There are a range of Canadian-born and -bred brands offering franchise opportunities to curious entrepreneurs. One is a supplier of office, janitorial, and industrial products. Another teaches natural nutrition, and a third rents disposal bins and storage cubes. Although their respective market segments aren’t the same, the promises they offer are: an investment opportunity in a growing system that has its roots here at home.
Bam Quick Bins
Bam Quick Bins currently has two franchises in Ontario: one in Belleville and one in Peterborough. Mark Caffrey, a co-owner of Bam Quick Bins, says the brand wants to expand along Ontario’s Highway 401 corridor, noting that it should prove lucrative, as it runs for 828 kilometres through such cities as Kingston, Toronto, Mississauga, and London, before ending in Windsor. There’s also a corporate location in Cobourg, and Caffrey says another corporate venue is slated for Oshawa, although it will be run as an independent franchise.
Cobourg-based Caffrey and his business partner purchased the system in 2020 and started franchising in 2021. Moving westward along the 401, they plan to establish two franchises a year, beginning in 2024. The cost of a turnkey franchise is $350,000, which covers the $180,000 cost of a specialist truck and 25 bins, and lets franchisees start hauling away a customer’s unwanted construction materials, soil, concrete, and unneeded furniture right away. Bam Quick Bins also offers at-home storage cubes, where householders can put any items they don’t need while they renovate.
Among the qualities Caffrey looks for in potential franchisees is the drive to succeed. They must also be good at managing time and resources and be willing to follow the brand’s system. In-person training is delivered over a week at the corporate location in Cobourg, teaching franchisees how to use their specialist trucks. Instruction on Bam Quick Bins’ systems is offered online and takes place over a couple of weeks. Caffrey’s target customers cover a broad range, but he says most of them are residential, whether homeowners or their contractors.
Unlike many other businesses, the pandemic left Bam Quick Bins largely untouched. “We were deemed an essential service, so we continued to offer our services as normal,” says Caffrey. “Our market really didn’t change.”
Caffrey says one benefit of franchising with Bam Quick Bins is the full training for the franchisee and one employee, a protected territory, back-office support and coaching, corporate advertising with a microsite on the company’s web page, and help with licensing. Franchisees need just an Ontario G class driver’s licence, but will require another licence from the provincial Ministry of the Environment and a Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration.
Canadian School of Natural Nutrition
It’s no secret that the pandemic put many companies in Canada out of business. For others, the disruption proved to be a catalyst for change. This is true for the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN). Rose O’Leary, executive director, says the pandemic changed the way the school teaches. “It prompted us to look at education in a different light,” she says from head office in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
The school used to rent classroom space in strip malls and other public facilities, but now many CSNN branches have classes that are taught live virtually. “It’s the same as before,” says O’Leary. “It’s just on Zoom.” Not all instruction is online, however. Some branches continue to offer classes through an in-person and online hybrid, or in-class only.
The school was founded by Danielle Perrault in 1994, although it now has another owner. It began franchising in 1996 with two franchises, and today there are eight, including two in the Greater Toronto Area and others in New Brunswick, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, along with one corporate location.
The cost of a franchise varies depending on the region and branch. The school’s target franchisee is someone with a background in holistic nutrition. Many of the school’s teachers are its own graduates who have additional credentials; however, many instructors are also other health care professionals, such as naturopaths. The schools are regulated by their respective provincial governments.
When considering potential franchisees, O’Leary says they look for those who not only understand the holistic philosophy of nutrition, but who also have experience in business ownership. A passion for health care and for owning your own business are also welcome.
As for expansion, O’Leary explains that because the online presence allows for large territories, franchise openings usually come along as franchisees retire, and there are currently a couple franchisees who have been with CSNN for over 20 years who would like to retire. The benefits of investing with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition brand, O’Leary says, are the enjoyment of working with like-minded people, building personal relationships around health care, and learning about the health benefits of holistic nutrition.
eSupply Canada
Steven Vanloffeld, founder and CEO of eSupply Canada, used to serve as an elected member of council at his community, and he says during his tenure, he grew tired of watching millions of dollars leave his community to the big box retailers for the purchase of supplies the community needed to operate. So, he started eSupply Canada.
Vanloffeld says eSupply Canada has revolutionized the office, janitorial, and industrial supplies industry with its one-stop shop dropship e-commerce portal. With over one million products, eSupply has consolidated the business supplies category, which he says is “an innovation that was long overdue.”
eSupply began franchising nine months ago and is close to finalizing its first two franchise sales, with both franchises located in Ontario. Given that his system is entirely online, expansion can easily take place nationally, says Vanloffeld, but for the time being, he’s focused on southwestern Ontario.
He has plans to grow to 300 franchises in the system, 200 of them owned by First Nation communities and the remaining 100 in other Canadian markets. The Indigenous franchisees will focus on targeting contracts for government procurement (which account for $22 billion of spending a year); other Canadians will target small- and medium-sized businesses.
eSupply’s new owner training is online and in-person. The in-class instruction lasts four days and is offered in conjunction with Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. Vanloffeld says eSupply also has a paid training program for franchisees to “learn the ropes” before taking over their franchise.
The total cost of a franchise is $35,000, and franchisees don’t have to pay for upfront inventory or warehousing costs; it’s all handled through eSupply’s supplier relationships. Franchisees secure orders by showing prospects what’s available online, then passing those orders along to eSupply’s online portal. The company then procures the products and dispatches them to the customer, with the franchisees earning a commission.
As for how the brand dealt with the pandemic, Vanloffeld says it was something of a proving ground for eSupply because its business model is both lean and nimble and allowed the system to pivot to changing market demand. During the worst of COVID, he points out, eSupply had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) through its industrial supply chains, and sourced products for governments, businesses, and Indigenous communities.
Among the qualities Vanloffeld looks for in a potential franchisee are a sales aptitude and persistence. “They [franchisees] need to build trust-based relationships and be able to sell,” he explains.
The benefits of investing with eSupply are many, notes Vanloffeld. There’s the low cost of entry, and the advantages of working from home, including the schedule. “You can keep regular hours,” says Vanloffeld. “Most business transactions are done between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.”