In April, the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) hosted its 32nd annual National Convention, attract­ing leading franchise experts, keynote speakers, franchisors, and their teams from across Canada. The event took place at Le Westin in downtown Montreal and spanned three days, offering networking opportunities, educational sessions, and insightful presentations on various franchise-related topics.

With the theme of “Leading the Future Through Inno­vation,” attendees delved into a community of visionary leaders, drawing inspiration from the passion and inno­vation inherent in Canadian franchising. This year’s con­vention fostered an environment of collaboration, where franchisors willingly shared ideas and experiences.

Any CFA member who has attended a CFA Convention can attest to the power of the CFA community and its ability to drive the Canadian franchising industry for­ward. Convention attendees are often amazed by how franchisors are open to sharing their ideas, experiences, and pitfalls, even with their direct competitors.

This post-Convention issue of The Franchise Voice is no different. Here, you’ll find leaders of the franchising industry sharing their insights with the community. From insight into what goes into building an award-win­ning franchise system with Willowbrae Academy to Nick Empson of Level Up Business Coaching & Consulting’s guide to expanding into international mar­kets with the master franchising model, CFA members have a demonstrated commitment to the con­cept of Growing Together®: one united voice, working toward the common goal of helping everyday Canadi­ans make their business dreams come true through the power of franchising.

While the work to bring our strategic plan to fruition is still underway, one thing is certain for the future of the CFA: community remains our top priority as we get set to navigate a new set of challenges in the years to come. We achieved so much by working together so far in 2024, and I thank you all for your continued commitment to and support of the CFA. By contributing your time and knowledge, each one of you has made a lasting difference to our community, and we couldn’t do it without you.

I envision the CFA as the “steward” of our community and the “keeper” of the power of that community. We are more than a service provider to individual franchise systems. We are also more than just the representation of the franchise community. We are the franchise com­munity in this country. We are successful when you, our members, are successful, and together, we are powerful.

Continue reading as The Franchise Voice looks back at the engaging presenters, informative sessions, round­table discussions, and award-winning franchise systems that helped to make the 2024 CFA National Convention one to remember and an event that set us on the right course to meet our goals in 2024 and beyond.

As a long-standing member of the CFA and its Board of Directors, I have seen first-hand the vital role community plays within the Association. There is perhaps no better display of the power of the Cana­dian franchising community than what we saw on display at the CFA’s National Convention in April. In this post- Convention issue of The Franchise Voice, we look back on the 2024 National Convention in Montreal, where CFA members from across the country embraced the power of community to share knowledge and insight through roundtable discussions, power sessions, key­note presentations, and other engaging programming.

Through strong participation in a wide range of CFA programming and initiatives, our members have the power to lift each other up and keep the Canadian fran­chising industry strong in the face of unprecedented chal­lenges. We are a small but strong community because we support and encourage each other.

Throughout 2024 and beyond, the CFA remains com­mitted to fostering the power of community with events like Meet & Greets in Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver; Franchise Awareness Day at Queen’s Park in Toronto; and Franchise Law Day, also in Toronto. The common thread of any CFA event or initiative has been what we as an association bring to the table as a collective entity. As a community, CFA members support each other by helping others navigate the increasingly chal­lenging business landscape as the most authoritative voices of our industry.

This philosophy of CFA members helping other mem­bers grow their businesses by sharing their own best practices and insight into the franchise model is show­cased in this issue of The Franchise Voice. Here, CFA members are happy to contribute content which provides fellow members with valuable information. Take, for example, our Q&A with Willowbrae Academy. As the Grand Prize winners of the 2024 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising for Traditional Franchises, Wil­lowbrae was happy to share insight into what made them an award-winning system, providing this wisdom as part of their commitment to contributing to this community.

For the CFA to produce strong programming, we need all CFA members involved and engaged with the Asso­ciation. When it comes to supporting the CFA, even the smallest contribution can make a difference. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of tools at your disposal through the CFA to engage with the community, and as a result, grow your system to its fullest potential. You can contribute insightful content to this magazine. You can join one of our committees to help develop CFA programs and tackle any areas of concern for the franchise community. You can engage with fellow CFA members at our various events and tradeshows across the country to meet like-minded franchisors within your market. You can also attend Convention, which encapsulates what it means to be a part of the Canadian franchise community.

Our mission at the CFA is to ensure that franchising remains a viable option for everyday Canadians to be in business for themselves but not by themselves, and to fulfill their desires to be self-employed businesspeople providing for their families. There have never been more opportunities for franchisees or franchisors than right now. With all of us focused together, along with your Canadian Franchise Association, we can make the dream of franchising a reality for more Canadians than ever before.

Sherry McNeil
President & CEO, Canadian Franchise Association
smcneil@cfa.ca