The Business Growth Forum
Practical Strategies for Growing Your Business in Uncertain Times
Clear direction to help you move beyond your current revenue ceiling with confidence, clarity, and control.
Date
April 28, 2026
Time
8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Venue
S³PACE Event Venue
North York
Brought to You By:
KEYNOTE
Growth begins with mindset.
Our keynote speaker, Dr. Ashwin Patel, will explore how leaders can cultivate a high-performance, growth-oriented mindset across their organization — the foundation for scaling successfully. Drawing on principles used with elite athletes and top-performing teams, this session will challenge how you think about ambition, resilience, and what’s truly possible for your business.
A Must-Attend Forum for Leaders Ready to Break Through Their Growth Ceiling.
Why Attend
If you’ve built a successful business but feel stuck at your current level of growth, this one-day summit is designed for you.
Many entrepreneurs plateau at key revenue milestones — be it $2M, $5M, $10M, or $20M —
not because of lack of effort, but because the strategies that got them to this point won’t necessarily get them to the next level.
This practical, peer-informed conference brings together growth experts and real-world approaches to help you break through that ceiling.
You’ll leave with actionable ideas, new perspectives, and tools you can apply immediately to
scale and grow more confidently, sustainably, and strategically.
Growth Starts with Mindset
Reframe how you think about scaling your business and gain clarity on what’s truly holding you back from growing.
Growth Requires Systems
Strengthen the processes, structures, and operating systems that make growth repeatable across sales, marketing, and operations.
Growth Uses the Right Levers
Our experts will cover go-to-market foundations, building scalable growth strategies, reaching the right decision-makers in the sales process, and leveraging strategic M&A, regardless of company size.
Growth You Can Act On
Take home practical guides and playbooks that you can apply immediately to move your business forward.
Who Should Attend
The Business Growth Forum is designed for leaders of small to mid-sized businesses who are ambitious about growth —
whether you are aiming to scale organically, expand through acquisition, or build a more scalable, resilient organization.
If your business has hit a revenue ceiling or your growth is slower than you would like,
this event will provide valuable insights, peer learning, and expert guidance to help you move forward to the next level.
Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
Founders of Tech & Non-Tech SMEs
Growth-Focused Leaders & Decision Makers
C-Suite Executives
Meet Our Speakers
Expert practitioners with real-world experience
Keynote Speaker
Mental Performance Consultant | Professor | Executive Board Member, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Dr. Ashwin Patel is a highly respected mental performance consultant, educator, and speaker who specializes in helping individuals and organizations unlock their full potential through mindset and performance psychology. He holds a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Tennessee and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC).
With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Patel has worked with elite athletes, professional teams, and corporate leaders to strengthen resilience, leadership, and performance under pressure. His work spans amateur, professional, and Olympic-level athletes, as well as business professionals seeking to apply high-performance principles to leadership and organizational growth.
In addition to his consulting work, Dr. Patel is a Professor and Program Coordinator at Humber College and serves on the Executive Board of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, one of the leading global organizations in the field. His expertise focuses on helping leaders and teams develop the mindset, habits, and culture required to perform consistently at the highest level.
Session Speakers
Scott Syrja
Executive Financial Consultant
With over two decades of experience in the financial services industry, Scott Syrja CFP®, RIS®, CIM®, RRC®, CPCA®, MFA-P has become a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs, executives, and high-net-worth individuals navigating complex financial landscapes. Scott brings a rare depth of expertise in wealth management, risk mitigation, and strategic financial planning.
Scott is known for his ability to translate intricate financial concepts into clear, actionable strategies that empower clients to make confident decisions – especially during pivotal moments like business transitions and succession planning. His approach is deeply personalized, focusing on preserving and growing wealth across generations while aligning financial plans with each client’s unique goals and values.
At Syrja & Associates Private Wealth Management, Scott leads a team dedicated to helping business owners build resilient financial foundations, prepare for successful exits, and seize new opportunities with clarity and confidence. His insights have shaped the financial futures of countless clients and earned him recognition as a thought leader in the industry.
Terry Mocherniak
Managing Director
Apex Capital Advisors
Terry Mocherniak is the founder and Managing Director of Apex Capital Advisors. Apex is a Toronto based boutique M & A advisory firm specializing in working with small to mid-sized companies in the B2B business service, industrial and technology sectors.
