We advise business owners through one of the most defining moments of their lives - the question of whether to hold, transition, or sell their business.
Position Your Business And Yourself For What’s Next
The decision touches on everything they’ve built, everything they’ve sacrificed, and everything they hope comes next.
Our role is to bring clarity and confidence, so owners can move forward with intention.
What We Do
We advise owners of small, mid-sized, and large enterprises across a wide range of industries—focusing on three interconnected priorities:
Strengthening and maximizing the value of the business
Ensuring the owner is financially prepared for what comes next
Helping the owner prepare for life beyond the business
The most successful outcomes are not measured by price alone, but by alignment—when business, financial, and personal goals come together.
How We Work
Our approach brings structure to complexity.
We begin by assessing business attractiveness and readiness for transition; and the owner’s personal and financial preparedness. These insights are translated into a preliminary valuation of the business and identification of any value gaps and misalignment with personal objectives.
From this, we advise on development and execution of clear, prioritized action plans.
We collaborate closely with the owner’s trusted advisors—management teams, financial planners, investment advisors, M&A professionals, and tax and estate specialists—to ensure alignment and forward momentum.
What Set Us Apart
Integrated perspective: we connect business value, personal wealth, and life beyond the business as one integrated strategy.
Transformation mindset: we view exits not as transactions, but as transformations.
Execution Leadership: deep experience leading multi-disciplinary teams with a focus on clarity, alignment, accountability, momentum and execution.
Let's Work Together
Ready to accelerate your growth?
Schedule a complimentary consultation to explore how our solutions can fit your objectives and budget. We’ll outline next steps and ensure you have all the information needed to make an informed decision.
Catherine Ouellette
Founder, Encompass Valuation Advisors
Catherine advises business owners on one of the most important decisions of their lives - whether to retain, transition, or sell their business. Her approach is grounded in three equally critical pillars: optimizing business value, preparing the owner’s personal financial readiness, and designing a purposeful life after business. All three come together in a single integrated plan – not in isolation.
As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA), Catherine is uniquely trained to navigate the often complex and interconnected dynamics between the business, the owner, their family, and their trusted advisors. Each engagement is approached with technical rigor and an understanding that decisions carry financial, emotional, and generational implications.
Catherine has deep experience working with multinational public companies across North America and Europe, privately held businesses, and ultra high net worth families. She is known for leading multi-disciplinary teams - delivering tailored, multi-dimensional solutions across business and financial capital, and human and social capital.
In addition to her CEPA and FEA accreditations, she holds a BA in Economics from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from Niagara University. Catherine currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Oakville Art Society and is a member of the Exit Planning Institute, Family Enterprise Canada, and the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Based in Oakville, Catherine lives with her husband and their two poodles. Outside of her advisory work, she is an active artist specializing in oil painting, and she enjoys travel, Pilates, yoga, tennis, and renovating.