Real Talk: When I joined the Chinook team 4 months ago, I didn’t know much about who they were or what they did. Before my interview, I spent about an hour researching the website, studying their pictures and personal information and googling what a business broker was.

I’m writing this blog post today because I wanted to share my perspective on what exactly it is they offer, because even throughout my preliminary research and internet deep dives – it doesn’t detail this anywhere.

These are the intangibles. What sets Chinook apart.

‍

HONESTY

Should be a given, right? But unfortunately, ethics is something too often lost these days.

Not here – they will give you the cold hard truth. They will tell you if your valuation is unrealistic, or if you can get much higher than you think, or if your business just isn’t ready to sell. “Wait until next year” they’ll say. Whether it will make them profitable or not, it doesn’t matter. They tell you what their honest advice is based on years of experience and current market conditions. Just the other day I overheard one of our partners declining a potential seller because the offer they had received from a private party would be more beneficial to them and their business.

AUTHENTICITY

This one tends to be a dealbreaker for me. This is how I knew 15 minutes into my interview that this was the place I wanted to work, without hearing any of the requirements or work details. There’s nothing fake here. You get what you see, and you have 6 unique individuals.

Note: I have at least 5 quotes from Mike’s German mum in my memory, I know way too much about the Victoria food scene and I could tell you exactly how many horses would fit on a 747.

HUMOUR

There hasn’t been one day of work where there hasn’t been laughter in the office, I can say this for absolute certainty. This isn’t just among the team either, it’s in-person clients, phone calls, and zoom meetings.

ENVIRONMENT

I’ve never worked in an environment like this before, in constant admiration of how they can be completely professional, extremely intelligent and entirely laid back at the same time. You don’t walk into suits and ties, Rolex and rolled eyes.  You walk into shorts, flipflops, smiles and whiskey. You’re among friends when you come in, and you know it.

‍

So there it is.

This team – they are authentic, knowledgeable, professional, and sometimes, too honest. They speak with the evident 30+ years of collective knowledge, but deliver with ease, comfort, and humour.

Let me add that I’m not green. I have a business degree, several diplomas, two small home shops and plenty of large-scale business work experience behind me. I have seen a lot of leaders, advisors, colleagues, and managers. But these folks – they are the full package.

The reason for this blog? Here I am, in charge of showing you just how great Chinook is. Marketing. But how do I SHOW you these intangibles, in an ad or social media post?

So, here you are.

I’ll end by saying I didn’t have approval from anyone for this. That’s the beauty of Chinook – they trust me enough in my role to post appropriate, honest content.

Here it is folks. THIS is Chinook.