Opening : Mon-Fri 10:00 – 18:00

CALL US

Consulting

Business Advisory Services

Achieving your business outcomes and continued growth demands a strategic roadmap and smarter insights. The solutions you implement today will help pave the way for success tomorrow.

To navigate the future with confidence, organizations need to make the right choices: clear, timely and inspirational choices that deliver growth in a dynamic, disrupted world.

We help our clients drive transformational growth by using textured customer insights, actionable segmentation, operating model changes, new and dynamic pricing models, and advanced performance management.

Monitor Mackisen’s growth and customer strategy professionals work with executives, including business leaders and chief marketing officers, to design and deliver customer- and marketing-anchored change and growth in their business. Our services center on four types of customers and marketing transformation: growth and marketing, customer engagement and experience, marketing capability, and pricing.

We focus exclusively on helping private business owners and entrepreneurs take advantage of opportunities and address challenges unique to private companies. We can offer you the hands-on, personalized service of a boutique-style firm coupled with the breadth of service offerings and brand only a global network can provide.

Mackisen advisors can help you identify the financing plan that you need to fuel your growth. We can help you identify early-stage financing options, identify government programs for startups in your sector, and help you connect with potential strategic investors.

Performance improvement (PI) can help you solve the ever more complex challenges and issues that are prevalent as businesses seek to transform themselves in the digital age. We work with you to reimagine or transform your business purpose and model; create growth; manage cost and efficiency; respond to market pressures and regulation; and resolve operational challenges.

We also routinely combine our capabilities with those of our colleagues in risk, tax, transactions and assurance to design offerings that are unique in the market.

You want to grow your business. But you also want to manage your costs. The two are not mutually exclusive. Today’s smart manufacturers are finding new ways to improve performance and manage their cost structures – without sacrificing their potential for growth.

“New technologies – especially intelligent automation on the factory floor and the back office – are allowing manufacturers to achieve unprecedented cost reductions while improving business flexibly. And that is opening up new opportunities for performance enhancement and sustainable growth.”

It’s our job to understand, advise on and solve the complexities involved in the economics and policy of projects, companies, and government policies.

We’re seeing an increase in the number and size of tax audits, assessments and disputes with revenue authorities worldwide. Organizations need to develop coordinated approaches to audits and disputes, adopt preventative measures and use traditional and alternative dispute resolution techniques to better manage their tax audits and document their filing positions up front.

We can help you:

Operating a business without a well-defined strategic plan is like going on a journey without a map or destination. Mackisen consultants, will assist you in uncovering the strengths of your business. By addressing the current key realities, we work together to transform our customers’ traditional strategies and time plans from the present to the ideal. Under current strategies, business leaders can only run their day-to-day operations and may not always interfere with the progress or validity of their business plans. Even if the best strategies for business growth have been implemented, industries, markets and economies are changing. Globalization, innovation and social media technologies are the results of continuously developing business circles.

Financial Planning

Mackisen Financial Advisory delivers insight and advice at every stage of the life cycle. Collaborating to create solutions that help sustain value in mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, forensics, economic advisory, value advisory services, analytics and data applications and modelling.

To adapt to the changing business environment, CFOs are looking at new ways to drive growth and maintain costs through their organization’s business strategy and performance planning and management processes.

Managing business performance in today’s complex and rapidly changing business climate is crucial for any organisation’s short-term and long-term success. Finance organisations must have an edge on business trends and drivers of performance in order to maintain investor confidence and offer insight to top management. We commissioned the above research study because we understand the need for increased value and accuracy from financial planning. It focuses on today’s challenges, but also looks at the practices organisations are deploying to improve financial budgeting and forecasting.

When it comes to benefits and well-being, we recognize that everyone has different needs, and you should be able to access solutions that make sense for you and your family. Recognizing that each of our employees has their own definition of well-being, we provide a Wellness Pool that enables you to allocate dollars to a range of different programs that matter to you.