Terry has over 25 years’ experience in the technology and business service sectors and is a serial entrepreneur having founded and grown several businesses with two successful exits including one to global giant Siemens. He has extensive M & A, venture capital and corporate transaction experience having been directly involved in transactions with a value in excess of $400 million.
Terry currently serves as an Advisor at MaRS, is a Director and investor in 2 software start-up companies, member of the Presidents Club at St. Mikes Hospital and previously held the role as Executive Director at York Angels. Mr. Mocherniak is a corporate lawyer by training and has an LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Jen Couldrey
Certified EOS Implementer
EOS Worldwide
Jen Couldrey helps business owners get what they want from their business. Jen is a Certified EOS Implementer®, helping entrepreneurs implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS®) to create structure, focus, and accountability so that they can run a better business and live a better life. She helps values-driven entrepreneurs build a well-run, valuable business by putting in place a business operating system so their business consistently generates results without them needing to be involved in the day-to-day. In addition to starting and running many small businesses and charities, Jen has acted as a coach, facilitator and trusted advisor to hundreds of leadership teams throughout her career spanning Deloitte, small consulting firms, and The Upside Foundation of Canada. Jen has a business degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
Riaz Sidi
CEO
Sidi.io
Riaz Sidi is the Founder and President of Sidi.io, which he has led for over 10 years and built into one of Ottawa’s fastest-growing companies for three consecutive years. With 25 years in sales and marketing, he helps organizations scale through modern demand generation and has delivered keynotes on AI and automation for institutions including the Privy Council Office. He is also a Forty Under 40 award recipient and Board Director at the Ottawa Board of Trade.
Ryan Poissant
Managing Director
Beacon19
Ryan Poissant is Managing Director of Beacon19, a ‘roll-up the sleeves and solve stuff’ firm, helping scaling CEOs get further, faster. With a focus on aligning Strategy, Capital Plan, Revenue Engine, Product Roadmap, Operating Cadence and Metrics, the firm helps organizations solve for revenue growth, investment readiness and scale.
Ryan’s experience as a founder, operator, board member and advisor give him a deep appreciation for the unique aspects of each founder’s journey. As a COO and Head of Revenue, he was the swiss-army knife leader at a VC-backed venture through multiple years of growth. As an Advisor, he has worked with 100+ startup founders and leadership teams to overcome challenges related to strategy, company progress, market forces, culture building, team effectiveness, board dynamics, investor relationships, and interpersonal conflict. And, as a Founder & CEO of a SaaS company, he has experienced the overwhelming highs and lows that are part of the process of bringing an idea to life.
With 20+ years of leadership experience, Ryan has solved for and, in many cases, built teams around: Strategy, GTM, Sales, Marketing, Channel Partners, Fundraising, Customer Success, Product, M&A, Talent, Culture & Ops. In addition to being a mentor in the Next Canada and JOLT accelerator programs, Ryan has been a guest lecturer, conference speaker and executive educator. He lives in Toronto with is wife, two sons and goldendoodle.
Adam Liederman
Co-Founder & Partner
Growthspan
Adam Liederman is a growth advisor and former C-suite executive with more than 20 years of experience scaling technology and services businesses from early traction to lower-middle-market scale. He held senior executive roles at private and public companies, overseeing strategy, operations, finance, and product, and led revenue acceleration initiatives, capital raises, and M&A transactions.
As Co-founder of GrowthSpan, Adam works directly with leadership teams during critical stages of growth, supporting operating model redesign, financial discipline, digital modernization, and go-to-market execution.
His perspective is grounded in experience building management teams, implementing scalable systems, and aligning strategy with execution. He focuses on helping companies strengthen internal capability so growth becomes repeatable, disciplined, and durable.
Adam Fox
Executive Director, Sales
Esri Canada
Adam Fox is the Executive Director of Sales at Esri Canada, the country’s leading geographic information system (GIS) company, where he leads a national team of over 140 executives, sales professionals, and technical specialists across thirteen offices. With more than 25 years of experience in enterprise sales across Canada, the US and Europe, Adam has built his career on a simple but powerful belief: the best salespeople do not just find the right people – they build real relationships long before a deal is ever on the table.
A passionate champion of social selling, Adam has been a speaker at technology, CIO, and industry conferences across North America for over two decades. He introduced social selling practices into Esri Canada and has helped his teams consistently achieve revenue growth, including being recognized as the top Global Esri Distributor in 2025. Adam holds a Bachelor’s degree from McMaster University and Executive Sales Management programs from Schulich School of Business at York University.
