Award-Winning Franchising Insight from EverLine Coatings and Services and Inspiration Learning Centers

Since 1992, the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) has recognized its members with strong franchisor-franchisee relationships at its annual Awards of Excellence gala. Considered the pinnacle of franchise achievement in Canada, the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising are presented annually to franchise systems that demonstrate superior franchise relations, leadership, training, and communications.

This year, more than 70 CFA-member franchise brands participated in the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising program. The winning franchise systems were determined based on the results of a survey sponsored by the CFA and administered by the Portage Group, a third-party research firm.  The participating brands’ franchisees were asked about their experiences and levels of satisfaction with the system. Entries were separated into Traditional Franchises and Non-Traditional Franchises and then divided into categories based on their number of franchisees.

The Franchise Voice had the opportunity to sit down with Inspiration Learning Centers and EverLine Coatings and Services–the winners of this year’s Grand Prize for Traditional Franchises and Non-Traditional Franchises, respectively – to gain valuable insight into what goes into an award-winning franchise system.

Genuine Care for Franchisee Success Drives Angel Kuang, CEO and Co-founder of Inspiration Learning Centers

By Raavya Bhattacharyya

A leader who not only understands the importance of comprehensive support but also embodies it is of paramount importance to the success of a franchise system. Angel Kuang, the CEO and co-founder of Inspiration Learning Centers, stands out as an exceptional leader in the Canadian franchise community. With her unwavering dedication to her work and unique leadership style, Kuang built a thriving tutoring franchise brand that has positively impacted countless lives. 

The Inspiration Learning Center system’s growth is partly due to Kuang’s exceptional leadership skills. As the director and founder of Inspiration Learning Center, she has overseen its expansion from a single center in 2003 to 14 centers across Ontario and Calgary today. Combining her Canadian and Chinese teaching experiences, Kuang developed a winning tutoring formula that resonates with students and parents alike. 

It’s no surprise then that Inspiration Learning Centers was the recipient of the Grand Prize Award Traditional Franchises in 2023. This prestigious award acknowledges the top achievers in the Canadian franchising industry who focus on strong franchisor-franchisee relationships.

Unwavering support to franchisees through thick and thin

Kuang’s commitment to her franchisees is rooted in her genuine care for their success. Recognizing that many franchisees may lack prior business ownership experience, Kuang understands the crucial role of ongoing franchisor support.

“I make sure they feel like they are not alone in this journey and have me to rely on,” she emphasizes. To Kuang, every franchisee is a cherished family member, and she provides support whenever needed.

Owned and operated by individuals from diverse backgrounds, the brand represents a tapestry of cultures. Ten out of 14 franchisees are women, and the majority are newcomers to Canada or second-generation newcomers. and Kuang has cultivated an environment that celebrates diversity and empowers individuals to thrive.

With a fervent passion for helping others and an infectious passion for success, Kuang’s leadership style is based on motivation and encouragement. She says that franchisors should treat their franchisees like they treat their children. Furthermore, the franchisors should “Love them, support them, and encourage them to understand the importance of both business and education.” Kuang firmly believes that equipping franchisees with the necessary business skills is vital for their growth and the overall prosperity of the brand.

Teamwork is the key to success

Kuang’s emphasis on teamwork is one of the reasons Inspiration Learning Center is successful. Having established internal rules and systems, Kuang ensures that franchisees have a clear roadmap for their work.

On that note, Kuang created a Whatsapp group with all her franchisees to ensure their queries and concerns get addressed. Though Kuang herself may not always be available, the group allows franchisees to interact with each other. This approach builds a sense of community and promotes teamwork. “The group is an attempt to highlight that I am an honest and transparent leader, who is always here for her franchisees,” Kuang notes.

Overcoming challenges while scaling a brand

Despite the tremendous success and growth of Inspiration Learning Centers, Kuang’s journey has not been without its challenges. Overcoming franchising hurdles requires innovative approaches and personalized attention. “We hold frequent one-on-ones with franchisees to provide holistic support,” Kuang says. By creating comprehensive calendars and step-by-step plans, she empowers franchisees to take control of their path to success. Through these measures, Kuang ensures that every franchisee feels supported and motivated to put in the consistent hard work that defines a thriving franchise.

Kuang’s unique approach to leadership has guided Inspiration Learning Center to new heights and empowered franchisees to realize their potential. As a franchisee, working alongside Kuang means embarking on a journey that nurtures personal and professional growth. By providing comprehensive support and fostering teamwork, Kuang has not only built a successful tutoring franchise brand but also become an inspiration for aspiring leaders in the education industry.

