Franchise Canada Chats

This episode features keynote speaker and author, Todd Cohen, who shares how to crush the negative stereotype of sales in order to cultivate a team that is dedicated to the process of getting a customer to say “yes!” Here, Todd shares: - How every interaction with a customer is a selling moment - How to empower your staff to embrace their unique talents - How to redefine our culture and go beyond business recovery into business acceleration, among much more.   This episode was adapted from Todd’s keynote presentation titled “Everyone’s in Sales in YOUR Franchise Store” as part of the Canadian Franchise Association’s Business Recovery Summit Series. The month-long series of webinar presentations took place throughout October. You can learn more at cfa.ca.

In this episode, we talk to Angela Coté, an international Franchise Growth Catalyst with both franchisor and franchisee experience who uses her knowledge to help growing companies get their start as they join the franchising community. Having grown up the daughter of M&M Food Market’s founder, Angela joined the franchising industry at just 18-years-old and has developed an abundance of wisdom in her 25 years in the field. Now, she runs Angela Coté Inc. as a franchise business coach who guides brands through all the stages of franchising. During this episode, Angela shares: - The top traits of the ideal franchisee - The “5 Rockstar questions” that franchisees should ask prospective franchisors (spoiler alert: having passion is a key to franchising!) - How the COVID-19 pandemic has created an increase in collaboration for franchising, and much more.

In this episode, we talk to Robert Bruski, CFO of Ctrl V, a virtual reality arcade franchise. Robert teamed up with his long-time friend and CEO, Ryan Brooks, and Ryan’s cousin and COO, James Elligson, to come up with a compelling and unique way of incorporating technology and virtual reality into their everyday lives. Since their launch in 2016, Robert and his team have expanded Ctrl V to over a dozen locations across Canada, the US, and Costa Rica, and are the world’s largest virtual reality arcade franchise. During this episode, Robert shares: - Why franchising with Ctrl V is a great opportunity for Generation Z members - Key learnings he’s picked up about owning a business - How business was affected by COVID-19 - His proudest accomplishment with the brand (spoiler alert: Ctrl V has tons of achievements!), and much more.

In this episode, we talk to Jamie Berube, president and CEO of WP Creations, who joined the head office team in 2013 and eventually became sole franchisor after their founder retired. Originally called the Wee Piggies foundation, Jamie used her experience in sales and training to build her team of home-based franchisees by offering extensive training and an ongoing support system. Now, WP Creations is thriving with more than 30 locations spread coast to coast while keeping the company’s original traditions. During this episode, Jamie shares: - The perks of running a home-based business - How she supports her female-led team of entrepreneurs - How to keep franchisees connected through the long distance (including a newly introduced buddy system!) - What she adores most about running WP Creations, and much more.

In this episode, we talk to Dawn Mucci, CEO and founder of Lice Squad.com, the leading head lice removal franchise system with a mission to stop the stigma around head lice. Dawn founded Lice Squad.com in 2001 after she discovered head lice on her son and found that she had very few options to get rid of the pesky problem. Since then, the franchise has expanded to 36 franchise and corporate locations with over 250 service providers spread across Canada. During this episode, Dawn shares: - The benefits of being a Lice Squad.com franchisee - How COVID-19 has impacted the business (including some surprisingly severe lice cases!) - Her biggest learnings over the past difficult year - What keeps her smiling and motivated as she runs the Lice Squad.com brand, and so much more.

In this episode, we talk to Rosemarie Reid-Julien, a Beyond the Classroom franchisee who owns a location in North Brampton. Beyond the Classroom has been in business since 1998 and there are currently a dozen locations around Ontario. They offer online and in-home tutoring for students in grades JK to 12 for subjects including math, English, reading, writing, and French. Rosemarie recently celebrated her first anniversary with Beyond the Classroom. She joined the tutoring industry with 16 years of experience as a high school teacher and decided to become a franchisee to combine her love for teaching with a desire to become an entrepreneur. During this episode, Rosemarie shares: - How she uses an online tutoring platform to follow the social distancing protocols of COVID-19 - What she enjoys most as a Beyond the Classroom franchisee (including working on her public speaking skills!) - Her biggest inspiration and motivation, and much more.

