Tweet

The Donut King: The Early Years of Ron Joyce

Article Overview: He grew up in rural Nova Scotia in a house without plumbing and a wood stove for heating. Today, he has eight cars, owns a $60 million golf club resort, and has so much money he has even offered to fly people on trips anywhere in the world if they can help improve his golf swing. How did Ron Joyce get to where he is today? He did it by building a tiny coffee shop by the name of Tim Horton’s into one of Canada’s most beloved and successful brands.

The Donut King: The Early Years of Ron Joyce

He grew up in rural Nova Scotia in a house without plumbing and a wood stove for heating. Today, he has eight cars, owns a $60 million golf club resort, and has so much money he has even offered to fly people on trips anywhere in the world if they can help improve his golf swing. How did Ron Joyce get to where he is today? He did it by building a tiny coffee shop by the name of Tim Horton’s into one of Canada’s most beloved and successful brands.

Born in 1930, in the rural town of Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, Ronald Vaughan Joyce came from a poor family. Together with his parents and two siblings, he lived in a small three bedroom house that had few conveniences. When he was three years old, his father died, leaving his mother to take care of the family on welfare. There was little heating during the frigid Nova Scotian winters and no plumbing, but they always seemed to make do.

When Joyce was 16-years old, he decided to drop out of high school and try his luck out in the real world. He moved to Hamilton, Ontario in search of greater opportunities. With just $35 in his pocket, Joyce had set off on his own. He drifted around between factory jobs until he finally decided to enlist in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1951. With a specialization in Communications, Joyce was immediately sent overseas, where he served off the coast of Korea and Japan for his first tour of duty.

After one year in the Navy, Joyce decided to move back to Hamilton, where he started training to become a police officer. At the same time he was working for the Hamilton Police force, Joyce drifted into the food industry when he purchased a local Dairy Queen franchise. Both would prove to be career choices of much significance later on. While managing the Dairy Queen gave him crucial business experience, working as a cop also introduced him to someone that would forever change his life.

It was on his daily foot patrols as a police officer that Joyce became friends with Tim Horton. Horton was a Canadian hockey legend, who was admired for coming from extreme poverty to the heights of success that he did. Horton was so impacted by his childhood experience that even while he was a hockey legend, he worked on the side doing other jobs to supplement his income. One of those side jobs was a local coffee and donut shop that he had opened, called Tim Horton’s.

Located on Ottawa Street in Hamilton, not even the hockey star’s name could save the little shop. After all, Horton might have known his way around a rink better than anyone else, but when it came to running a business, he was skating on thin ice. Joyce, however, was interested in Horton’s venture. The two had become good friends and Joyce wondered if his experience with Dairy Queen could be used to save Horton’s shop.

Joyce did not waste much time wondering. Before long, Joyce and Horton were in business together.

Related Articles
  Lesson #5: Learn The Fundamentals of Franchising
  Getting The Hole Story: How Joyce Came To Dominate The Donut
  Lesson #2: Winning Does Not Matter When You Love The Game
  Lesson #1: Expect But Do Not Accept Your Regrets
  Lesson #3: Create a Fresh Focus For Your Company

Article Tags: 60 million, business experience, career choices, coffee shop, dairy queen, donut king, foot patrols, golf club resort, golf swing, hamilton ontario, hamilton police force, joycehe, nova scotian, ron joyce, ronald vaughan, royal canadian navy, tatamagouche nova scotia, tim hortons, training to become a police officer, wood stove



Related Forum Posts
Update on profiles to come - Here is a list of the upcoming entrepreneurs that we will be featuring. Thank you Kevin for the feedback! Vera Wang Magic Johnson Joyce Hall Wayne Huizenga Martin Lindstrom (Toblerone) Peter van Stolk (Jones Soda)
Ron Popeil Interview - Evan, a recommendation for a Profile interview - Ron Popeil the TV infomercial product and upsell King. Thanks!
Happy New Years! - Happy Belated New Years! Out of curiosity what are your new years resolutions for your business? Did anyone manage to honour their past resolutions?
Re: Update on profiles to come - [quote="Evan":3e19sx5g]Here is a list of the upcoming entrepreneurs that we will be featuring. Thank you Kevin for the feedback! Vera Wang Magic Johnson Joyce Hall Wayne Huizenga Martin Lindstrom (Toblerone) Peter van Stolk (Jones Soda)[/quote:3e19sx5g] Just a quick fix: Theodore Tobler (Toblerone)
My Holiday - I'm taking a trip to India for 3.5wks. haven't seen my grandma in 15years and there's also going to be a wedding. Can't wait. Oh and I'll be spending New Years in Goa... Anyone been there? That's the place my grandparents are from but I've never visited as they moved to Mumbai a while ago. Does anyone have recommendations of Hotels they've been to? Will be checking out TripAdvisor...


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Angel Investors Where Are You?

How To Improve Your CTA (Call To Action)

Live To Work Or Work To Live?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.