Gary Prenevost
Franchise Consultant
Contact | Articles | Events
Phone: 416-645-9837
Local Office: 2425 Matheson Boulevard East, 8th Floor
Mississauga, ON, L4W 5K4
WELCOME
We’re excited that you’re interested in franchising! Whether you’re looking to take your first step into entrepreneurship or you’re a seasoned investor looking to expand your portfolio, we can help!
FranNet has been in the business of franchising for 35 years! Our team of experienced franchise consultants takes a personalized approach to our services, catering to your specific goals, needs, and investment level. We know starting a new business can be daunting, but we don’t think you should have to do it on your own. We’ll be your guide through the process and the best part? Our services are always free.
We’ll work with you to identify your strengths, goals and how much money you’re looking to make. We partner with hundreds of hand-selected brands to ensure that they are the highest quality so you can be confident that you’re investing in the right future.
Of course, our first goal is education. We’re here to help - even if you don’t end up working with us. When you’re ready, let’s talk. Thanks for considering, FranNet!
Watch Our FranNet Success Stories!
ABOUT GARY
Professional Overview
Gary is a passionate entrepreneur! A calculated risk-taker who thrives on creating opportunity for others, he is constantly redefining his comfort zone while helping others to redefine their comfort zones and unlock their “golden shackles” that had previously held them back from achieving and overachieving their financial and lifestyle goals.
A strong communicator - Gary has an acute ability to guide clients through multiple thought exploration tracks; gain alignment/consensus, and provide structured coaching toward achievement of desired outcomes.
An engaging educator - Gary delivers content from fresh, relevant perspectives and provides platforms to enable application of new knowledge in targeted areas.
A strategist - Gary has the ability to look at the landscape from several perspectives; identify opportunities and challenges, then collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement action plans.
Gary’s tailored approach and highly personalized service enables him to consistently be one of FranNet’s top 5 offices in North America. He also regularly assists many US-based Franchisors seeking to enter the Canadian marketplace.
Industry Leadership
As a multiple-term member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA), Gary is able to stay abreast of leading trends in the franchise industry. He has served on numerous committees and is a regular thought leadership contributor. He is a regular speaker at CFA events, including franchise shows, online webinars and annual conferences.
Gary enjoys mentoring young entrepreneurs and business leaders; he is also a volunteer mentor for emerging franchisors for the Canadian Franchise Association. He is co-chair of FranNet’s Franchise Advisory Committee and also serves on FranNet’s the Board of Directors.
Skills and Expertise
Gary’s 29 years of experience in the Canadian franchising industry makes him an industry-leading and much sought-after consultant for people that are considering franchise ownership. Connecting great people with proven and viable franchise businesses is Gary’s mission. To achieve this goal, Gary is a multi-unit franchisee with FranNet (www.FranNet.com/gprenevost) – a consulting company that helps people who are considering self-employment as a career option.
As the FranNet franchisee and franchise matchmaking consultant for Southern Ontario and Eastern Canada, Gary:
• Helps his clients gain acute clarity on all aspects of their ideal business model and helps them get a sense of which types of franchises best fit their financial/risk profile
• Helps identify and introduce specific franchises that are most likely to help them meet or exceed their financial goals while also allowing them to have the work/life balance they desire
• Most importantly, Gary guides his clients through an in-depth research process for the companies they are considering, including coaching them on who to talk to and providing the right questions to ask to ensure that they have as much information as possible to make an informed and defensible YES or NO decision.
Since franchising enjoys significantly higher success rates than start-from-scratch businesses, it offers one of the best ways of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Through FranNet, Gary works with dozens of franchisors; his services are always at no cost to the prospective franchise buyer because he gets paid by the franchisors, similar to an executive recruiting model.
History
When it comes to franchising, Gary’s been on every side of the franchise business table. He got his start in business format franchising in 1991, first as a franchise recruiting executive for a national business training organization. Over the course of the next 12 years, he was instrumental in the company’s growth into a 110-location system. In addition to his recruiter responsibilities, in 1992 Gary also invested in his own franchise with the company, eventually enjoying “top five” status in the company, where he and his team helped hundreds of franchise owners and independent business owners improve their business results. Gary was also responsible for co-launching 2 major psychometric instrument programs (Prevue, Profiles International) across Canada. Gary focused on leadership development and sales training; he has personally trained over 1000 salespeople, at every level of expertise. In 1997, Gary and a partner took over the entire franchise system; in 2002 Gary divested of that business and launched his FranNet franchise, which he has continually grown and is now one of the largest multi-unit owners in all of FranNet across North America.
While running FranNet, Gary also sought additional growth opportunities… in August 2013, Gary and his two partners acquired the master franchise rights for most of Ontario and all of Manitoba for Alair Homes, (custom home building/renovations), where one of Gary’s direct responsibilities was franchises sales. Gary sold his interests to one of his partners in 2017.
