The History of AC Inc

Angela Coté, the CEO and visionary behind AC Inc, grew up with M&M Food Market, the iconic Canadian brand which she helped grow to almost 500 franchised locations. She has done everything from dressing up as “Kelly Kabob” as a child to helping train franchisees. As the boss’s daughter in the field, Angela learned a lot about what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to getting franchisees engaged and motivated to grow their business.

After many years on the franchisor side of the franchise relationship, Angela successfully brought the M&M Food Market brand to Vancouver Island, opening the first 3 franchises in less than 1.5 years and building them into a combined asset valued at more than $1.5 million.

Angela eventually launched AC Inc and began working with early staged franchisors who needed help with where to focus their time, energy, and money for streamlined growth. Angela’s strong vision for disrupting the franchise industry with actionable, simple, and effective advice from people who really ‘get’ it has created a motivated and inspired team. Meet the whole gang here!

Meet the AC Team!
100 Influential Women In Franchising - Angela Cote
Douglas 10 to Watch
Canadian Franchise Association - Angela Coté
International Franchise Association - Angela Coté

How We are Doing Business Differently (The AC Inc Core Values)

  • Action = Growth

    In order to achieve our goals we know we need to stop thinking about them and take action! We don’t let ourselves overthink our actions because we believe doing SOMETHING is better than NOTHING and by DOING we will get clarity.

  • Mindset is Everything

    Think Big, Act Big! You are what you believe you are. Nothing more. Nothing less.

  • Go Be Awesome!

    Leadership is about influence, and influence is all about unapologetically living your passion and letting others be inspired by you living your truth. When you show up as your truest, most awesome self, you attract the right kind of people into your personal and professional life. So strut your superpowers and don’t hold back!

  • Giving a Sh*t

    The best way to make a real difference in someone’s life and/or business is to genuinely care about them. Listen to them. Understand their vision. On this team we really care about our mission and the people we serve.

  • Everything is Figureoutable

    To get through roadblocks and rough patches we simply put our can-do attitude into high gear and say: “We’ve got this!”

  • We Get More Done When We’re Having Fun

    Lighten up! Laugh! Live in the moment! Around here, getting a little silly sometimes is a non-negotiable that we cherish because it results in higher productivity.

What People are Saying About Working with AC Inc

“The shift from being a CEO ‘wearing all of the hats’ to building a productive corporate team to support our growth has made the biggest impact on our business from working with AC Inc. Their drive for knowledge has exceeded our expectation, their ability to make connections within the franchise industry and seek out industry experts has been beneficial to the growth of Barre Fitness. I would recommend AC Inc to any new business considering franchising.”

“Angela stressed the importance of getting out of my business so I can work ON my business. The saying that resonated the most with me was when she said ‘Once you sell a Franchise you are no longer in the business of running a wax bar. You are in the business of selling and supporting wax bars.’ Changing my way of thinking helped me understand the importance of getting out of my shops so I can focus on all three locations as a whole company instead of just the one that I worked in taking clients. Angela is AMAZING!!! I recommend her all the time to anyone who wants to grow their business!”

“Working with AC Inc as an advising client and [as a participant] in her Play Bigger Performance Groups have changed my life as an early franchisor. They are able to see the areas I need to focus on for growth, and provide simple and clear actionable steps towards my goals. One of the areas AC Inc has helped me with the most is helping me figure out who is the right franchisee for my brand and how to have conversations with prospects so that we uncover faster whether they are going to be a fit.

They have also helped me implement more effective support and coaching for franchisees, resulting in higher engagement and profitability. One of the most exciting things about working with the team is being able to tap into their expansive network of influential franchisors, media connections, franchise experts, and franchise service providers. I wish I had started working with AC Inc sooner! If you are a new franchisor, you NEED to work with AC.”

“Angela and I have shared our insights together on a number of panels on franchisee compliance. Franchisors come to these sessions hoping to figure out how they can improve franchisee compliance so that everyone thrives. Angela is always sharing effective techniques to use with franchisees to foster a culture of compliance, whether during expectations setting in your franchise recruitment process or in your ongoing support. Rather than theories or abstract thoughts, Angela gives practical steps for what you need to do. I definitely recommend a conversation with Angela if you are having challenges with franchisee engagement and compliance.”

“I met Angela a few years ago when she first made the decision to use her depth of experience in franchising to help franchisors with growth. I confidently recommend Angela to my franchisor clients because she uses her depth of experience combined with her refreshing and modern approach to authentically guide them to figure out the best way to grow. Whenever Angela and I have conversations about the needs of emerging franchisors, we find ourselves very aligned on how we support our clients. What I especially love about Angela is her energy and passion for people and for ensuring she really understands their needs. I recommend having a conversation with Angela if you are a franchisor looking for help with growth.”