As a public accounting firm, Mackisen and its partners, employees, third-party contractors and their immediate family members must be independent of Mackisen’s audit clients, including their affiliates, to comply with applicable independence regulations. This includes being personally financially independent of Mackisen’s audit clients, including their affiliates.

We provide a full suite of advisory services, covering finance strategy and vision, operating model and shared services, core finance process redesign, and advanced forecasting and analytics. We bring technology-enabled transformation through integrated performance management solutions (Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Insights, OneStream), and a finance-centric approach to major ERP platform ( Microsoft) implementations.

We can help you stay focused on the future of financial services – one that is stronger, fairer and more sustainable.

Our strength lies in the proven power of our people and technology, and the possibilities that arise when they converge to reframe the future. Our deep sector knowledge combined with a holistic point of view delivers true value from strategy through to implementation. Whether your business challenge is simple or complex, small or large, we can be trusted to deliver solutions that work – today and tomorrow.

We are helping clients build stronger and more sustainable financial services. It’s how we play part in building a better working world.

The need for companies’ financial statements to be audited by an independent external auditor has been a cornerstone of confidence in the world’s financial systems.

The benefit of an audit is that it provides assurance that management has presented a ‘true and fair’ view of a company’s financial performance and position. An audit underpins the trust and obligation of stewardship between those who manage a company and those who own it or otherwise have a need for a ‘true and fair’ view,

the stakeholders.

Given the importance of its role, queries are often raised about the audit, the auditors and the stakeholders they serve. This publication aims to provide useful background information on what a financial statement audit is

and the role of the auditor

We are committed to providing exceptional audits by introducing transformational technologies that have the ability to reshape the audit process and exceed expectations.

By leveraging the power of evolving technologies to deliver quality audits and fresh insights, Mackisen is a leader in driving the future of audit.

At Mackisen, we are committed to bringing integrity and trust to capital markets, and doing the right thing in the public interest to enhance the value provided by our profession. We believe audit is more than an obligation; it is an opportunity to look further and deeper into a business. In our role as independent auditors, we enhance trust in the companies we audit, helping the capital market system function with greater confidence.

Buying a Business

Acquiring an existing business could drive your continued success but it also poses significant risks. You can count on us and our expertise to eliminate those risks. Whether you’re looking to acquire an existing business or conduct a Management buyout (MBO), we’ll provide consultation services to help evaluate the business strengths and weaknesses. We advise you on whether to buy shares or the assets of the business so that you benefit most in the long term.

As you execute your company’s growth strategy through acquisitions you will reach a number of decision points. From identifying target markets and potential targets to running an efficient transaction process and realizing upside or synergy value, we help you confidently navigate the complexities of buying a business, unlocking value at every stage. 

We help identify key risks and rewards throughout the acquisition life cycle – even for the most complex deals. We help you align deals with your strategic business objectives. There are multiple ways to find the right deal to drive your growth agenda.

Whether your goal is to acquire a new product, build your talent pool or create new value for shareholders, we can help. Our technology-enabled deals practice can help identify the right acquisition that complements your business strategy, help you implement a sound deal execution process and capture value throughout the process, maintain compliance and enhance value from integration and potential upside opportunity.

As the world begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is on the rise.

A significant early step for any business considering an acquisition is to look at the accounting treatment. Companies should be aware of the accounting requirements before the transaction takes place so the implications can be considered as the deal is being negotiated.

We provide sector-specific advice on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, debt and equity capital markets. We also advise on corporate strategy. We bring deep industry knowledge to every transaction to support your corporate finance strategies and priorities. We can help you navigate your business issues, capitalize on your transaction opportunities and achieve your strategic objectives.

Bringing organizations together through mergers and acquisitions or carving them out through separations and divestitures are among the most complex business activities an organization can undertake. The transformational results from a successful transaction can be game-changing, while the risks associated with underperformance or failure are sure to keep executives up at night.

