It’s a pleasure this week to bring you Part 3 of 5 in our Canadian Dragons Series. A profile on Jim Treliving…

Jim Treliving is just your average guy who found something he loved and went after it. While he does regret not starting out in his own business sooner, he is pleased with what he has done with his Boston Pizza restaurant chain since taking it over.

As a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, Treliving runs his business with the same attributes learned in his law enforcement career. He is disciplined, tough with establishing streamlined operations and loyal to his team members. “The very first thing you need is a good business plan. The second thing is to figure out exactly what will cause your business cash flow to jump to the next level. Then you project your cash flow. And then you sit down and say: this is what I’m going to do, and this is how I’m going to do it. And then you go out and work and work till you get it done. It’s all pretty simple, actually, if you just stop and think about it!”

Treliving is proof positive that you should always keep an open mind and be receptive to new things because your destiny could be waiting for you where you least expect it. For Treliving, his entrepreneurship was awakened when he took his first bite of pizza at Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House in Edmonton, Canada. After reviewing the finances and convincing his father to co-sign a loan, Treliving traded in his badge and job security and bought a Boston Pizza franchise.

Some might consider the franchise purchase a rush decision and a gamble, but Treliving was familiar with the company and liked what he saw. He stayed focused and diligent and soon he and his accountant George Melville purchased the entire company. From the very beginning, his motto has been: “Think like a customer, deliver outstanding food value and work closely with your partners.”

It has been nothing but success going forward with Boston Pizza the leading casual dining chain in Canada. Expansion plans are ongoing throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico, with future growth in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia.Despite the company’s size, Treliving carries forth the theme of camaraderie that is such a strong part of the law enforcement culture. “You take people in as franchisees and they become part of your family.” He makes it a point when visiting restaurants to thank the staff for their efforts and to encourage their ideas and feedback.

Treliving continues to put his golden touch on other franchises and founded White Rock Commercial, a land development firm in Dallas, Texas. He also invests in other business ventures throughout the sports entertainment, real estate, and oil and gas industries. As one of the venture capitalists on Dragon’s Den, Treliving keeps an eye out for other investment opportunities. His advice to entrepreneurs is to develop a solid business plan that can weather any economic climate. “Make sure you run your business well and that you make it even better. If you’ve just established your business, take another six months to a year to make sure you’re doing everything right, and then decide where to go next.”

I am noticing that each of these Dragon’s have very different personalities and backgrounds – it just goes to show, you never know where the next entrepreneur is going to come from.

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Adam Toren