Is this the same as exit planning or working with a business broker?

No. Brokers and exit planners handle the transaction — the valuation, the buyer search, the deal structure. Clean Canvas happens before that. It's the work of deciding whether to sell at all, and getting clear on what you want before you enter any process. Many Clean Canvas clients go on to work with a broker. They just show up to that conversation ready.

What if I'm not sure I want to sell — I might want to keep the business?

That's exactly who this is for. Clean Canvas doesn't presuppose an exit. It ends with one of two outcomes: a clear decision to sell, or a concrete plan to transform the business and re-engage with it on different terms. Both are legitimate. The goal is a decision, not a particular direction.

How is this different from working with a business coach or consultant?

Most coaches and consultants help you run your business better. Clean Canvas is specifically for founders at a crossroads — people who are questioning whether they want to keep running it at all. It's a defined engagement with a defined deliverable: a decision and a plan. Not an ongoing coaching relationship.

How long does Clean Canvas take?

Clean Canvas is a focused intensive, not an open-ended engagement. The timeline is structured and bounded — this is not a months-long retainer. The specifics are discussed on the discovery call, where Kathleen can tailor the scope to where you are and what you need.

Is Clean Canvas right for me if my business is still performing well?

Yes — and often this is the best time to do it. Founders who wait until the business is struggling have fewer options and less leverage. The crossroads question isn't about performance; it's about whether you still want to be the person running this. Many of the founders who get the most from Clean Canvas are running profitable businesses. They're just exhausted, or no longer sure it's what they want.

What happens after Clean Canvas — what's the actual next step?

It depends on the decision you make. If you're selling, Kathleen can introduce you to the right advisors — brokers, attorneys, wealth managers — at the right time, with a clear brief on what you're looking for. If you're transforming, you leave with a concrete restructuring plan and accountability for the first phase of executing it. Either way, you don't leave with a set of options to think about. You leave with a direction.

The business is their biggest asset. Is it performing like one?

For most of your clients, the business is not just how they make a living. It is the centerpiece of their financial future. Which means the performance of that business is the single biggest variable in the plan you are building for them.

Wealth advisors build plans around the business. But the business is the one asset in the plan you can’t control. If it underperforms, stalls, or is sold below its potential, the plan built around it is compromised.

Canoan Strategy & CFO gets inside your client’s business and helps it perform at its potential so your plan stays intact or improves.

Business value is at the center of your client’s financial future

Open retirement and asset allocation plan booklet on a wooden table, with a black pen to the right.

Kathleen Riessen, CPA, CEPA, works alongside wealth advisors and other trusted advisors to help clients have clean financials, stable cash flow, solid financial narratives, and a road map for future growth.

Our referral philosophy

We don’t take referral relationships with wealth advisors lightly. When a wealth advisor introduces a client, the responsibility is to serve that client at the highest level and to protect the relationship that made the introduction possible. Our goal is not only to support your client, but also make your relationship with them stronger and more productive.

If Canoan isn’t the right solution for your client, we’ll say that. The goal isn’t a transaction. It’s a professional relationship built on shared clients served well.

Some clients know exactly what they need and are ready to move. Others need clarity first. We’re built for both.

Here’s how we work with our clients

Diagnostic

Define the problem(s) before committing to a path. For owners and CEOs who know something isn’t working or who have a major event approaching.

How the Diagnostic Works

Project Engagement

Defined scope, defined timeline. M&A preparation, capital raise readiness, rebuilding your financial infrastructure, or other specific financial objectives.

When a project is right

Embedded Strategic CFO Advisory

Ongoing, embedded Strategic CFO work. We customize the engagement so you don’t pay for things that you don’t want.

What this looks like

Advisory Power-Up

A specific event requiring expertise outside your current engagement scope. Expands when needed, returns to base when complete.

When to make an introduction

Owner’s net worth is disproportionately concentrated in the business and the business isn’t performing at the level that concentration requires.

Owner is taking distributions inconsistently because cash flow is unpredictable.

Owner is five to ten years from a potential exit and the business isn’t yet in the condition that exit requires.

Business performance is the primary variable in whether the owner’s financial plan achieves its goals.

Owner is making major business decisions without a financial leadership partner and those decisions carry meaningful personal wealth implications.

The plan is only as strong as the asset it’s built on.

Connect with Kathleen