Built to last 

How John Evans, CEO of EverLine Coatings and Services, went from franchisee to award-winning franchisor 

By Hiru Batepola

When John Evans walked into a franchise show over a decade ago, he thought he would walk out owning an established franchise in the premium juice and smoothie space. What he ended up buying, however, was a license for a more durable traffic-marking product – the seed of his 11-year-old franchise system, EverLine Coatings and Services. 

EverLine Coatings and Services is a parking lot line painting and pavement maintenance company serving property managers, building owners, and individual store managers. Its services include seal coating, crack filling, line stripping, asphalt repair, parking lot accessory installation, and much more. The franchise has seen some significant growth in the last year. In 2022, EverLine Coatings and Services brought on 51 new U.S. franchise agreements. By the end of Q2 this year, the company expects to add 65 more franchise units in the U.S. and 22 in Canada. 

This growth in franchise agreements is complemented by an exponential increase in system-wide sales year-over-year. It is no wonder that EverLine Coatings and Services was the winner of the Grand Prize for Non-Traditional Franchises at this year’s Awards of Excellence in Franchising. Clearly, franchisees are singing high praises for EverLine Coatings and Services. 

In the wake of the win, we asked John Evans, the CEO of EverLine Coatings and Services about how he keeps his franchisees satisfied and his journey from franchisee to franchisor.

Evans created an award-winning brand around a single product. Of course, as he jokes, “A straight yellow line is a straight yellow line.” So, what makes EverLine Coatings and Services stand out as a pavement maintenance company and as a franchise? 

From franchisor to franchisee 

When he graduated from university, Evans already had experience working as a franchisee under College Pro Painters. Through its one-year contracts, College Pro Painters provides university students the opportunity to run a small business while continuing their studies. When he left the program, Evans took with him the ability to present himself as “communicative, professional, and credible,” and brought his experience with him to that fateful day at the trade show. 

As Evans was shopping around, looking for an investment opportunity, he came across a parking lot painting unit that looked like a paint sprayer on wheels. Coming from the painting industry with College Pro Painters, the product caught his attention immediately. 

“I thought it was going to be a really interesting differentiator for me,” Evans says. “To have a durable type of traffic marketing paint product that they were licensing out at the time.”

Evans made the decision to buy the license for the parking lot painter, and with the lessons and experience from his past as a franchisee, Evans created the EverLine Coatings and Services franchise concept around three things: a durable product, industry knowledge, and most importantly, the franchisees themselves. 

The “fran man” 

As Evans watched EverLine Coatings and Services expand, he found himself grappling with the unexpected challenges that come with fast growth. He quickly had to learn how to help franchisees manage shortages of different resources, whether that was people, cash, or work, on his own. 

“For years it was just me. They called me the ‘fran man’ because I was doing all the support, training, all that sort of stuff,” Evans recalls. “Now, I have a team of 20 people in the organization that we put together to deal with the obstacles that come with opening up so many locations.” 

That team allowed the franchise system to anticipate challenges and tackle issues proactively. The decision ultimately allowed Evans to support his franchisees more effectively. 

“Franchisees must be just as successful or more successful than you were,” says Evans. “That’s what’s going to make a great franchise system. That’s where most early franchisors have a challenge—they underestimate the amount of support all of these people coming into their world need.”

Evans advises new franchisors to be prepared to support their franchisees – something that looks different for everyone. For EverLine, that means building a franchisor-franchisee relationship where the franchisee feels they can voice the struggles they are facing with full transparency. With a foundation of communication, the franchisor can provide the necessary guidance and advice to tackle the problem at hand.

As a former franchisee, Evans’ experience informs the way he approaches the franchisor-franchisee relationship and how he handles any conflict that arises.  

“If there is ever some sort of tension or challenge that pops up, we will always come to the table and work with them as a partner,” he explains.

When asked what other advice he’d give to new franchisors, Evans advises that you need to know why you’re in business and where you want your company to go.   

“You must ask yourself, why are you franchising? Is it to kick back and collect royalties? That’s not how it works. You can start doing that once you get over 100 units or so. But in order to get to 100 units successfully, there’s a lot of water to go through to get to that bridge.” 

Paving the path forward 

In the 11 years he’s spent growing EverLine Coatings and Services, Evans finds himself equally astonished and excited by the growth of his longtime franchisees. 

“Some of our first franchisees have started to hit their five-year mark in business; they’re doing remarkable numbers, they’re achieving so many incredible things,” he says.

The personal successes of franchisees have created a foundation for the expanding number of franchisees joining the company and growing EverLine Coatings and Services across Canada and the U.S. It seems only a matter of time before newcomers begin to hit their own milestones and major achievements. 

With a whopping 80 franchise units coming to North America, Evans isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon. His next directive is to get his new franchisees off the ground.

EverLine Coatings and Services continues its journey toward becoming the largest self-performing commercial property manager in North America, and Evans continues to pave the path forward with good franchisee relations and a strong concept.