The Donut King: The Early Years of Ron Joyce
The Donut King: The Early Years of Ron Joyce
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.
The Donut King The Early Years of Ron Joyce
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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.
The Donut King The Early Years of Ron Joyce
Like this article? Share it with your friends
| |||
 |
No article feedback found. | ||
|
Leave Your Feedback | ||
|
|||
 Lesson #5: Learn The Fundamentals of Franchising
| |||
 Joyce was Tim Hortons’ original franchisee, but it would not be for long. After working under Horton for a few short weeks, Joyce immediately realized that he was on his own. “It was clear that he didn’t know the bu... |
|||
|
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 tri... |
|||
|
Getting The Hole Story: How Joyce Came To Dominate The Donut
| |||
| Thanks to Joyce, Canada has been called by some the “Timbit Nation.” Even the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have an unofficial radio code for Tim Hortons, as 10-99 or “Tango Hotel.” Every single day, for a product t... |
|||
|
Lesson #2: Winning Does Not Matter When You Love The Game
| |||
| “When you find the niche you love, that becomes your passion,” says Joyce. “For me it was Tim Hortons. It was my world.” |
|||
|
Lesson #1: Expect But Do Not Accept Your Regrets
| |||
| “In many ways I guess if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t have sold it,” says Joyce upon reflection of his 35 year career building one of the most successful businesses in Canadian history. “I would have stayed with... |
|||
| |||
Michel NerayMichel Neray has over 25 years of experience as an award-winning copywriter, an Internet pioneer, a tradeshow pitchman and a senior sales and marketing executive. An online pioneer, he was one of the first marketing professionals to embrace the Internet by building websites as early as 1993. In 1994, Michel co-authored a book entitled "The Great Crossover: Personal Confidence in the Age of the Microchip", which made it to Jack Canfield's Achiever's Recommended Reading List. Michel founded Portfolios.com in 1995, the world's first online source directory for creative professionals and one of the first websites based on community generated content. Since creating The Essential Message in 2003, Michel has helped thousands of independent professionals and entrepreneurs as well as growing corporations find a better way to differentiate, position and brand themselves. In 2005, his chapter "Everything Starts With A Conversation" was selected as the lead for the book, "Sales Gurus Speak Out" and re-published in 2008 for 'Awakening The Workplace Volume 3'. He is also a co-author of "In the Company of Leaders" (2008) with 40 top North American leadership experts. - Visit Michel Neray's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
|
Joe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: http://www.business901.com Web/Blog: http://www.FundingYourNonprofit.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/business901 – Linked In http://www.twitter.com/business901 – Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
|||
Bernard ReberBack in late 1992, MS Access hit the streets. About that time the company I managed needed new software to handle their growing client base and I decided to try this new product. I had little difficulty writing and adapting a database to suit us and discovered a hidden talent for programming. A business was born. With business studies and 25 years of management experience in three different countries under my belt, I could offer a unique combination of skills and my customers agreed. From these humble beginnings my software 'invoiceit' emerged in 1999 and has since been taken to 49 states (hello Wyoming, won't you join us?), all across Canada and more than 70 other countries. From the very beginning the program included cashbook accounting, the simplest form of keeping financial business records. The Dictionary.com defines 'cashbook' as "A 'book' in which to record money received and paid out". For 'book' substitute 'simple software' and that's what I'm about. Now I have published Simple Accounting, an inexpensive spreadsheet solution which even you can master. For just $14.95 it costs less than a takeout meal! More at http://www.scrambled-card.com/simple_accounting_main.htm - Visit Bernard Reber's Website |
|||
John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
|||
Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
 |
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 | ||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
|
| ||
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 |
 Intro to M&A Woman Entrepreneur Success Webinar Plan High Quality Sales Leads Strategic Plan |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Write The PR
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||
