BIG DECISIONS. NEW BEGINNINGS.
Buying. Selling. Starting.
Practical advice from someone who’s been there.
01 / HOW I CAN HELP
I help you work through the numbers, get to know the people, and understand how the business runs. Does the opportunity make sense, and is it a good fit for you?
From the initial questions through the buying process, I’m there to help you think it through—with mentorship as you settle into ownership.
Support through the purchase and beyond.
I help you get the business ready for sale: bringing the information together, shaping its story, and presenting it clearly to potential buyers.
Who is the right buyer? Where should you reach them? What’s a fair selling price? We work through these questions together, with practical guidance throughout the selling process.
Prepare well. Present it clearly.
From an early idea to the practical steps of getting started. I help you think through the business, ask the right questions, and build a foundation you can grow from.
Think it through. Take the first step.
02 / EXPERIENCE
Every business has taught me something. From the first service business to equipment, retail, software, and marketplaces—these are the companies and experiences that shape my advice today. Open a company to read its story.
SERVICE BUSINESS
We began building this company when I left high school in grade 10. It was the largest in the city and we had approximately 40 window washers when we sold the company. Cody Window Cleaning is still going strong and I believe that it remains the largest window cleaning company. We sold to our largest competitor to purchase a 20,000 sq ft building to grow our scaffolding business.
SCAFFOLDING & EQUIPMENT
This company began due to providing the bid on the largest scaffolding job in our city at the time... we were awarded the contract. Our scaffolding inventory was low, however, we figured out a way to make it happen and the rest is history.
ACQUISITION & TURNAROUND
We bought into this 50/50 deal of a local small tool rental operation that was struggling. With their hard work and experience combined with our capital, inventory and infrastructure, we were able to turn the company around. The founder purchased his share back and passed the business on to his son. It continues today as a solid company.
HEAVY EQUIPMENT & LIFTS
Due to sub-renting out many lifts ourselves to support both our scaffolding and window-cleaning company, we decided to begin a lift company. We became partners with Hertz Equipment Rental (owned by Ford Motor Company) at the time and they made us their exclusive provider of lifts for the region.
BUSINESS ACQUISITION
The local Bobcat Dealership had gone bankrupt when we were approached by a company from Toronto to partner on purchasing the dealership. At the time, I was 27 and the youngest person to ever purchase a Bobcat dealership. We were one of the top-performing branches in North America.
RENTALS & EVENTS
This company began when my mother was getting married and we had to rent a tent, tables and chairs for the wedding. I found it to be a disappointing customer experience and felt that we could build it better... so we began Cody Party Rentals.
LINEN RENTALS
This business began because we were sub-renting so much linen while in the party rental business, we decided that we should begin our own linen rental business. The new owners purchased and renamed it and it has since been re-sold to and carries on today as a high-level go-to for linen in the event industry.
MOBILE SERVICES & FRANCHISING
This business was started for two main reasons. First, I always wanted our cars detailed but found it difficult to make the time, so starting a mobile detailing business seemed like a practical solution. Second, I wanted to create a franchise system that would be low-risk for people and align with their passions. The original vision worked extremely well. Sadly, our son passed away shortly afterward, which put the entire business model on pause at that time.
SOFTWARE & OWNERSHIP TRANSITION
After our son passed away in 2013, we had three companies on the go; (Cody Party Rentals, Cody Mobile and Monster Halloween). I could not get out of bed for 9 months, so we had no choice but to have a fire sale. By the time I recovered enough to get back to work, we had substantial debt and no companies. In an incredible ah-ha moment, we realized we had the custom software we had built to run our various companies. Just like that, we began selling the software. Very proud to say that this company was acquired by our management team.
PEER-TO-PEER RENTALS
A sharing-economy venture built around renting and sharing items. The journey included developing the app, bringing together a team, introducing in-store kiosks, and supporting community fundraising.
Read: What Happened With Ruckify?
Read about surviving the $1 million theft
MARKETPLACE DEVELOPMENT
This business began because we heard too many horror stories of others trying to build marketplaces. We also felt we could support amazing entrepreneurs with a marketplace vision, and domain knowledge and then combine that with our experience using design thinking and building our own marketplaces.
SHARED ACCOMMODATION
This one was built to help solve a family issue. My son and daughter wanted to live and work from a surf town for three months but could not afford it due to the high cost of a short-term rental. I suggested they rent the space and then rent out any extra rooms, couches etc to others and if they found enough people, it could cost them nothing. My daughter then asked how people would pay and how would they know if someone was an axe murderer. We could not find a solution to solve these problems, so Bunking.com was born.
