Tired

AJ did.

AJ was 20 years old and worked at a bank in Toronto … however he wasn’t very excited and just couldn’t see himself doing much longer. So AJ took his life savings, and along with brother Bill bought a tired business called the Hamilton Garage … and then set about improving it.

First they moved locations, which they ended up doing several times … before ending up at a corner a few blocks from Bloor & Yonge where they still are today.

Then they started offering a whole bunch of other products besides tires … and then a one-page catalog, which helped car owners order things they really needed. They even conveniently put a map of all the roads in Ontario on the back of the catalog when maps were hard to come by.

However, the biggest change was the name … the Hamilton Garage located in Toronto wasn’t quite right … and they wanted to sound bigger than they were .... so they changed it to reflect their aspirations.

After 12 years the brothers opened their first franchise store … and then another … and another.

Today, the business bored bank teller AJ started with his brother has become the largest Canadian owned and operated franchise business with over 450 stores today right across the country … and 80% of us visit one every year … Canadian Tire.

Canadian Tire is a Great Idea because sometimes to be successful … you need to deploy a catalog of new ideas to grow a tired business.