Event Schedule
Click on each session to view full details
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration & Networking
Build valuable relationships that extend beyond the event, fostering opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and business growth.
9:00 AM – 9:10 AM | Welcome Address
9:10 AM – 9:30 AM | Opening Remarks: Setting the Stage for Building a High Growth Company
Setting the Stage for Building a High Growth Company
Speaker: Scott Syrja CFP®, RIS®, CIM®, RRC®, CPCA®, MFA-P, Syrja & Associates Private Wealth Management
Join Scott Syrja as he opens the day by outlining the key foundations required to build and sustain a high-growth organization. He will explore the strategic mindset, leadership orientation, and structural considerations that differentiate companies positioned for scale from those that remain constrained by growth ceilings. These remarks will establish the context for the day, encouraging participants to reflect on their current business model, growth trajectory, and readiness for expansion.
Sponsored By:
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM | KEYNOTE: Developing a Growth Mindset for Your Company
Developing a Growth Mindset for Your Company
Speaker: Dr. Ashwin Patel
Details to Follow
Sponsored By:
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM | Networking & Coffee Break
Enjoy light refreshments and an opportunity to connect with fellow business owners and advisors. Build valuable relationships that extend beyond the event, fostering opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and business growth.
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM | Using Strategic M&A To Grow Your Business - It's Not as Hard as You Think!
Using Strategic M&A To Grow Your Business – It’s Not as Hard as You Think!
Speaker: Terry Mocherniak, Apex Capital Advisors
Explore how strategic M&A can unlock growth for your business.
Many SMEs hit a ceiling in terms of organic growth making it difficult to scale. Most PE firms or strategic buyers have minimum size criteria to acquire a business so ultimately SCALE IS EVERYTHING when it comes to optimizing your business value. Founders often want to grow but don’t consider acquiring another business of strategic value assuming they can’t finance it or they don’t have the skills to buy a business.
This session will show how M & A can be used effectively as a low-risk growth strategy even for SMEs and will include topics such as:
- Pros and Cons of Buy vs. Build
- How To Mitigate Risk in Acquiring a Business
- Common Ways to Buy a Business
- Proper Deal Structuring
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how to approach acquisitions confidently, mitigate risk, structure deals properly, and use M&A as a powerful lever to grow their business.
Session Sponsored By:
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM | Get a Grip on Your Business - Using Systems to Break Through the Ceiling
Get a Grip on Your Business – Using Systems to Break Through the Ceiling
Speaker: Jen Couldrey, Certified EOS Implementer®
Scale with clarity and control. Build the systems and accountability your next stage of growth requires.
At a certain stage of growth, what once worked stops working. Complexity increases. Decisions slow down. Accountability blurs. Growth feels harder than it should.
In this practical, high-energy session, Jen Couldrey introduces the Six Key Components™ of EOS®, a simple, proven framework that helps leadership teams gain clarity, alignment, and traction.
You will learn how to:
- Clarify priorities and align around what matters most
- Create accountability that drives execution
- Build simple, scalable processes
- Solve issues before they stall growth
If you’re ready to move from reactive to intentional– and create the structure that supports your next stage of growth– this session will give you practical insights you can apply immediately.
Sponsored By:
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM | Networking Lunch
Connect with peers, speakers, and sponsors while enjoying lunch.
Sponsored By:
Sapling Financial Consultants is a financial modelling, due diligence, and data analytics firm that combines technological innovation with financial expertise. We design automated Business Intelligence dashboards and streamline data extraction from multiple systems to help clients make smarter business decisions. Recognized as one of The Globe & Mail’s Canada’s Top Growing Companies in 2024 & 2025, we also received the 2023 CanadianSME Award for Best Professional Services.
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM | Growth in Uncertain Times: The New Rules of Digital Marketing in 2026
Growth in Uncertain Times: The New Rules of Digital Marketing in 2026
Speaker: Riaz Sidi, CEO
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how customers discover businesses. Buyers are no longer just searching on Google. They are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI systems for answers. In this new environment, visibility is shifting from ranking on page one to becoming the trusted source that AI platforms cite.
In this session, Riaz Sidi, Founder & CEO of Sidi.io, explains how organizations can stay strategy-focused and build predictable demand in uncertain times. Attendees will learn how modern demand generation combines timeless marketing fundamentals with emerging technologies, including first-party data strategies, retargeting and lookalike audiences, data-driven creative testing, and multi-platform funnel marketing.