Careful tax planning is critical for business success in an unpredictable global economy. Tax planning is also necessary for individuals who face their own challenges owning, managing and preserving businesses and wealth in a complex regulatory environment.

The federal government has announced several loan programs for Canadian businesses. However, there are a number of things you must do with regard to financial reporting to successfully apply for these loans. Financial reporting is also necessary to qualify for any form of credit, whether it’s a new or expansion of an existing line of credit. It’s a best practice for any organization to work with their accounting advisors keep this up to date.

Companies are moving to the next phase of pandemic planning, with one eye on the recovery period and the other on what their business and industry will look like as they emerge from and go beyond the crisis. But the future is a blind spot for many companies. Prior business forecasting methods, based on past customer demand, no longer suffice. Prior assumptions must be challenged and, in some cases, deemed invalid.

Our team of deals business modelling and analytics specialists can help you increase the value of your deals and find practical solutions to complex business problems by providing data-driven insights into your financial, commercial and operational decision-making processes.

Whether you’re considering an acquisition, exploring an investment or looking to improve the performance of an existing business, we can help you accelerate and deepen the analysis. Through dialogue with you, we help define underlying business issues and develop customized, reliable, user-friendly tools offering the insights you need to make informed decisions and deliver even better outcomes.

An effective enterprise contract management program enables organizations to have visibility into their contract population. This visibility can allow companies to react to business problems by promptly locating and analyzing key provisions across their universe of contracts. Not only can companies identify key contracts faster, they can better facilitate the enforcement of their rights, renegotiate contracts and identify areas of lost revenue or stranded costs. It can help companies meet legal and regulatory requirements in a timely manner and help protect them against the risks of non-compliance.

Growing your business

What is value creation? Value creation simply means increasing the value of a business. So when you are ready to transfer your business, you will get the most favourable terms of sale, while ensuring its long term viability.

Some examples of value creation include:

We develop a customized plan to implement and fund your projects. Value creation generally involves a 5-step diagnostic:

One of the criteria for obtaining financing is to have an existing line of credit. We can help you obtain a line of credit and assess your eligibility for any special promotions, such as the Operating Line of Credit Guarantee.

The Line of Credit Guarantee is available to help financial institutions provide their creditworthy clients with the financing they need to remain competitive and continue to grow in challenging economic times. It is aimed at operating lines of credit with authorized limits between $400,000 and 40,000,000.

This solution enables participating financial institutions to increase a client’s operating line of credit (LOC) or in some cases maintain it, by guaranteeing 100% of the incremental portion of the operating LOC.

How to obtain an Operating Line of Credit Guarantee

To be eligible, your business must be commercially viable, have an operating LOC secured by short-term assets (i.e. accounts receivable, inventory) and meet eligibility criteria. We will assess your business eligibility and if it meets the necessary criteria, help you obtain the Line of Credit Guarantee.  

List of Participating Institutions:


Example of guarantee calculation
To increase the operating LOC
Existing LOC
Incremental amount

Total LOC		$400,000
$160,000
_______
$560,000
Guaranteed for your financial institution:
100% x $160,000 = $160,000

MARKETING

Launching a new business or new product? Let Mackisen help you market your business and your products. With our twenty years of experience in diverse industries, we will advise you on the marketing tools that will make your business and your product successful. We will conduct the market analysis, product and segment analysis as well as provide advice on channels of distribution and branding.

Selling a Business

We develop a customized plan to implement and fund your projects. Value creation generally involves a 5-step diagnostic:

Selling a business is a complex process that requires careful planning, preparation, and execution. Here are the general steps you can follow to sell your business:

1. Business Valuation: Determine the value of your business. You might want to consider hiring a professional business appraiser to help you accurately assess its worth.

2. Preparation: Get your financial records and documentation in order. This includes financial statements, tax returns, contracts, leases, licenses, and any other relevant documents that potential buyers might want to review.