ONLINE MARKETPLACE
We started RentAnythingStore.com because of our pure passion and belief in the opportunity and impact that renting has on helping individuals, communities and the planet.
SENIOR COMPANIONSHIP
This was an opportunity to create a business that would help enhance the lives of seniors by connecting them with compassionate Companions.
ENTREPRENEUR STORIES
This is more of a passion project and started at the urging of my wife. We have worked with and learned from, so many incredible people over our careers... we wanted to share these truly inspiring stories.
ENTREPRENEUR ADVISORY
New Ventures grew out of conversations that began around our Raw Entrepreneurship events. More and more people were reaching out with questions about their businesses: how to grow, how to work through a difficult period, or whether it was time to step away. Others were thinking about buying or selling a business and wanted someone to talk it through with.
Those conversations made the need for practical, personal support clear. One of the businesses I’m currently advising is a competitor of Cody Mobile, helping the owner consider the best way to sell. New Ventures brings that work together: sharing what I’ve learned from building businesses, listening to each owner’s situation, and helping them thoughtfully consider their next step.
AI TOOLS FOR SMALL BUSINESS · PORTFOLIO COMPANY
My AI Guy and My AI Gal are two names under one brand we’re preparing to launch. The idea builds on what we’re learning and creating with AI at Marketplace Studios, and on our experience using those tools in our own businesses.
When you’re running a business day to day, finding time to understand AI can feel like a lot to take on. We want to help small business owners create their own practical AI tools, with support that makes the process more manageable. The aim is to help them work more efficiently, reduce some of their monthly software bills, and stay current and competitive as AI changes the way businesses operate.
c. indicates an approximate year.
SPECIALISED EQUIPMENT RENTALS
This company began because we were renting out swing stages from other companies to clean highrise windows, it just made practical sense to purchase our own and begin a swing stage rental company. We were the Spider dealer, which was a huge deal at the time. Our largest customer made us an offer to purchase that we could not refuse. Closed 12 years after being acquired from us.
SEASONAL RETAIL
This business was born very unexpectedly. Our family was driving down a busy road on a mid-October day and we noticed a large store with a massive Halloween banner. The activity and energy were infectious. We pulled over to see what was going on and found ourselves in Ottawa's first Spirit Halloween store. It was exciting and absolutely packed. We got ourselves and 5 kids back into the car, I turned to my wife and told her that we were getting into the Halloween business. Monster was born. Unfortunately, this was one of the three companies that we had to sell. Closed 8 years after being acquired due to a global pandemic.
ONLINE RETAIL
As an extension of Monster, it only made sense to begin a separate online costume division, called Click Costumes. The foundation for venturing into the internet business was securing costume fulfilment for Sears, Walmart and Best Buy in Canada. Closed 8 years after being acquired from us due to a global pandemic.
DIRECT SALES & FRANCHISING
Perfect Party began because we felt that there was an opportunity to create a business model where people could host home parties, selling party and celebration supplies to friends and family. One of our proudest success stories is that a Perfect Party representative bought a Perfect Party business for $49, worked on it successfully for approximately 3 years and fulfilled her dream of purchasing a Cody Party franchise. Closed 8 years after being acquired from us due to a global pandemic.
Service businesses. Equipment. Rentals. Retail. Software. Marketplaces.
03 / A PERSONAL APPROACH
I’m Steve Cody. I’ve spent my working life starting, growing, buying, and selling businesses.
I’ve had the privilege of building alongside talented people, with my wife Natalie as my closest sounding board. There have been successes, difficult chapters, and plenty of lessons along the way.
New Ventures is a way to share that experience. I’ll listen, ask questions, and help you think through the decisions that matter to you.
Steve CodyFROM THE FAMILY & BUSINESS ALBUM
The people, firsts, and everyday moments behind the businesses.
STORIES & INSIGHTS
Starting a business can feel like staring up at a mountain, wondering how you'll ever make it to the top. The idea of making a big investment upfront seems like an obstacle you'll never break through. But…
Read the story
Starting a business is never easy, but the challenge becomes even more complex when you're looking to acquire a company that has gone bankrupt. Twenty-seven years ago, I found myself in the midst of an…
Read the story
In 2021, our management team acquired Better Software, and I am proud to report that our team is fully committed to its vision and its mission to continue building and delivering a world-class software product.
Read the storyYOUR NEXT CHAPTER
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
Let’s start with a conversation.