Growth-Stage Founder Financial Planning · Kelowna, BC
The company is scaling. And now is when you’re most at risk. It has a name.
Don't wait for the exit. Build your personal balance sheet now.
Start here
Three checks, before anything else:
Is your income flowing through a holding company? If not, that's the first structural gap, corporate-rate compounding versus personal-rate drag adds up fast over a scaling period.
Is there any liquidity event on the horizon, even a vague one? Purification, cleaning passive assets out of the operating company to preserve your LCGE eligibility, takes 24 months. Start the clock now, not when a term sheet appears.
Stop treating your personal plan as "later." It needs to run parallel to the business plan, not after it.
Not ready to talk to anyone yet?
That's normal, especially mid-scale when every hour is already spoken for.
Georgia is my private intake specialist. Lay out where the business is at, what's coming, and what's been deferred, before any human conversation, and before your name is attached to anything. Your data stays in Canada. Nothing is saved unless you choose to take a next step.
When you're ready, she'll point you to the right next step, a free Clarity Call with me, or straight to the Sovereignty Survey if you already know you want to move.
The Problem Nobody Names
The Founder Wealth Gap Is Real. It Has a Name.
For a growth-stage founder, The Noise disguises itself as focus: every advisor tells you to stay in your lane and build the business. But the personal decisions you defer compound in the wrong direction. Your company may be worth millions on paper, and paper wealth doesn't fund a mortgage or give you the option to walk away from a bad deal. A holdco lets you receive income from the operating company at corporate tax rates and compound it separately, most founders with the income to justify one aren't using it. And the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (up to $1,275,000 in 2026) requires your company to pass the business property test at the time of sale, passive assets accumulated in the operating company can fail that test, and purification has to be planned 24 months out, not the day before the deal.
Two Different Jobs
Your Lawyer and Accountant Run the Business. I Build What Runs Beside It.
Your Lawyer & Accountant's Job
Your corporate lawyer manages the cap table and term sheets. Your accountant handles corporate tax and compliance. Neither is paid to think about what's happening to your personal balance sheet while the business scales.
My Job
I work in the gap: holdco strategy, personal implications of your cap table and term sheet, LCGE qualification runway, and a personal plan that gives you optionality whether the exit is two years out or ten. The planning and system design are one flat fee, so the advice stays focused on your actual position, not on how fast capital moves. Where implementation later involves products with built-in commissions or asset-based fees, those are disclosed separately, in advance.
“My accountant was brilliant at running the business. My lawyer was brilliant at protecting it. Nobody was looking at what was happening to my personal finances while I was scaling. Rolf built a structure that ran beside the company, so when the exit came, I was actually ready for it.”
Growth-Stage Founder, Kelowna, BC
How this works
Now, while scaling
1. The Sovereignty Survey
We map your personal balance sheet alongside the business: holdco structuring, personal income strategy, LCGE assessment, secondary liquidity planning if the opportunity arises. You leave with a Stabilization Map, an Immediate Risk Scan, and a 30-Day Action Framework.
18–36 months before exit
2. The Pre-Exit Window
The planning that can't happen after a deal is announced: purification strategy, LCGE preservation, secondary sale structuring, shareholder agreement review with a personal lens, and the first draft of your Sovereignty Charter.
Post-transaction
3. The Integration
You step into the full Sovereignty Operating System™: the Charter, the Storehouses, the Vineyard, built to ensure the exit produces lasting wealth, not a lump sum that erodes in 18 months.
What Founders Ask Before They Ask Anyone Else
What financial planning does a growth-stage founder actually need?
Four areas your accountant and lawyer aren't focused on: personal financial planning parallel to the business, secondary liquidity structuring, holdco strategy to avoid personal tax drag, and exit preparation starting 24–36 months out.
How do growth-stage founders take money off the table in Canada?
Usually a secondary sale, selling a portion of personal equity to an incoming investor during a funding round. Tax treatment depends on share structure, holding period, and LCGE eligibility.
What is a holdco and should a founder use one?
A holding company lets you receive income from your operating company at corporate tax rates and compound it separately, invested in a diversified portfolio. Whether it makes sense depends on income, time horizon, and exit plan.
How does a term sheet affect my personal finances?
Through liquidation preference, anti-dilution provisions, and drag-along rights. Accepting unfavourable terms early can mean a strong exit produces minimal personal proceeds.
When should a growth-stage founder start exit planning?
24 to 36 months before any anticipated transaction, enough time for purification, secondary liquidity planning, holdco structuring, and personal runway preparation.
Ready to go further
Most founders start with a free Clarity Call, 15 minutes with me, no pitch. If you already know you're ready to build the structure, you can start directly with the Sovereignty Survey, a structured process that culminates in a 90-minute working session, and leaves you with a Stabilization Map, an Immediate Risk Scan, and a 30-Day Action Framework.