How to Build a Valuable (and Saleable) Business
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 | 11:00 AM MT | Virtual
A valuable company pays off long before the closing table. The qualities buyers reward—a clear growth story, a capable team, efficient operations, and disciplined finances—also produce a business that is more profitable, less dependent on its owner, and more enjoyable to lead.
The Value Creation Formula, the framework Class VI uses to assess what drives and what destroys value in a business, breaks those qualities into elements an owner can measure and improve.
In this session, three-time Vistage Speaker of the Year Jim Canfield will walk through the formula and how to apply it to your company. He will discuss:
- What drives and what destroys value. The elements of the Value Creation Formula and how each one affects profitability and valuation.
- How buyers evaluate a business. The criteria buyers and private equity firms use, and how to apply “the buyer’s lens” to the decisions you’re making today.
- Where your company stands. Data-backed insight into what separates premium-value companies from average ones, plus a post-session assessment to benchmark your business.
Featuring: Jim Canfield, VP of Strategic Alliances | Class VI
Jim Canfield currently serves as VP of Strategic Alliances at Class VI Partners, where he presents his latest topic, The Value Creation Formula, to business groups across the U.S.
Jim has built a career around his lifelong passion for leadership. At 27, he launched his first business, a trucking company, and helped build the largest investment firm serving credit unions off Wall Street. As the youngest group leader ever at Vistage, he led CEO peer groups in Memphis for a decade before joining the executive team at Vistage in San Diego—and has recently returned to Chair his former Memphis group. He later served as President and CEO of REF for 10 years. Jim is the author of CEO Tools 2.0: How to Think, Lead and Manage like a CEO, and has delivered its workshop more than 500 times around the world. Recognized for his impact, he was named Speaker of the Year three times by Vistage Worldwide, UK, and Canada.