A Message From CFA President and CEO Sherry McNeil

It’s during times like these that the strength of a community is put to the test. As I’m writing this, COVID-19’s impact on the world is creating waves across all sectors and industries. Every member of the CFA community is at this time dealing with an issue that is affecting the world, our industries, our communities, our businesses, and our people.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian franchise community is unprecedented and we are all adapting as the situation presents many unique challenges. As business leaders, we have been faced with hard decisions. This is not business as usual. I have spoken to many members about the challenges they are currently facing and what they see to come. The adverse situation in which we all find ourselves has been painful, difficult, and in some cases devastating… but it does not need to determine the outcome of our organizations.

Under normal circumstances, this Spring issue of the Franchise Voice would serve as a wrap-up of the CFA and our members’ successes, culminating in our annual CFA National Convention. COVID-19 has certainly thrown us a curveball, but allow me to remind you of the tremendous accomplishments of our Association and the Canadian franchising community this past year. During a time of transformation, listening, learning, and accomplishing many “firsts” for the Association, we proved that we have what it takes to face this COVID-19 situation head-on.

Heading into 2020, the CFA’s strategic focus shifted to creating a strong sense of community amongst our franchise system and support service supplier members. The CFA and the franchising community’s efforts to band together and push forward through the impacts of COVID-19 have been a testament to the success of this strategic focus.

As COVID-19 grew in severity, the CFA recognized the importance of providing our members with daily updates and resources to keep the community informed and prepared. The Association couldn’t have done this without a strong community of franchising leaders who stepped up during turbulent times to offer their resources. These resources range from informative articles to webinars to help our community through tough times.

While the CFA worked with all levels of government to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, our members developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to help give businesses (franchised and non-franchised) the tools to help them weather the storm and the tools to help Canada and the Canadian economy grow tomorrow. We sent this message to the Prime Minster and to provincial and territorial premiers.

I continue to be inspired every day by the passion, intellects, imagination, and dedication of CFA community members over the past few months as the world faces an unprecedented challenge. I have watched franchising leaders – while working tirelessly on their own business – find the time to give back to the franchise community, demonstrating empathy and compassion for others. Looking back at this time, I am proud of our accomplishments and I am confident in the strength of this community to continue to Grow Together™, day by day, step by step, because we truly are Better Together and as a community United, We Are Strong. Through these uncertain times, one thing is for sure: you are not alone. The CFA community is here to help.