3. Confidentiality Agreement: If you’re sharing sensitive information about your business with potential buyers, have them sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to protect your business’s confidential information.

4. Marketing and Finding Buyers:

5. Negotiation: Once potential buyers show interest, engage in negotiations. Be prepared to discuss terms such as price, payment structure, transition period, and any contingencies.

6. Due Diligence: After reaching a preliminary agreement with a buyer, they will conduct due diligence. This involves a thorough review of your business’s financial, legal, operational, and other relevant aspects to verify the information provided.

6. Purchase Agreement: Once due diligence is satisfactory, a purchase agreement is drafted. This legal document outlines the terms and conditions of the sale, including the purchase price, payment terms, assets included, liabilities, warranties, and other relevant details.

7. Legal and Financial Advisors: Both parties should have their legal and financial advisors review the purchase agreement to ensure their interests are protected.

8. Approvals and Permits: Some businesses may require approvals or permits from regulatory bodies or government agencies for the transfer of ownership. Ensure all necessary approvals are obtained.

9. Closing: Once all terms are agreed upon, and any required approvals are secured, the sale can proceed to the closing stage. This is when legal documents are signed, funds are transferred, and ownership officially changes hands.

10. Transition Period: Depending on the nature of the business, you may need to assist the new owner during a transition period to ensure a smooth transfer of operations and knowledge.

11. Notification and Transfer: Notify employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders about the change in ownership. Transfer contracts, licenses, leases, and other pertinent agreements to the new owner.

12. Tax Considerations: Consult with tax professionals to understand the tax implications of the sale and to ensure compliance with tax regulations.

Remember that each business sale can be unique, and the above steps might need to be adapted based on your specific circumstances. It’s highly recommended to seek legal, financial, and professional advice throughout the process to ensure a successful and legally compliant transaction.

Risk Consulting

We provide integrated risk management and regulatory services to the banking and capital markets, insurance, wealth and asset management, and private equity sectors.

The risk and regulatory landscape is evolving and becoming more complex, creating new challenges that organizations must manage in the years ahead. But compliance is no longer just a cost of doing business—it’s now a competitive advantage.

Our risk consulting professionals can help organizations transform risk into enduring competitive advantage while navigating your most complex business issues. Drawing on our deep knowledge and industry insights, we can help you analyze risk, create value and strategically manage outcomes for success. We help align your risk appetite with desired returns while applying a forward-thinking, global mindset to corporate strategy and culture.

With risk management occupying so much of the corporate agenda, our practical ideas and informed risk perspectives, tailored to each organization’s circumstances, support the transformative strategies and capabilities required for sustainable change and consistent high performance.

Mackisen’s Financial Risk Management (FRM) professionals help companies manage complex market, regulatory, operational and credit risks by shaping their risk and business strategies to effectively mitigate or take advantage of such exposures and enhance their compliance stance.

Backed by deep industry knowledge, our team works with organizations to strengthen their governance and operating models, positioning them to effectively achieve their risk management objectives. Mackisen’s FRM professionals help organizations by addressing complex challenges, creating and protecting sustainable business value and transforming risk into a strategic advantage.

We are a team of problem solvers that help clients to be more efficient and establish innovative financial risk management culture, dealing with the array of risks which they encounter, such as credit, market, operational, liquidity risk and management of its economic capital.

We provide a full cycle of solutions set covering financial modelling, financial instruments valuation, treasury, funding and capital across all industries.

Mackisen Cyber Security helps you with tailored solutions for cyber security and data protection. From determining the appropriate levels of acceptable risk to aligning your information protection agenda with your business and compliance priorities to building enterprise-wide security strategies to help move your organization from reacting in crisis mode to having proactive, value-added business solutions, we help you carry security throughout your entire organization.

Strong risk and resilience capabilities can be the difference between those that thrive and those that fight to survive. Augmenting your ability to manage risk in an increasingly complex environment will provide you with a strategic advantage and better position you to respond to disruption in a seamless, coordinated and efficient manner.

