Franchise Canada Chats Canadian Franchise Association

Franchise Canada Chats is thrilled to welcome the Gold winners of the CFA's 2023 Franchisees of the Year award.

Annalisa Cilla of Scholars Education and Brad Wheeler of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Canada reflect on the insights and experiences that led to their success.

On this episode, we discuss: 
-Using policy and procedures to ensure uniformity across franchise locations;
-Leveraging business ownership to provide opportunities to community members;
-Taking pride in success and winning Franchisee of the Year;
-and so much more!

Today we’re joined by Ellena Francey, of Mr. Appliance of Newmarket and Barrie and Katharine Leaman of Glass Doctor of Durham region.  

Ellena made the jump from a career in print media into her Mr. Appliance franchise, while a recession raged on.  Katharine embarked on her entrepreneurial journey in the spring of 2021 after a varied career with stints as a nurse and as a ballerina. 

Tune in to hear more about their journeys into franchising and their strategies and advice for other women in franchising.

On this episode of Franchise Canada Chats, we discuss:
-The benefits of working with a franchise broker in the due diligence process;
-Removing the barrier toward women in leadership in franchising;
-Strategies for women entrepreneurs considering franchising as a career path;
-And so much more!

Matt Hickman was the owner of a water treatment services company, Kean's Pump Shop, in St. John's before joining the Neighbourly family as a multi-brand owner. As a former business owner, the jump to franchising seemed counterintuitive, but in trying to pivot his existing HVAC business, he found the appeal in partnering with "an ethical company."

"They had something I didn't: they had a system that was replicable and scalable," he says. "And that's what sold me on it, the fact that they were delivering value."

In spite of not being a "trades guy," Hickman found success in the industry by leveraging his financial skills.

In our special miniseries with Neighbourly, we feature some of the franchise professionals behind their family of brands.

Jeff Palla joined Neighbourly with more than 25 years of senior operations leadership experience as a franchise owner and leader in the hospitality industry.

Jeff previously held leadership roles in the hotel industry where he played an integral role in the launch of franchise programs.

On this episode of Franchise Canada Chats, we discuss:
-The security of having a well-vetted handyman in clients’ homes;
-Benefits of Neighbourly's complementary businesses;
-Retirement not being all that it’s cracked up to be;
-And so much more!

The majority of Jalal Mir’s working life has been dedicated to paws and claws. In Iran, he became a vet and he was in the wholesale business, importing high-quality pet care goods and overseeing a team of more than 100 employees.

After immigrating to Canada, he brought that level of understanding to Pet Valu, being on the sales floor, rather than being “one man in a room with a laptop.”

The Richmond Hill, Ontario-based franchisee opened his location 11 months ago and is already looking to expand to multiple units.

On this episode of Franchise Canada Chats, we discuss:
-Balancing novelty, risk, and trustworthiness in the retail franchise industry;
-Creating trust when handling customers’ loved ones;
-Standing out in the booming pet care industry;
-And so much more!

Today’s guest on Franchise Canada Chats is B-Protek's Brian Lemon, based out of Winnipeg. After a 34-year career as a government relations specialist in the agriculture industry, he decided to retire and go into business for himself.

"The idea of being a franchisee, you're still a private entrepreneur but it brings with it all these other supports," says Lemon.

He breaks down his franchise search on this episode of Franchise Canada Chats. We also discuss: