In May 2024, Jonathan Ballesteros, the founder and chief executive officer of Geyser Systems (Geyser), secured an important distribution agreement with BPS Direct LLC (Bass Pro Shops), one of the biggest outdoor products retailers in the world. Geyser’s core product, a water conserving shower, offered an innovative approach to water conservation—a crucial environmental and economic challenge. Bass Pro was key to growing sales for Geyser, and it was essential to fulfilling Geyser’s mission to save water. Ballesteros required significant funding to launch and scale his venture. In spring 2024, he commenced an equity crowdfunding campaign to raise over US$1.2 million. However, by May the campaign had only generated about $90,000. Ballesteros knew his product solved a problem for customers in many markets, but he needed to review his growth plans and financial requirements to make sure he was on the right track.
In May 2024, the founder of Keepsie Kits was planning for the future of her sustainable travel products company, based in Toronto, Canada. She had launched the venture three years earlier to address the environmental impact of disposable, single-use, heavy travel products. She also wanted to educate business and leisure travellers about reducing their environmental footprint. After starting Keepsie Kits in the aftermath of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the founder had captured the interest of the business-to-consumer segment through branding and social media efforts. But as the venture developed, she realized that an unexpected and more viable business-to-business segment had emerged. The founder of Keepsie Kits had to decide whether to focus on only one or on both segments, or whether the time had come to sell her venture and exit the business altogether.
The founder of ChopValue Manufacturing Ltd. (ChopValue) was working to resolve his growth strategy. In 2016 his research had suggested 100,000 chopsticks were thrown out daily in the Metro Vancouver region. This moment of inspiration led him to develop an initiative to recycle and recircle these utensils and to create ChopValue. The company collected and cleaned used chopsticks, pressed them into tiles, used the tiles to create furniture and home décor products, and then sold the products. After launching ChopValue, the founder recognized a global need to reduce waste and developed a franchise system to grow his circular economy. He was now working to develop the best strategy for moving forward.
Ivan and Dan MacKinnon grew up on a farm in Bath, Ontario, where the brothers learned about the importance of farming and local supply chains. In 2014, the brothers put together their farming assets and brewing and engineering skills and launched their farm-based brewery, MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Company. After nearly 10 years of operations, the MacKinnons were faced with a growth challenge. Should they leverage their farm brewery brand and grow its distribution beyond the local region? Or should they “dig in” on their local farm concept and explore more sustainable growth options in the food and beverage tourism industry?
In April 2023, Greg Linton, the founder and chief executive officer of Tightline Anchor Inc., a start-up that sells innovative anchors to the personal watercraft industry, was preparing for growth. Linton and his team were having success with sales but they could see multiple opportunities ahead. This case explores growth decision-making challenges for early-stage ventures and competitive positioning for new products. In addition, the case explores the interesting example of military entrepreneurs and the challenges and opportunities for service personnel.
In February 2023, Irene Cameron was preparing to launch her property technology (proptech) start-up Geo-Registry Integrated Datachain Inc. (GRID) in eastern Ontario. She had identified several problems with the real estate process and planned to disrupt the industry with a one-stop blockchain platform. The platform would integrate all the steps and processes in buying and selling real estate, including the services provided by professionals such as real estate agents, mortgage brokers, lawyers, and municipalities. Cameron had completed extensive validation and now had to decide what business model to test out and which revenue model to leverage.
Following the successful launch of Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company (Beau’s) in all 10 Canadian provinces, the craft brewer had its sights set on the next step forward: international markets. The brewery wanted to distribute Beau’s internationally, and agents from numerous distribution agencies had contacted the export manager about the United States and Europe. The export manager was also considering Asian markets as an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of that emerging market. In his view, this market was less congested than the competitive European and American craft beer markets. While market selection was an important consideration, the export manager wondered about how to pursue international growth as a viable strategic option for a craft brewer. Did exporting craft beer make sense? With Beau’s being Canada’s largest producer of organic craft beer, the export manager knew that he had to determine the strategic fit for Beau’s growth aspirations in advance of meetings with prospective agents.
In June 2015, a new analyst at an investment fund company had to review the financial performance of a potential investment target, the North West Company Inc. (NWC), and make a recommendation. NWC was a food retailer operating in underserved markets. The company operated retail locations in Western and Northern Canada, Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean, reporting total sales of CA$1.6 billion in 2014. Twelve years after NWC’s initial push outside of Canada, international sales accounted for 35.8 per cent of the company’s business. Whereas rivalry among competitors and consumer choice defined the mainstream Canadian market, food retail in Northern Canadian markets was characterized by limited offerings, high prices, and few competitors.<br><br>The analyst’s report needed to include an assessment of NWC’s profitability, liquidity, and financial structure. The analyst was particularly interested in NWC’s international operations; although international expansion carried with it the potential for significant revenue growth, she wondered whether the profit potential was as great as that of NWC’s operations in Northern and Western Canada. She also knew that if NWC did choose to expand its international operations, it would require significant capital investment. Was NWC a good investment opportunity?