When I started Lean Machine in 2005, it was a bold move.
The thought of an independent organization attempting to enter a category dominated by national players was a risk. The notion of targeting a niche segment in a high volume, low profitability category added to the complexity. Regardless, I believed in the brand and the fundamental truth that I could change peoples’ lives by simply providing them with access to healthy, nutritional options.
Generations of time-starved Canadians sacrifice their personal health and well-being daily to consume products their led to believe are convenient yet healthy. Lean Machines Healthy Vending Service Inc. was established since 1999 to answer both of these needs and to educate, engage and energize a new generation of Canadians focused on the future of their community, their family, and most importantly themselves.
Our team has travelled the world, and can tell you these perceptions are wrong. Canadians continue to reach for products which offer little to no nutritional value for two reasons, lack of education on the benefits of healthy eating and most important a lack of options.
At Lean Machine Healthy Vending Service food isn’t only our passion, it’s our business.
The first five years of building Lean Machine were what investors and entrepreneurs refer to as the ‘POC’ years, or better known as proof of concept.
In order to secure funding I needed locations, and in order to secure locations I needed funding.
This scenario forced me to enter locations which today I’d politely decline simply because the traffic count cannot support the business. But it was also these early years which truly made Lean Machine what it is today. Its organic growth, quickly created popularity in turn generating buzz within the category which to this day is one of the majors reason why Lean Machine’s organic search within Google is so strong.
With a boot-strapped budget, public relations became the driving force behind building unaided brand awareness across the country. Almost an entire year was spent building awareness for the brand which actually meant advocating for better provincial legislation to aid the movement. After a year, I realized I could spent another 25+ years repeating that exact process and still have not established the proper channels to influence government change.
If Lean Machine was to survive it was inherent on me to rethink the go-to market strategy of the brand, in turn strategizing new opportunities and approach for growth.
It was 2010 when I first entertained the idea of a franchising system. By this time other smaller players had entered the category, predominantly in the US and franchising was the approach they embraced to establish critical mass in a much bigger market.
My franchising test consisted of two, completely different partners. Both options appeared to make sense at that time, exceptional reach due to their extended network of machines in addition to built-in infrastructure to service respective units.
For Lean Machine, it was about proving the brand could complement existing vender relationships while delivering a value-add service to assist both companies in securing new business.
As the story unfolds, one remains a solid franchisee to the day while the other could be an article in itself focused on lessons learned. Neither of these tests resulted in significant profit for the brand, rather they continued to support Lean Machine in its constant quest for Brand Awareness and once again validated that the brand could hold its own in new markets.
While attending the Wallace McCain Institute through UNBI had the benefit of consulting and direct mentorship from some the leading venture capitalists and business leaders in our country. Through this process I recognized that in order for the brand to remain competitive and grow, franchising was a significant opportunity.
Not only would franchising generate a new revenue channel for the brand, but it would aid the brand in achieving national reach via a new era of engaged investors who fundamentally align with core belief of the company, that change is possible…..and can also be profitable.
For me, the past three years have been some of the most rewarding. Not only given the changes in my personal life but also witnessing first hand my first child, Lean Machine continue to grow and thrive in new markets. As our society becomes more and more heath conscious, the opportunity for the brand only flourishes.
More about Lean Machine Healthy Vending Service Inc.:
Why Healthy Vending?
Many people have the misconception obesity in many instances is a small town phenomenon, a pandemic isolated to rural Canada. The truth is, the problem is much bigger than the geographic region you reside. Generations of time-starved Canadians sacrifice their personal health and well being daily to consume products their led to believe are convenient yet healthy. Our team has travelled the world, and can tell you these perceptions are wrong. Canadians continue to reach for products which offer little to no nutritional value for two reasons, lack of education on the benefits of healthy eating and most important a lack of options.
Lean Machines Healthy Vending Service Inc. was established since 1999 to answer both of these needs and to educate, engage and energize a new generation of Canadians focused on the future of their community, their family, and most importantly themselves. Food fuels the universe, and daily decisions as simple as what to eat can impact an individual’s entire surroundings.
At Lean Machine Healthy Vending Service food isn’t only our passion, it’s our business.
Canadian Youth Business Foundation, now Futureprenuer, was a SEWF 2013 lead partner, supporting the main stage session “From Serving to Service: Developing Social Impact Career Opportunities for Youth.”
April Glavine, Founder of Lean Machine Healthy Vending Service Inc., attended SEWF 2013 as a result of a sponsorship by Futureprenuer.
This is part of a series of articles developed by Futureprenuer as part of its ongoing collaboration with the Trico Charitable Foundation.
Futurpreneur Canada has been fuelling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprise for nearly two decades. We are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Our internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,800 volunteer mentors.
More About SEWF
The Trico Charitable Foundation was honoured to host SEWF 2013. It made history in a number of ways – it was a first for Canada and attracted a record number of speakers and attendees (1,000 individuals from more than 30 countries and over 100 speakers from 20 countries) – but we are most proud of the quality of the discussions on Skills Building, Social Finance, Indigenous Social Enterprise, Collaboration, Policy and Research, and Social Innovation.
We would like to thank the following partners for making SEWF 2013 possible:
Organizing Partners:
- Social Enterprise Council of Canada
- MaRS Centre for Impact Investing
- Social Innovation Generation (SiG)
- The Canadian Community Economic Development Network
Lead Sponsors:
- Suncor
- Vancity
- Government of Canada
- Canadian Youth Business Foundation (now Futurepreneur)
- Social Change Rewards
Presenting Partners:
Supporting Partners:
Friends of SEWF:
Media Partners:
Each year SEWF gives a different host country an incredible opportunity to celebrate and nurture its own social enterprise movement. The inaugural SEWF met in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since then it has been to Melbourne, Australia; San Francisco, U.S.A; Johannesburg, Africa; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Learn more about SEWF’s history here.
SEWF 2014 will be held in Seoul, Korea from October 12-16. Hosted by the Work Together Foundation, this significant international gathering has an ambitious agenda: “Social Change through Social Enterprise”. Learn more here.
