Formerly Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation, we’ve got a new name and look!
BizLink, delivered by Community Futures offices across Western Ontario, is a confidential guided marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of businesses while providing wraparound support from trusted local professionals.
All for FREE
A Path Forward for Business Owners and Future Buyers
What is BizLink?
BizLink is more than an online marketplace. It is a confidential, full-service business transition program designed to support people through one of the most significant decisions of their working lives.
At its core, BizLink provides a secure virtual space where business owners can list their businesses for sale – either openly or anonymously – and where buyers can explore real, local opportunities to realize their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. But what truly sets BizLink apart is the hands-on, personal services that clients receive when they use the marketplace.
Whether you are considering selling a business you’ve built or stepping into ownership for the first time, BizLink offers personalized guidance, practical tools, professional referrals when needed, and clear next steps. From early conversations and readiness-planning to thoughtful matching and referrals to professional advisors, we help turn uncertainty into clarity.
Delivered locally by Community Futures Lambton, and offered across Western Ontario through the Community Futures network, BizLink combines trusted local expertise with technology that helps make a complex and often emotional transition feel manageable, informed, and achievable.
Why BizLink?
Across Canada, business transition is no longer a future issue. It is a present reality. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reports that 60% of business owners are now over the age of 50, and that 76% of Canada’s small and medium-sized businesses plan to exit within the next ten years. Yet only 1 in 10 owners have a formal succession plan. This puts hundreds of thousands of businesses, and trillions of dollars in economic value, at risk of disappearing rather than continuing.
When a local business closes, the impact reaches far beyond the owner. CFIB research shows that 66 cents of every dollar spent at a Canadian small business stays in the community, supporting jobs, services, and local infrastructure. Keeping businesses in operation is not just for good owners. It is vital for the health of our communities.
There is also a strong case for buying instead of starting. Canadian data shows that acquired businesses are more likely to survive than startups. Roughly 8 in 10 purchased businesses are still operating two years after transition, compared to 7 in 10 new startups. Existing customers, systems, staff, and cash flow give buyers a more stable foundation from day one.
BizLink helps keep legacy businesses – upon which our communities and local economies depend – in local hands and on Main Streets in our Sarnia-Lambton communities. It provides confidential pathways for owners planning their next chapter and for buyers looking for a supported entry into business ownership. By combining a proven online marketplace with local coaching and professional support, BizLink makes business transition easier by helping protect jobs and strengthening our local economy.
Keeping Local Businesses Alive, One Transition at a Time
Who is BizLink For?
Honouring What You've Built. Supporting What Comes Next.
For Business Owners
You don’t need to be “ready” to start planning. BizLink supports business and farm owners at any stage of ownership. Whether you are years away from transition, actively planning an exit, beginning to think about what the future could look like, or considering selling a strong and successful business while it is at its peak, BizLink is here to help.
We understand that stepping back from a business you have built is both a practical and deeply personal decision. For some, it is about retirement or success. For others, it is about timing, momentum, and choosing a new chapter while the business is thriving. BizLink provides a confidential and supportive environment where you can explore your options and move forward on your terms.
BizLink can help you with:
- Succession Planning: clarify your goals, timing, and priorities, and explore what succession could look like, including internal successors or leadership pathways.
- Building Business Value: identify opportunities to strengthen your operations, reduce owner dependency, and increase the long-term value of your business value, whether you plan to hold, grow, or sell.
- Selling Your Business: prepare for transition and connect with potential buyers through a guided and confidential marketplace, including strategic, or next generation buyers.
- Transition and Future Planning: create a clear, step-by-step plan aligned with your personal timeline, from growth-to-sale strategies to phased exits and creative transitions or wealth-transfer options
- Wraparound Support: access to one-on-one coaching and referrals to trusted professionals such as valuators, lawyers, and accountants.
BizLink is ideal for owners are thinking about “someday”, planning for change, ready for a new adventure, navigating family or internal succession, or wanting to protect their team and the value they have built. Wherever you are in your journey, BizLink helps you move forward with clarity, confidence, and support.
For Future Owners
Buying an existing business or farm can be one of the fastest and most effective ways to become an entrepreneur. It gives you established customers, proven systems, and a track record that startups often lack, providing a strong foundation for long-term success. BizLink helps you explore opportunities, understand your readiness, and move forward with confidence.
BizLink can help you with:
- Exploring Ownership Options: understand what buying a business involves, the questions to ask, and how it differs from starting from scratch.
- Assessing Your Readiness: work with a BizLink Coach to assess your skills, resources, goals and timing, so you know whether you’re ready or what to focus on first.
- Opportunities and Matching: access to a guided, confidential marketplace that connects you with sellers whose businesses and values align with your goals.
- Wraparound Support and Guidance: through coaching, planning support, marketing guidance, and access to financing options, we help you move from from uncertainty to a clear and confident path forward.
BizLink is ideal for anyone exploring their first step into ownership, seeking a new entrepreneurial adventure, taking over a family business, or growing through acquisition. Wherever you are in your journey, BizLink helps you move forward with clarity, confidence, and support.
A Supported Path Into Ownership
