O’Connell-Campbell Wealth Management at RBC Dominion Securities Inc.

11/03/2026

A cash-rich exit is not cash at any cost.
It is a well-designed transition that funds your next chapter and aligns with the story you want to leave behind.
For some founders, that means private equity.
For others, a strategic buyer.
For others, an acquisition entrepreneur.
For others, an employee ownership structure.
For others, family succession.
And for others, holding the business and stepping away from the day-to-day.
There is no single right path.
But there is a right process.
And that process starts with asking yourself: What am I really selling, and who deserves to carry it?
Your buyer is part of your legacy. Choose accordingly. Prepare accordingly. Do not wait until you're too tired to care.

🎧 Listen:
https://apple.co/3WoaRK3
https://bit.ly/4BWINhg

11/03/2026

You don't need to have it all figured out to join an Elevated Conversation.
You need to be building something real. Thinking actively about a decision. Curious about what's possible next.

Through The Cash-Rich Exit Podcast, I've documented one clear pattern: women business owners are creating wealth intentionally. Not inheriting it. Building it.

Elevated Conversations 2027 brings that community together.

Spring through summer. Curated dinners. Your peers.

If this resonates, let me know.

Reply via LinkedIn DM or email [email protected] with "INTERESTED IN ELEVATED CONVERSATIONS" — I'm gathering interest now for rolling registration in January.



Details subject to change until registration launch. Thank you to our guest speakers for contributing to these conversations.

11/02/2026

Real estate strategy. Employee ownership. Building business value. Impact & Legacy.
Which one is on your radar right now?

I started Elevated Conversations in 2018 as intimate dinners. We pivoted online during COVID. Now we're back to the table—because some conversations need to happen face-to-face.

Spring 2027. Curated rooms. Business owners thinking through the decisions that matter.

So far, I am expecting to be joined by Jennifer Miller. Ashley Hopkins. Sarah Vandenbelt. Jennifer Williams. Melissa Houston.

What's keeping you up at night?

Let me know. Reply via LinkedIn DM or email [email protected] with "INTERESTED IN ELEVATED CONVERSATIONS" — I'm gathering interest now for rolling registration in January.



Details subject to change until registration launch. Thank you to our guest speakers for contributing to these conversations.

11/02/2026

Founders are used to volatility:

Revenue swings.
Team changes.
Customer wins and losses.

But your investment portfolio doesn’t have to ride the same emotional roller coaster.

"Tune Out the Noise" reinforces a key point for business owners: you don’t have to time markets or chase the latest theme to be a successful investor. You need a structure that supports both your **business journey** and your **personal goals**.

▶️ Watch the full film:
https://bit.ly/3X23ZSI

If you’re building a company and not quite sure how your investments fit into the bigger picture, send me a note. We can design a strategy that respects both sides of your balance sheet.

Read David Booth's "Stay Calm," a book about embracing uncertainty ...

11/02/2026

Is your team ready?
Employee ownership only works if the people stepping up have been developed to lead. I've watched owners choose that structure and then disappear too quickly—without communicating, without preparing the team.
The structure did not save those businesses.
The problem was never employee ownership. The problem was lack of preparation.
Selling to your employees without preparing them isn't legacy. It's wishful thinking.
The same applies to family succession, management buyouts, strategic acquisitions, private equity—every exit path.
Before you choose your buyer, know whether your team is ready to carry what you've built.

🎧 Listen:
https://apple.co/4yTaOn6
https://bit.ly/4z0BuT5

Suggest a guest who's successfully transitioned ownership to their team. Know an acquisition entrepreneur or employee ownership specialist? Reply here.

Podcast Episode · The Cash Rich Exit Podcast · October 20 · 15m

11/01/2026

Four possibilities for your life after exit:
1. Liquidity — You need the cash upfront to fund what comes next.
2. Freedom — You need to be done, untethered, completely separate.
3. Continued involvement — You want a new role in the business or with the buyer.
4. Emotional closure — You need peace of mind that your legacy is protected.

These are not the same thing. They point to different answers.

Julie Cole needed continued involvement. The right buyer allowed her to move from control to contribution—she stayed as the brand's voice.
Candace Sutcliffe needed emotional closure. She chose the buyer who shared her values and promised to protect her team.
Another founder might need all the cash upfront and complete separation.
The point: intentionality. Know what your next chapter requires. Let that guide your choice of buyer.


🎧 Listen:
https://apple.co/3UAU71F
https://bit.ly/4iTHW8r

10/31/2026

Peter Walker's first act: Parliament Hill.

Second act: A career at one of Canada's Big Five banks. 14 years in corporate leadership.

Third act now: helping business owners avoid the mistakes he watched unfold his whole life.

His insight after decades in public service and banking? When it comes to succession planning, the underlying conversation is the same. Owners haven't been taught how to think about their own exit. So they don't. Until a crisis forces their hand.
His mission now has two halves: normalize the conversation. And grow employee ownership as a real option.

Both require people willing to start the conversation early. Three to five years before you think you'll need to.

If you're building something in this country, your exit is coming. Let's talk about it now, not later.

📖 Read more:
https://bit.ly/47S5GEM

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/47T9u8J

🎧 Listen here:
https://bit.ly/48rBHDK

https://apple.co/3UTDXAB

10/31/2026

Exit planning cannot be left to the final year.

You need time to know your number.

Time to understand your options.

Time to prepare the business so that more than one option is genuinely available to you.

Time to make your values explicit so a buyer can protect what matters rather than guessing at it.

Time to identify who the right buyer universe might be.

Time to build leverage so you're not forced into the wrong deal because you waited too long and ran out of alternatives.

Founders who have done that work get to choose.

Founders who have not get to accept whatever arrives.

And the wrong buyer can change your story. The right buyer can extend it.



🎧 Listen:
https://apple.co/4irqGXQ

https://bit.ly/4k9CfWb

Start the conversation now. Book a Wealth Gap Analysis—let's talk about your timeline and your options.

10/30/2026

Melissa Houston is a CPA and CEPA (Certified Exit Planning Advisor).

According to Melissa ...
"Most business owners don't need another advisor telling them what their business is worth today. They need someone helping them make it worth more tomorrow."

I agree!

While hosting The Cash-Rich Exit Podcast, I've learned: women founders are asking the right questions. About value. About options. About what their business needs to produce for their actual life.

Elevated Conversations 2027 dives into exactly that.

Spring through summer. Real talk. Your peers.

Interested? Reply via LinkedIn DM or email [email protected] with "INTERESTED IN ELEVATED CONVERSATIONS" — I'm gathering interest now for rolling registration in January.



Details subject to change until registration launch. Thank you to our guest speakers for contributing to these conversations.

10/30/2026

Three more variables that decide your exit:

Your timeline. If you need liquidity now—health reasons, family situation, burnout, or simply because you're done—the long payout option may be unworkable regardless of how appealing it sounds. If your timeline is flexible, that patience becomes an asset.

Your risk tolerance. Seller financing and earnouts mean you still have skin in the game after you've handed over control. That's a genuinely different risk profile than cash at closing. Some founders sleep fine with it. Others find it intolerable. There's no wrong answer—but you should know which kind of person you are before you sign.

Your family. Not just financially, though that matters. A spouse who's waited years for you to be present may have strong feelings about an option that keeps you involved for another five. Adult children who work in the business have their own interests. These can be navigated, but not if the first conversation happens after you've already chosen.

Do you know where you stand on each?



🎧 Listen:
https://apple.co/4yVaK6e
https://bit.ly/4zkAs52
Ready to explore these questions with someone who understands the full picture? Let's start a conversation.