Navigating Business Growth
Navigating Business Growth
How do businesses maintain alignment with their original mission and values as they grow?
Whether you're in the pre-business stage, early stages, or have a well-established business, you can go through this process. The process we went through involved asking: What is our governance about? What do we want to do? What do we want to give back? How do we want to spend our time? What will make us happy? What will our legacy be?
We documented these core principles and identified what was most important to us. Money was part of the plan, but it wasn’t the primary focus. Money was the fuel that would allow us to achieve our goals, but the main objective was to be successful in a way that would enable us to do meaningful things.
If you're a current business owner or an aspiring one, you can apply this approach as you create the next level of your strategy. You can incorporate these ideas to move your business forward with a foundation built on support, growth, and development.
In my business, I'm passionate about people and helping them grow both personally and professionally. Everything we do is tied to this principle. Anyone who values this approach can look at their strategy or growth plan and base it on this foundation of support and development.
Why is it essential for business owners to clearly define and communicate their core values and vision?
Building the culture and governance might seem like just words on a page, but it was a critical part of our success. When you first start franchising, you have a few paths to choose from. You could have a successful business, like a wrap or pizza shop, run it for 20 years, and then decide to franchise. Or, you could sell the idea of partnering on a vision.
For us, the key was articulating our core values, our vision for the business, the "why" behind it, and the importance of the services we offer. We also focused on the type of lifestyle brand we wanted to create. This approach was crucial to our rapid growth. People were drawn to us not because we had a proven business model—far from it. The market we entered was fragmented and somewhat dysfunctional, and we had no prior experience in transportation. People joined us because we understood the "why" and what we wanted to achieve together.
When I talk to prospective business owners or those getting ready to launch a business or franchise, I ask them to consider the "why." Why would someone want to partner with you? Why would an employee, vendor, or customer choose to work with you? If their answers lack depth, I encourage them to dig deeper because understanding the "why" is so critical.
The time we spent curating and drafting our vision and values was one of the best investments we made.
How can strategic timing and resource allocation influence business expansion?
We’ve self-funded our business without outside investors, which has its pros and cons, especially regarding the pace of growth. Every decision we made required careful consideration because we didn't have the financial bandwidth to make costly mistakes, particularly in the early days. We had to be mindful not just about spending money but also about how we allocated resources. This approach worked well until 2015.
At that point, we were full of energy and passion, doing great things. I predicted that by 2020, we'd sell out of franchise locations in Canada, so we decided to expand into the U.S. Despite being advised by eight out of ten experts not to do it—because we were still a young company with few locations—we went ahead anyway.
It was a wonderful decision made at the wrong time. From 2015 to late 2017, we stumbled and spent significant resources, which slowed our pace of growth. While it didn't cripple us, it certainly didn’t help. Reflecting on this, we realized two things: first, our stubbornness sometimes pushes us to move forward when we should be more thoughtful. We could have delayed the expansion by six months to conduct further investigation, potentially leading to a different timing decision.
Second, we learned the importance of resource allocation, particularly time. We now have a more strategic approach, setting finite timeframes and streamlined processes. If an opportunity meets our thresholds, we continue; if not, we cut it. While it’s tempting to expand globally when approached by potential partners from countries like South Africa, Australia, and Italy, our priority is ensuring continued success with our franchise owners in North America before expanding further.
What are the success indicators of a franchise location?
When franchisees are thriving—when they’re prosperous, well-supported, and feel they have strong leadership—everything else falls into place. If the business is performing well and the franchisees are satisfied, it’s often because they face fewer friction points with their employees. This indicates that we’re doing a good job in branding and business performance. When franchisees have the financial resources and feel like part of a team, they can continue to grow and succeed.
We take pride in the connection we have with our franchisees. "Satisfaction" might be too weak a word, but ensuring that connection is crucial. From my perspective, when franchisees are doing well, everything else becomes more manageable. Reaching this level requires daily work, focus, and attention, but their success is truly what drives everything.
Why is networking with your local community and business owners so important?
It's so critical. As a business owner in a community, people naturally prefer to do business with those they know and trust. There’s a natural affiliation there, but it’s not just about winning business; it’s also about personal development and, to some degree, giving back.
One of the things I do is mentor business owners who are at a certain level, and I do it at no charge through a local chamber group. I often get asked why I spend time doing this, and the answer is simple: I get back far more than I give. It helps me course correct and gain perspective on various matters. That’s part of my networking.
Through this, I’ve made some amazing friends and acquaintances. Connecting in your community is important, as is connecting with other business owners. With technology like Zoom, it’s easier to stay connected, but it’s essential to do so purposefully. Understand why you’re connecting—what you can offer and what you can gain—so it’s more than just small talk. It’s about working together on a personal or developmental level.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
