By John Lowe, owner of Kitchen Tune-Up Burlington & West Oakville
My previous career was vastly different from my current career as a self-employed kitchen remodeler with Kitchen Tune-Up. I worked in commercial lending at a Canadian bank and — despite shifting career paths — I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, dedicating 20 years to the company. The organization had more than 75,000 people, and as a commercial lender, I had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of roles and constantly learn new skills. It made the job interesting and well worth the time, but as time passed, I became less excited about my banking position and more excited about being self-employed.
Working at the bank gave me the opportunity to learn about business ownership through other people’s businesses. It gave me a glimpse into how to manage money and run a successful business, which I can now apply to my own self-employment endeavors.
After months of business and franchise research, I recently bought a Kitchen Tune-Up franchise that serves Burlington and West Oakville, which are communities I’ve lived in nearly my entire life. I’ve raised my children here and have coached a variety of sports groups. My Kitchen Tune-Up business allows me to work in an area I know and love.
The road to Kitchen Tune-Up specifically was driven by my do-it-yourself personality. I greatly enjoyed undertaking renovation projects on my home and have always found kitchens to be the best projects of all. Not only do I enjoy designing new spaces and guiding my team to restore cabinetry to its former glory, but I recognize the importance of a kitchen for a family and the impact a kitchen remodel can have on someone’s life. The work my team and I complete is very rewarding.
To make this drastic career change, family support was essential. The support I’ve received has been amazing — both of my kids have worked with us on early projects as well as on some of our biggest. I’ve also enlisted the help of my siblings for home shows. It’s been extremely nice to not only work with my family to help me grow my business, but also to have their unwavering support through my journey of entrepreneurship.
The best advice I received on business ownership was from my franchise broker, who advised on exploring and specifying your personal needs prior to researching franchises to figure out what’s going to be a good fit for you. Personal preferences can range from what time of year or time of day you will be busiest to the financial reward. Analyze the different opportunities you have and run the numbers to compare the financial upside to those opportunities. When it came down to it, my decision was based on the right fit — the business that matched my specific needs I identified early on.
My personal advice for others who want to make a leap to another career or own their own business is to put in the time. Especially at the beginning, your commitment and the number of hours you put in is significant to the overall outcome of your business. You’ll wear a lot of hats and be pulled in many different directions, but the ability to be in charge of business decisions is incredibly rewarding.
After working in corporate Canada for so many years, it’s amazing and powerful to be in control of my own business and financial future. While it’s a lot of dedication and hard work, the benefits and freedom you earn from business ownership is gratifying in terms of decisions and creative input. I am fulfilled by this business and the support I receive every day from my family and the community.
