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The Road Less Painted: John Evans' Journey to Redefining an Industry
From University Entrepreneur to Industry Innovator: The Story of EverLine Coatings' Meteoric Rise
HAPPY Questions
March 13, 2024
Good afternoon HAPPY Trailblazers,
How did John Evans transform a simple concept into a booming, cross-border enterprise? Discover the journey of the EverLine Coatings founder from student entrepreneur to industry game-changer.
Early Life
John Evans was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. Entrepreneurship is in his blood. As the son of multi-unit franchisees, John was born to be an entrepreneur. As a kid Evans dreamed of running a hot dog cart, and at just 20 years old, he took on his first challenge: College Pro Painters. While in college, the program trains 20-year-olds to paint houses and run a business. His first summer he lost a ton of money. The next two summers he earned all of his money back and became a top earner in the franchise. By the third year, he retired as one of the top earners in North America.
Personal Life: Married with one daughter |
Known For: EverLine Coatings and Services |
EverLine Revenue: $27 million |
Early Career
John graduated from the University of Calgary in 2011 with a degree in Communications. He felt that he had outgrown student painting. Evans found himself at a franchise show in Calgary to get his juices flowing. While there, he ran into a company licensing a new durable product for parking lines.
Coming from a painting background and seeing this, I thought it was an interesting way to position myself as a parking lot line painter. They gave me just half a day of training and then I started a brand new brand in Calgary in my spare bedroom. I parked the truck and trailer outside my back yard and would go see the crews off and it just grew and gained a reputation.
Around the time that John hit one million in revenue, John wanted to expand. First thought? Franchising.
Taking Shape
Evans applied for an International Painting Association contest that showcases the best millennial brands, and they won. That got him connected to all of the heads of the franchising industry.
I feel franchising provides the perfect watered-down risk for those entrepreneurs who still work those corporate jobs. With franchising you’re still in business for yourself, just not by yourself.
After receiving the top prize at the International Painting Association contest, EverLine was featured on Dragon’s Den (Canada’s version of Shark Tank), where he accepted a deal for $250,000 from Manjit Minjas.
Today, EverLine Coatings is North America’s fastest-growing line striping and pavement maintenance service business. In 2023, EverLine surpassed 100 locations in the USA and Canada.
EverLine Coatings is the first franchise company to bring sophistication to the underdeveloped, highly fragmented line striping and pavement maintenance industry as a full-service provider, positioning itself as the premier choice for parking lot maintenance.
Interested in franchising EverLine Coatings?
The EverLine Coatings franchise fee is $49,500. This includes the right to use the name, logo, and access to your exclusive territory. To be granted a franchise you’ll need a minimum of $75,000 in liquid capital and a net worth of at least $250,000. In addition, you’ll need to pay a monthly royalty fee of 6% of your gross sales and a brand fund fee of 2% of gross sales.
For 2021, the average gross sales were $1,466,668, with a gross profit of $810,681. After COGS (costs of goods sold) and other disclosed expenses were taken into account, the figure is $507,842.
Stay bold, stay brilliant!
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