This session provides a practical framework for turning marketing strategy into execution so organizations can generate qualified demand, build authority, and grow in the AI era.
Sponsored By:
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM | Foundations of Go To Market – Building a Cohesive Growth Engine
Foundations of Go To Market – Building a Cohesive Growth Engine
Speaker: Ryan Poissant
With AI creeping into every aspect of business, it is critical to establish the right foundations for growth before deploying any type of force multiplier. Scaling companies align three critical frameworks—North Star Metric, Jobs to Be Done, and Ideal Customer Profiles—to create a cohesive growth engine. When these three elements work together, companies achieve faster growth, better retention, and more efficient capital deployment.
By the time organizations reach $5M-$25M in revenue, they’ve proven something works. But this is also the danger zone where companies plateau. They have enough customers that patterns blur. Enough team members that alignment fractures. Enough complexity that intuition fails.
In this session, Ryan Poissant, will share perspectives on building a growth engine that takes your business to the next level. Drawing on three established frameworks, you’ll uncover the connections between HOW you measure success, based on WHAT problem you solve, and WHO is mostly likely to value your solution. The result is every team – product, marketing, sales, customer success—has a shared language and focus.
Key takeaways from the session include:
- What ‘good’ looks like when it comes to company growth
- Why it is critical to nail the core elements of Go To Market the old fashioned way, before you unleash the AI
- How to determine which North Star Metric is right for your company and business model
- An understanding of how the Jobs to Be Done framework unlocks customer empathy
- Finding the key attributes of your Ideal Customers
- How alignment across these three frameworks creates organizational clarity and accelerates decision-making
Sponsored By:
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Networking & Coffee Break
Enjoy light refreshments and an opportunity to connect with fellow business owners and advisors. Build valuable relationships that extend beyond the event, fostering opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and business growth.
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM| Building a Growth Engine - Scale Without Breaking Your Business
Building a Growth Engine – Scale Without Breaking Your Business
Speaker: Adam Liederman, GrowthSpan Inc.
Most businesses don’t struggle to grow because of a lack of effort. They struggle because growth creates complexity faster than capacity.
Many companies hit a ceiling at $5M, $10M, or $20M in revenue. Sales may be working. Demand may be strong. But delivery strains, leaders become bottlenecks, and profits don’t keep pace. The issue isn’t ambition—it’s that the business wasn’t designed to handle the next stage of scale.
In this session, Adam will show how service businesses can scale without burning out founders, over-hiring, or eroding margins. You’ll learn the four growth traps that quietly cap performance, how to reduce key-person dependence, and why expanding existing accounts is often easier than chasing new ones. The session will also explore how today’s AI tools can increase operating leverage across prospecting, sales follow-up, and client management—when applied strategically.
Whether you’re preparing for an exit or pushing for aggressive growth, this talk will give you a practical framework to double revenue without doubling chaos.
Attendees will walk away with clarity on:
- Why businesses stall at predictable revenue ceilings
- The hidden bottlenecks limiting scale
- How to build leverage across sales, delivery, and expansion
- Where AI can realistically amplify performance today
- The key moves required to scale without breaking what already works
Sponsored By:
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM | Getting to the Right People in the Sales Process
Getting to the Right People in the Sales Process
Speaker: Adam Fox, Executive Sales Director
Every entrepreneur, every owner, every sales leader knows the frustration: you have a great product or service, you’ve done your research, and you know exactly who you want to reach – but you can’t seem to break through. Often they approach the sales process backwards. They focus on getting in the door when they should be focused on building trust long before they ever knock.
In this session, Adam Fox shares the strategies that have driven consistent growth at one of Canada’s most recognized enterprise technology companies – practical approaches to social selling, building authentic relationships, and identifying and nurturing champions inside the organizations you want to work with.
The buying journey for organizations has changed dramatically over the last few years. The use of AI, designated social selling tools, building community to create momentum and supporting your internal champions as they become your strongest advocates are now more important than ever.
Whether you have a small lean sales team, or lead multi-layered inside, outside and digital pursuit teams, you’ll walk away with insights for warming up the right relationships – so when it’s time to have the conversation, you’re already a trusted voice in the room.
Sponsored By:
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Closing Remarks & Networking
Enjoy light refreshments and an opportunity to connect with fellow business owners and advisors. Build valuable relationships that extend beyond the event, fostering opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and business growth.
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