Todd Coupal used to be a buyer for two of the largest brands in their industries. Today, he is a business owner and the president of Pop-ALock of Greater Vancouver, a trustworthy and professional locksmith company that provides commercial, residential and automotive locksmith services.

For him, making the leap to business ownership was a natural one, but finding the right opportunity was key. “What I liked about my previous career in retail management was that the job was very much like running your own business,” said Coupal. “I was responsible for budgeting, choosing the optimal product assortment and developing sales and marketing plans to achieve our goals.” But after 15 years of growing that business, Coupal says he was ready for something more.

“There was always that latent dream,” said Coupal. “I wanted to build something of my own. There I was creating a profitable business, but it was all going to the company.”

Coupal began exploring franchise business opportunities, but with the number of concepts available to choose from, the research quickly became overwhelming. That is when he turned to FranNet of Western Canada and met with Grant Bullington, a franchise consultant who works with individuals considering business ownership to match them with a franchise business.

Working with Bullington, Coupal took a Personal Franchise Assessment (PFA), a sort of personality test of his business acumen. The assessment looks at a person from many facets, including their behaviour profile, risk tolerance and financial background. Coupal’s PFA was then used to help identify franchises that would align best with his attributes.

Coupal had some specific goals in mind with owning a franchise where he “wanted to be able to develop an entire market,” he recalled.

Specifically, he was looking for a U.S. business that had been proven successful but had yet to come to Canada. And he felt that franchise ownership would be less risky than starting a business from scratch.

Bullington suggested a few concepts that aligned with what Coupal sought in a business opportunity, and Pop- A-Lock quickly surfaced to the top.

Coupal says he was drawn to the concept for several reasons, including the fact that the business was both direct to consumer and business-to-business. He also liked the opportunity to provide a far superior business delivery model and service than existing market players in an ‘old school’ trade.

Coupal opened Pop-A-Lock of Greater Vancouver in 2012 as the brand’s second franchisee in Canada. Part of the largest network of locksmiths across Canada and the U.S., Coupal’s business provides customers access to the latest locksmithing technologies and security reporting systems. And, he says, it starts with the exceptional training and support provided by the franchisor.

“Pop-A-Lock’s head office provides a national training center, which observes a consistency of training amongst employees,” said Coupal. “They also provide training on automotive locksmithing which is a unique skill set in the industry.”

Pop-A-Lock is able to make chip keys, proximity keys and push button remotes on the spot for almost any vehicle where the keys are missing. An extensive proprietary database serves as a comprehensive resource on vehicles in production. Pop-A-Lock franchisees know what kind of keys and methods they need to work on for a customer’s particular vehicle.

“Pop-A-Lock really stood out as a shining star in the industry,” said Coupal. “And that’s what got me really excited to join and be part of the brand’s growth in Canada.”

For more information on Coupal’s Pop-A-Lock of Greater Vancouver, visit vancouver.popalock.ca, or call 604-733-5625 for Vancouver/Richmond; 604-980-5625 for North/West Vancouver; or 604-435-5625 for Burnaby/New West.

For those interested in learning more about business ownership opportunities, contact Grant Bullington of FranNet Western Canada at 604-609-6165 or visit www.frannet.com.

About Pop-A-Lock

Pop-A-Lock is one of the world’s largest professional locksmith franchises and provides 24-hour locksmith support. Pop-A-Lock services range from corporate to residential, automotive and emergency. For more information, visit www.popalock.ca.

About FranNet

FranNet is North America’s most respected leader in matching individuals with franchise ownership opportunities. Founded in 1987, FranNet has more than 100 experienced consultants across the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. FranNet uses a proprietary profiling and consultative process to determine a business model unique to each client’s goals, skill sets and interests, and has matched thousands of prospective business owners to rewarding small business franchise opportunities. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, FranNet has been recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in America for the last five years.