Prior to getting into the franchise industry, Gary was a retail banker, where he rose through the ranks and became a turnaround specialist for several underperforming branches. After nearly 8 years of working in banking, he realized the limitations of the corporate world and entered his first entrepreneurial venture by joining his family’s business as VP of Sales. Over the course of his 3½ years there, sales tripled; Gary also led the company through a round of acquisitions. Through careful evaluation of various businesses and business models, he discovered a love of franchising. Gary recognized that a well-structured, professional franchisor can provide tremendous support to entrepreneurs; since the success of a franchisor is dependent on how well they support their franchisees, new franchise business owners should expect to have a lot of attention to help them deal with the challenges of business ownership.
Personal Interests
Gary’s other personal passions are time with his family, fitness, skiing and other outdoor adventures including canoeing/kayaking, hiking and fly-fishing; gourmet cooking, gardening and global adventure travel round out the list. Gary shares that his most memorable vacation has been walking the Camino de Santiago in 2013.
KULA Yoga teacher training 2008 – 2009: 200-hour yoga instructor training.
Georgetown Aikido 1995 – 2000: martial arts. While he is no longer able to practice the martial art of Aikido due to injury, Gary still applies the teachings and disciplines of this sport in his business and personal life.
10 Frequently Asked Franchise Questions
FAQs
What is a FranNet Franchise Consultant?
A FranNet franchise consultant is a local, franchise expert to advise you on franchise and business opportunities. Within our group, we have past and present franchisors, franchise executives, franchisees, regional and area developers, and other business professionals.
How Do We Help?
We help you by providing assorted research and information that will help you investigate different franchises to start your own business. We can introduce you to many different franchisors, so rather than having to go from place to place to learn about specific businesses, you can learn the basics about several options all in one spot! This saves you time and money.
FranNet Consultants help save you time and money in several ways: by educating you about franchising, by helping you research your business, by identifying the right structure and strategic mix of the businesses you are interested in, and by introducing you to the franchisors that fit your model.
We’ll encourage you to thoroughly research any franchise that you are investigating, and we’ll even help you find franchise attorneys and other advisors so you can gain more information before you buy. We believe that the more you know, the better the odds are that the choice you make will be a good one. As a result, we stress that you spend the necessary time to research before you buy. Once you’ve bought the business, it’s too late to change your mind.
How Much Do We Cost?
FranNet Consulting Services are 100% Free For Our Clients. Like a real estate agent, we make our commission only if and when a deal closes and are paid by the seller, not you, the buyer.
How Can We Work Together?
- Take Our Entrepreneur Readiness Profile
- Create your free Readiness Profile to evaluate the best business ownership options for you. First, you will complete a personality analysis and an investment range determination. From there, our algorithm can help determine what franchise options in your local market may be best able to meet your goals.
- We Will Review Your Readiness Profile
- Once you have your Entrepreneur Readiness Profile results, you may request a free, no-obligation review session with your local franchise consultant. During this meeting, you can gain more insight into what franchise opportunities may be best for your goals.
- We’ll Discuss Your Franchise Options
- After the review of your Readiness Profile, we work with you to determine what local franchise options may be worth exploring. Your local consultant will present you with a number of options and depending on which ones you are interested in, your consultant will make an introduction.
- Introduction To Your Ideal Franchise Brands
- We will help facilitate those introductions and coach you on the due diligence process. We will also provide guidance on which questions to ask, the Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs), and the tools you can use to rank the franchise opportunities for yourself.
- Introduction to Existing Franchisees of the Brands You Like
- Once you’ve learned more about each franchise opportunity that you are interested in, you will be able to speak with active franchisees in their respective organizations to validate the business, support, and overall success of each opportunity.
- Attend a Discovery Day
- Before making a formal commitment to a franchise opportunity, you will attend a Discovery Day, usually on-site at the corporate headquarters of the specific franchise you’re interested in (In the wake of COVID-19, many franchisors are offering virtual Discovery Days). This Discovery Day is a great opportunity for you to meet the top management team, see their operational facility, and learn more about the day-to-day life of owning a business under their brand.
- Making a Final Decision with FranNet By Your Side
- Once you return from a Discovery Day, you’ll be in a position to decide if that specific franchise is the right fit for you. If it is, we’ll provide the necessary referrals to franchise attorneys, accountants, and funding partners to help complete your franchise due diligence. From there, it is your choice to sign the final franchise agreement and become a franchisee.
Virtual & Live Events
Upcoming National Events
How to Fund Your Business
If you are considering starting a business, it’s important to learn about all of the funding options available to you. Join us for this informative webinar!
Franchise Spotlight: This commercial cleaning franchise is a sweeping success!
On Wednesday, November 6th at 2:00pm EST, FranNet will be featuring a leader in the cleaning service industry. From office buildings and medical facilities to restaurants and retail spaces, this franchise’s customized solutions are always dependable and consistent.
Veterans in Business: The Power of Franchise Ownership
Join us for a FREE one-hour webinar to discover how franchising can be your path to financial independence and career fulfillment after service. We’ll explore a variety of franchise opportunities suited to different investment levels and personal goals, providing valuable insights for veterans at every stage of their journey.
Resources
Helpful Articles
Franchise Ownership 101
Business Ownership Exploration