Enterprise Risk Management is the overall management of the risks that an organization takes to achieve its strategic objectives.

Rising demand from unexpected sources. Business model threats from upstarts in new sectors. A shifting geopolitical landscape. The new breed of connected information systems. Natural disasters, critical events, and more. Strategic risks have the potential to disrupt business strategy. But—if you can disrupt rather than be disrupted—there are tremendous opportunities to seize competitive advantages.

Drawing on in-depth industry experience, macro trends, horizon-scanning techniques, and advanced risk sensing tools for identifying and tracking the weak signals of change, we can help your organization discover, interpret, prepare, and capitalize on strategic risks.

Mackisen works every day with clients in every industry to help them address their regulatory issues and obligations. We have a deep pool of talented advisors – many of whom are former regulators themselves – who can help you identify, meet and maintain your regulatory responsibilities.

Loans & Finance

Whether you’re looking to upgrade or replace your equipment, expand or purchase new space or obtain working capital for growth, we’re here to help you find financing for your project.

We will help your company grow and ensure your project realisation – together we can find the ideal way of finance-raising for the development of your organisation or the realisation of your capital project

Our team can help you:

There are many benefits to working with our Corporate Finance professionals, including:

Trusted advice from experienced corporate growth professionals

If keeping your competitive edge means investing in new equipment, our solutions may be just the right fit to boost your productivity and increase your success. If you are planning to buy equipment for your new business or to modernize your existing business, we will advise you on obtaining the financial assistance.

Purchasing equipment requires a large investment and we want to help you find the best financing options available. Whether you require production line machinery and equipment, specialized technulogy or commercial vehicles used to transport goods, we can help you obtain up to 100% of the cost.  Some financing options we can help you obtain include:

These financing options will help you reduce risk and free up cash flow while you start to generate a return on the new equipment.

Are you planning to buy real estate to start your new business or just outgrowing your current facilities and need to expand? Whether it’s for the purchase of land and building, construction of new premises or expansion of existing premises we can help you find financing as well as ways to maximize your investment.

We can help you obtain term financing to fund your acquisition project from start to finish. Flexible repayment schedules may allow you to defer principal payments until after you’ve moved into your new building

Depending on your situation, we can help you obtain financing with distinct advantages:

Forensic Accounting & Litigation Support

Successful organizations depend on their reputation for keeping promises, respecting laws and behaving ethically to maintain stakeholder trust. MACKISEN Forensic & Integrity Services professionals help organizations protect and restore enterprise and financial reputation. We assist companies and their legal counsel to investigate facts, resolve disputes and manage regulatory challenges. We put integrity at the heart of compliance programs to help better manage ethical and reputational risks.

Forensic investigations, disputes and regulatory compliance of today demand a practice that’s invested in tomorrow. For MACKISEN, that means making significant investments in a Canada-wide Forensic and Dispute Advisory team driven by cutting-edge technologies, battle-tested partners, and foresight for identifying what’s around the corner.

With a truly integrated network of forensic and investigative professionals, our team can ensure that the best partners and resources are deployed for the job regardless of where our clients call home.

Disputes are an inevitable byproduct of doing business that have an impact on businesses and individuals. The volume and complexity of regulations, coupled with the growing costs of resolving disputes, uncertainty of outcomes, and lengthy proceedings are all litigation-related challenges facing organizations today.

