“These professionals are famil-
iar with how to sell to people in their
homes, and are often working from
home, or even better have an existing
showroom to which they can add a
Kwik Kloset display. There’s more free-
dom with this franchise option, too –
they don’t have to have the Kwik Kloset
van, (although as Leo discovered, it is
exceptional at generating business),
they don’t need to wear the Kwik Kloset
uniform, and they aren’t expected to
produce the same revenue as the full-
time franchises. It’s a great way to add
what we do onto what they already do,
and there’s no pressure,” he explains.
When Turnbull initially told Landri-
ault that he thought Sudbury could
only support a part-time franchise,
Landriault says he wasn’t fazed, as he
was already doing contracting work
in the area, and was looking toward
retirement. But that quickly changed
when, after his initial success, the fran-
chise only continued to grow.
“About two years into it, I realized I
could turn it into a full-time business,
and last summer, we went full-time
with Kwik Kloset. We had so much
work that we didn’t have time for any
other projects, so we decided to put
all of our eggs in that one basket, and
just go for it. So far, it’s worked really,
really well,” says Landriault.
6JGRGEKPGHOR-VKL-ĚOSGě
HRCNEJKSKNISTEEGSS
It’s worked so well, in fact, that Landri-
ault was awarded the Franchisee of the
Year designation earlier this year.
“Leo is the Franchisee of the Year
because he followed the system
exactly the way you’re supposed to.
He’s reaping the rewards of having
done that, and is producing as much or
more revenue than some of the dedi-
cated large full-time franchises, out of
a much smaller market,” says Turnbull.
“By using the Kwik Kloset method-
ologies and templates, specialized for
this work, he and his wife are able to
do a whole house of wire shelving in
1 ½ hours. They get contracts to do
whole subdivisions, and they do them
faster than any of the builders could
imagine – they’re blowing them away
with how quickly they can perform,”
he adds.
“We train franchisees on what they
should do up front, and Leo is Franchi-
see of the Year because he really did
it properly. My only regret is I didn’t
charge him the full franchise fee!”
jokes Turnbull.6JGSěRGNIěJOHěJGHRCNEJKSG
concept
Landriault may have turned his part-
time business into a full-time fran-
chise, but Turnbull says this doesn’t
have to be the case. “Kwik Kloset
Connect franchise opportunities can
be implemented in towns where there
just isn’t enough population to war-
rant a business dedicated to closets,
so no one else is going to go there. It
turned out that in Sudbury, there was
enough business for a full-time closet
company, and while Leo has proven
that it can happen, it doesn’t have
to happen. The part-time model was
what it was intended to be. It’s a great
business for a husband-and-wife team
like Leo and Donna.”
While Landriault lauds the fran-
chise business model for the indepen-dence and responsibility it provides,
he acknowledges that it takes a lot of
hard work, and isn’t going to be the
best business option for everyone.
“Whether I make it or not, it’s up to me.
I like having that authority, and the
fi nal responsibility. I’m a bit of a work-
aholic, and I would say that you can’t
be afraid of work. This is not a 9-5,
Monday to Friday job. You’re going to
be working more than 40 hours a week,
especially if you want to make a go of
it. And, if you’re going to be successful
in a franchise, you need the backing of
your family, and to be really comfort-
able with the franchisor that you’re
dealing with.”
The effort is more than worth it for
a successful franchisee like the modest
Landriault, who is quick to give credit
elsewhere for his Franchisee of the
Year win. “Tom kind of took me by sur-
prise with that one. I’m just your Joe
Blow guy out there doing my thing. We
have grown the business exponentially
in the past couple of years. Part of that
is Sudbury is a small market, part of it
is that we worked hard, part of it is a
little luck, and part of it is being in the
right place at the right time.
I also have to give credit where it’s
due – to my wife, who is my best friend
and the only person who can consis-
tently outwork me, and to Kwik Kloset
Franchising Inc., for helping me out
and getting me organized and going.
That all plays a factor in it. It’s kind of
surprising, but I’ll take it!”ADVERTORIALHRCNEJKSGKNHO"LVKLLĚOSGěEOM52#%'/#0
VVVLVKLLĚOSGěEOM
“Leo is the Franchisee of the Year
because he followed the system exactly
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Congratulations, Leo!