Catchfire

About Us

Catchfire “Navigating the Complexities of Business Transition”

Since its inception in 2015, Catchfire has been dedicated to supporting business owners through unique and first-time challenges. Founded by Gary Brownstone, a seasoned expert in business growth, restructuring, and turnaround, Catchfire emerged to fill a crucial gap in the market for comprehensive merger and acquisition (“M&A”) services.

Gary identified the pressing need for robust succession planning among business owners, recognizing that selling a business is one of the most significant and intricate transactions of their careers. With experience in facilitating business sales, Gary established Catchfire to offer end to end M&A services, guiding clients through every stage of the M&A journey.

Upon analyzing the sector, Gary observed a lack of options available to business owners and entrepreneurs that provided full service but without a high fixed cost component. The choices were “do-it-yourself”, minimal-service brokers, or large accounting firms with high fixed-cost fee schedules. This highlighted the need for a full-service firm that could expertly navigate business owners through the unfamiliar terrain of selling their enterprises, and with a fee structure that strongly aligned the interests of the client and the service provider. Catchfire was created to fill the gap.

Approaching its 10th anniversary, Catchfire has successfully fulfilled this need and has executed multiple transactions while continually expanding its services to better prepare business owners for the sale process and ultimately one of the most significant transactions of their lives.

In 2023, Derek Penner, a long-term collaborator with Catchfire, joined as Partner. Derek’s profound understanding of our clients’ needs brings a wealth of expertise and a shared vision for the future. His partnership amplifies our capacity to support the continued growth of our company and enhances our ability to broaden our service offerings. Derek’s strategic insights and commitment to excellence position Catchfire to deliver even greater value to our clients, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the M&A advisory sector.

Today, Catchfire stands as a leading full-service M&A advisory firm, dedicated to serving owner-operators in Canada and beyond, and committed to guiding business owners through one of the most pivotal moments of their careers with expertise and personalized support.

WHAT WE DO

Everything we do is geared toward maximizing the value of businesses. Catchfire is a Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory firm that offers a range of services to business owners including:

Succession Planning
• Preparing businesses & owners for sale
• Identifying and qualifying prospective buyers
• Negotiating Letters of Intent and Purchase Agreements
• Leading the Due Diligence Process
• Coordinating other professional advisors to ensure optimal outcomes

Growth Planning
• Developing and implementing growth