Episode
EP343 After the Exit - Identity, Reinvention, and the Next Chapter
- Podcast
- The Cash Rich Exit Podcast
- Published
- Mar 24, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1796
- Processing state
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Summary
What happens after you sell the business that defined you? In this episode, host Colleen O'Connell-Campbell sits down with Candace Sutcliffe, who spent nearly 20 years building The Chef's Paradise (CA Paradis) - a 104-year-old Ottawa retail institution - from employee to president to co-owner, and then made the bold decision to sell to Quebec-based industry leader Doyon Després and step into a corporate executive role. This is a candid conversation about what it actually looks like to navigate a multi-generational business transition: the operational preparation, the culture clash considerations, the identity crisis that comes with letting go, and the unexpected lessons of moving from entrepreneur to executive. Candace shares why protecting her team was non-negotiable, how she learned to detach her identity from the business, and why the exit she never imagined turned out to be exactly the right move. Key Takeaways: Candace started as a retail manager at CA Paradis in 2005, became president in 2013 before acquiring the business, and co-owned The Chef's Paradise from 2017 until selling to Doyon Després about two years ago. She now serves as a corporate executive within the acquiring company. The business had two distinct sides - retail (profit-driven) and food service (volume-driven) - that acted as natural checks and balances. When one side was up, the other was typically down, creating more consistent overall performance. The decision to sell was not originally in the plan. An interested party prompted the conversation, and the ownership team set a number that made sense. When it was met, they moved forward. As Candace puts it: everything is for sale if the price is right. Culture fit was the deciding factor in choosing a buyer. Another interested party from the GTA w…