In this episode, we talk to CEO Brian Bazely and franchisee Rahul Kumar of Driverseat, a transportation franchise that offers two-fold services as a chauffeur and shuttle provider. Brian and his brother Luke Bazely co-founded Driverseat in 2012, with the goal of doing something good for the community. Driverseat is in over 400 communities in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario, with one location in the US. Rahul owns a location in Calgary which he operates alongside his wife, and he says he was drawn to Driverseat because of their values as a socially responsible franchise. During this episode, Brian shares: - How he and his brother support their many franchisees, - The impact COVID-19 had on business - Key learnings from this challenging year Rahul shares: - His goals for his Driverseat franchise - His favourite thing about running his own business (including a lot of emotions and learning opportunities!) - His new Grocery Shop & Drop program that was created to support seniors during the pandemic

In this episode, we feature keynote speaker and author Todd Cohen, who shares strategies for Staying Present and Profitable Working Virtually. Virtual work is the temporary new normal as a result of COVID-19, and it’s created new challenges for many businesses when it comes to reaching their clients. In this episode we disscuss: - Todd's thoughtful ideas for how to stay present and profitable in this unprecedented time. - Todd's passion for the power of being virtually present to sell ourselves more effectively, and make no mistake: this message is more important than ever, because it’s not your client’s job to remember you. This episode was adapted from Todd’s Staying Present and Profitable Working Virtually keynote session as part of the Canadian Franchise Association’s Navigating Through Turbulent Times webinar series in early April. You can learn more at cfa.ca. For more information, you can reach Todd at: Todd Cohen 215-275-3416 todd@toddcohen.com toddcohen.com/book-todd/

In this episode, we feature Erik Therwanger, founder of Think GREAT. Erik draws from his experiences as a U.S. Marine, executive business leader, sales professional, and entrepreneur to help organizations achieve new levels of success. In this episode we discuss: - the leadership strategies and techniques necessary to inspire, motivate, and influence teams and co-workers during this difficult time of economic uncertainty. - strategies to raise expectations, understand techniques to unify culture, discover new ways to communicate dynamically, and more. This episode was adapted from Erik’s original presentation in late April as part of the Canadian Franchise Association’s Navigating Towards Recovery Webinar series.

In this episode, we talk to multi-unit Subway Canada franchisee Kelly-Anne Pelley, who operates six Subway restaurant locations in Newfoundland & Labrador and 10 more in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia with her husband and daughter. Kelly-Anne was recently named the Best Franchisee of Canada Gold winner, and travelled to Florence, Italy this past winter for the Best Franchisee of the World global competition. As the Canadian finalist, she participated alongside finalists from other regions, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). Here, Kelly-Anne gives us a behind-the-scenes look at her whirlwind trip to Italy and her experience participating in this global competition with top franchisees from other parts of the world. She also shares her path to success (spoiler alert: it involved an awful lot of hard work), the secrets to franchising with family, advice for future franchisees, and much more.

Overview of the CFA's Year

COVID-19

COVID-19

Josh Robinson is the Vice President of Licensing & Development at Pearle Vision. Pearle Vision was founded in 1961 by Dr. Stanley Pearle, who began the concept of one-stop, total eye care with the opening of the Pearle Vision Center in Savannah, GA. Pearle Vision now has more than 500 EyeCare Centers located throughout North America. In this episode we discuss: -Josh’s past experience as a franchisee in the food sector -the benefits of franchising with Pearle Vision, including its strong support system -his advice for those looking to get started in franchising -and so much more!

Kim Chapman is an Oxford Learning franchisee. With over 35 years as a proven franchise system, Oxford Learning is best known for helping children succeed in their academics. In this episode we discuss: - What is a typical day looks like for Kim - The best thing about Oxford Learning's support system - What Kim enjoys most about running her own business - and so much more!

David Buckler is a MaidPro franchisee. MaidPro is a business that prides itself in providing the highest quality cleaning services for homeowners across North America. In this episode David discusses: - How his business has evolved since opening a decade ago - MaidPro’s recruitment process - What he wasn't prepared for when he first opened his business - And so much more!

Cathy Thorpe is the President of Nurse Next Door, one of the nation's most successful senior care services brands. In this episode we discuss: - The challenges and opportunities of Nurse Next Door's global expansion - The benefits of franchising with Nurse Next Door - What Cathy was doing before she became President of Nurse Next Door - and so much more!

Mike Malleck is a long-time business owner of Clintar Commercial Outdoor Services. Clintar offers franchise opportunities across Canada and serves clients in a variety of key areas like Landscape Management and Landscape Enhancement. In this episode, we discuss: - The key phases of franchise ownership - What Mike has learned about running a business with nearly two decades of experience - The future of Mike's business - and so much more!

Tamara Leniew is a Beyond the Classroom franchisee. Beyond the Classroom is a tutoring organization focused on boosting confidence in the children they tutor. In this episode, we sit down with Tamara to discuss: - Why it's important to be passionate about the business? - Why it's important to take care of your mental health as an entrepreneur? - How to prepare for business ownership - and so much more!

Lindsey Caron is a Quesada Burritos & Tacos franchisee. With 130 locations and counting, Quesada Burritos & Tacos is a Mexican-inspired restaurant focused on serving its communities fresh and tasty food. In this episode we discuss: - Why she chose to invest in a Quesada restaurant - The challenges of being a young business owner - How she got the investment needed for her franchise - and so much more!