC Dominion Securities In this episode, host Colleen O’Connell-Campbell, Wealth Advisor, sits down with , CEO of , and a pioneer in bringing Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) to Canada. Tiara explains how EOTs offer a compelling, tax-efficient option for business owners who want to protect their legacy, empower their employees, and still achieve full value in an exit - without selling to a third party or private equity. Tiara shares how she helped champion Canada's EOT legislation, inspired by robust models in the US and UK, and outlines how Canadian business owners can now...
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EP320 Valuing Digital Assets for a Smarter Exit
The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
Welcome back, Self Made Nation! In this episode, I reconnect with , co-founder of seoplus+, to explore a topic that’s fast becoming essential to business exit strategy: how to identify, measure, and maximize the value of your digital assets. Brock shares how seoplus+ developed a proprietary Digital Asset Valuation program designed to help business owners understand the true value of their online presence - think websites, social media, ad accounts, email lists, and more. Why does it matter? Because overlooking these digital touchpoints can impact your exit multiple...
info_outlineWith over $2 trillion in business assets at stake and 91% of Canadian business owners without a succession plan, we’re facing a real crisis. In this episode, host Colleen O’Connell-Campbell chats with Charlie Iscoe, whose venture - CommonShares - is flipping the script on business exits.
Charlie brings Wall Street investment experience and a mission to keep Canadian businesses local by transitioning ownership to employees. He explains how their model allows retiring owners to receive fair market value while protecting their teams and communities.
If you’re a founder who says, “I’ll deal with it eventually” - this episode is your wake-up call.
🔑 Key Highlights
The succession gap in Canada: 91% of business owners have no plan in place.
The CommonShares model: Founders get paid a fair price, and ownership transitions gradually to employees.
Why it matters: Preserves legacy, protects jobs, and keeps Canadian companies Canadian.
Types of businesses they acquire: Light manufacturing, professional services (architecture, engineering, accounting), property services, etc.
The people factor: How a bench of 100+ operators helps ensure continuity post-exit.
What founders can do now: Start documenting what matters - financial goals, legacy values, level of future involvement.
💬 Fun, Frank Advice from Charlie
“If you’re listening to this, it’s probably because you’ve built something remarkable. So don’t let your exit be an afterthought. Take time. Get it right. This isn’t just a transaction - it’s your legacy.”
Want to explore your own succession plan?
Colleen offers a complimentary 1:1 Wealth Gap Analysis - to bridge the gap between your business success and personal financial freedom.
👉 Connect on LinkedIn - Colleen O’Connell-Campbell - or email to book your session.
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The Cash Rich Exit Podcast is brought to you by O’Connell-Campbell Wealth Management at RBC Dominion Securities.
All opinions expressed by the host, Colleen O’Connell-Campbell, and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of RBC Dominion Securities.
This podcast is for informational purposes only before taking any action based on information in this podcast you should consult with a qualified professional.
Colleen O’Connell-Campbell is a Wealth Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities, a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.