Financial Reorganization & Insolvency

Most businesses will face financial challenges during their lifetime. Unfortunately for some, such challenges will force them to resort to financial reorganization and insolvency.  At Mackisen, we have the professionals that will guide you through these complex processes. Before undertaking a financial reorganization or insolvency, our experts will first consider creative rescue solutions to the financial challenges facing your enterprise. Mackisen works with several trustees to file a bankruptcy. We will be there on an ongoing basis to provide all your financial  information to the trustee and answer any questions that arise. Currently, we work with the law firm Kornish & Associates for any bankruptcy and reorganization needs. Our professionals are always there to offer advice and solutions that take into account our clients` priorities while meeting applicable laws relating to:

R&D Refundable Tax Credit

Aiming to encourage innovation, the Canadian government is offering generous incentives to businesses. We can identify the tax credits that apply to a company’s projects, help it meet the program requirements and file the necessary reports. Eligible industries include: film production, industrial design, fashion design, and others.

You may be eligible if you are:

Our SR&ED team will assist you in:

Claims Valuation & Litigation Support

We collaborate with several tax and business law firms to provide support in the following areas:

Our forensic accounting group is skilled in preparing expert reports for court and acting as expert witnesses in the event of litigation. Our experience allows us to identify, analyze and evaluate both financial and non-financial information with regards to the following services:

Savings & Pension Plans

Retirement savings plans are used by plan members to accumulate tax-sheltered savings in order to receive income during retirement. The money is usually invested in various vehicles such as mutual funds including stocks and bonds of Canadian or foreign companies.

An RRSP is a retirement savings plan that you establish, that we register, and to which you or your spouse or common-law partner contribute. Deductible RRSP contributions can be used to reduce your tax.

Any income you earn in the RRSP is usually exempt from tax as long as the funds remain in the plan; you generally have to pay tax when you receive payments from the plan.

The Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) program began in 2009. It is a way for individuals who are 18 and older and who have a valid social insurance number (SIN) to set money aside tax-free throughout their lifetime. Contributions to a TFSA are not deductible for income tax purposes. Any amount contributed as well as any income earned in the account (for example, investment income and capital gains) is generally tax-free, even when it is withdrawn.  Administrative or other fees in relation to TFSA and any interest or money borrowed to contribute to a TFSA are not tax deductible.

A registered education savings plan (RESP) is a contract between an individual (the subscriber) and a person or organization (the promoter).

Under the contract, the subscriber names one or more beneficiaries (the future student(s)) and agrees to make contributions for them, and the promoter agrees to pay educational assistance payments (EAPs) to the beneficiaries.

Family plans are the only RESP that allow subscribers to name more than one beneficiary. Each beneficiary must be connected by blood relationship or adoption to each living subscriber or have been so tied to a deceased original subscriber.

A registered disability savings plan (RDSP) is a savings plan intended to help parents and others save for the long term financial security of a person who is eligible for the disability tax credit (DTC).

Contributions to an RDSP are not tax deductible and can be made until the end of the year in which the beneficiary turns 59. Contributions that are withdrawn are not included as income to the beneficiary when paid out of an RDSP. However, the Canada disability savings grant (grant), the Canada disability savings bond (bond), investment income earned in the plan, and the proceeds from rollovers are included in the beneficiary’s income for tax purposes when paid out of the RDSP.

RDSPs will be subject to anti-avoidance rules similar to the rules already in place for registered retirement income funds (RRIFs), registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), and tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs). The change will be effective for RDSP transactions after March 22, 2017. The previous RDSP anti-avoidance rules will continue to apply for RDSP transactions undertaken prior to March 23, 2017.

Under the new RDSP anti-avoidance rules, RDSPs will continue to be subject to a tax on non-qualified advantages, as well as a more comprehensive tax on advantages and a new tax on prohibited investments.

A PRPP is a retirement savings option for individuals, including self-employed individuals.

A PRPP enables its members to benefit from lower administration costs that result from participating in a large, pooled pension plan. It’s also portable, so it moves with its members from job to job.

Since the investment options within a PRPP are similar to those for other registered pension plans, its members can benefit from greater flexibility in managing their savings and meeting their retirement objectives.

A first home savings account (FHSA) is a registered plan allowing you, as a prospective first-time home buyer, to save for your first home tax-free (up to certain limits). You can open an FHSA starting April 1, 2023.

Other consulting services: