Transitioning out of the military can be daunting, but for many Veteran business owners, the unique skills and determination cultivated during their service years pave the way for successful entrepreneurship. Military experiences provide Veterans with valuable skill sets, making them well-suited for the rewarding challenges of franchise ownership. Neighborly® recognizes Veterans’ important contributions to our community and is here to help aspiring Veteran business owners recognize that franchising can be an excellent opportunity and a valuable use of their unique skillset.
Why Veterans Start Businesses and Why Franchising is Worth Considering
The opportunity to start a business in the home service industry appeals to many Veterans, as it leverages the skills they acquired during their military career, including leadership, team building, and discipline. Entrepreneurs must be adaptable, strategic, and prepared to handle the logistics of new tasks unique to small business owners. These are challenges Veterans are especially equipped to face, having honed these transferable skills during their years of service.
Venturing into the job market after military service can be intimidating, and Veterans can have trouble finding a career that provides the fulfillment and challenge they often seek. Franchise ownership opportunities offer a rewarding mission that matches the experience and skills Veterans leave the military with. It can also provide a sense of autonomy through the freedoms of becoming your own boss, a benefit often desired by those leaving the highly structured lifestyle of military service.
While there are many ways to start a business, franchising allows entrepreneurs the chance to go into business for themselves, not by themselves, offering a proven business model and robust support system. By tapping into an established brand and customer base, you can hit the ground running with a higher chance of business success.
Many franchisors, like Neighborly and its brands, provide special resources and benefits to Veteran entrepreneurs who are looking to start a business, as they are a group often recognized as exceptional in small business ownership. Leveraging these benefits, with Neighborly guiding you along your franchise business journey, can be a worthy path for many seeking a successful post-military career transition.
Transitioning Out of the Military and Starting a Business
Apart from offering a meaningful career option filled with purpose and service even after the military, in learning how to become a business owner and how to start a franchise, Veterans are met with a continuous challenge. Franchise ownership allows them to channel their dedication to a greater cause, making them a part of a larger mission and providing them an opportunity to serve their local communities.
Veteran Community Building is Part of New Business Ownership
Home service franchises provide opportunities to serve directly in a Veteran’s local community, making visible differences and improvements in people’s lives and homes, and helping them when they are most in need of assistance. These purpose-driven opportunities are vital to Veterans’ job satisfaction in their chosen post-service career.
Additionally, engaging with the local community and getting involved in networking opportunities are both part of growing a new business. These activities allow Veteran business owners to create bonds with new people and strengthen their sense of belonging where their business is located, serving as a natural way to grow their network and make some new friends along the way.
How Skills Learned in the Military Are Transferable to Business Ownership
Franchising offers Veterans a unique opportunity to transfer experiences learned from the military to life as an independent business owner. Leadership skills play a crucial role - understanding how to follow someone's lead and appreciating the examples set by mentors can be invaluable when managing personnel in a business.
Why Business Ownership is One of the Best Careers for Military Veterans
A Veteran’s extensive leadership background, coupled with a sense of discipline and grit developed through overcoming adversity, forms the bedrock of a Veteran business owner’s success in the business world. Several common skills in particular stand out among Veterans, making them well-suited for small business ownership:
- Teamwork: Veterans understand the importance of cohesive teamwork and have extensive practice in it. This is a vital component for both military service and small business success.
- Discipline: Military life instills a sense of discipline and routine, crucial for following the systems and processes integral to franchising.
- Grit: Veterans bring resilience and the ability to overcome adversity, essential for navigating the challenges of running a business.
- Positive Mindset: Veterans, having served their country and a greater purpose, naturally contribute to fostering a resilient and optimistic environment within their teams.
These traits make military Veterans natural leaders in the world of business ownership. Where others may find difficulty, Veterans have many finely tuned abilities that can help them succeed in their new life as an entrepreneur.
Watch this on-demand session illustrating how Veterans are uniquely positioned for small business ownership through insights from US Navy TOPGUN Lou Schager.
Support for Veteran-Owned Businesses
While Veterans comprise 7% of the country’s population, Veteran franchise owners account for 14% of all franchise owners, a statistic that reflects their success and prevalence in this industry. It is unsurprising that many Veterans select franchising as their post-military mission, as they can often possess the leadership and grit necessary to navigate the field successfully.
How Neighborly Helps Veterans Start Their Own Business
Neighborly understands that Veterans have a lot to offer as franchisees, which is why Don Dwyer Sr., Veteran and founder of Neighborly, also founded VetFran®, a voluntary group of International Franchise Association (IFA) member companies that offers financial incentives and encourages Veterans to participate in franchise ownership.
The IFA’s VetFran program's mission is to facilitate Veterans' transition into franchising by helping them recognize the value of their skills and choose the best path forward. Many Veteran franchise owners can benefit from special discounts offered by franchised brands for those who qualify, and many have great experiences with their network of support to rely on when it comes to navigating business ownership, veteran loan programs, and other common tasks.
Look at your Franchise Disclosure Document to learn more about discounts and benefits for Veterans.
Camaraderie and Support Neighborly Offers Franchise Owners
Franchising with Neighborly offers a sense of camaraderie often missed after leaving military service. Neighborly, in particular, stands out for its robust support network, providing opportunities for Veteran business owners to connect, share knowledge, and leverage each other's experiences.
Army veteran Nathan Burkholder is just one example of a veteran success story within Neighborly and VetFran. After a decade of military service, Burkholder found himself at a crossroads. He could stay in the military until retirement or take a chance on a new adventure.
Adventure won.
The Burkholders packed up, moved to Tennessee, and launched an appliance repair business. The company ran sure and steady for four years, but Burkholder wanted more.
“I saw options to grow the business beyond just me and a van,” he explained. In early 2016, he met with a team from Neighborly, and it didn’t take long for him to recognize a match in terms of ethics and company culture. “They do business like I believe in doing business,” he said, “such as following the Code of Values and doing things the right way.”
That year, Burkholder rolled his independent business into a franchise operating structure and launched Mr. Appliance of Clarksville. Once the paperwork was signed, the good news got even better. Through the veteran discounts that Neighborly offered (and are required for participation in the VetFran program), Burkholder qualified for a discounted franchising fee that added up to $10,000 in savings.
After the success of Mr. Appliance of Clarksville, Burkholder launched a second location in Nashville. “It was a logical next step for us,” he said. “We grew in our market as much as we could, and then we went to the next biggest market. It was a big investment that’s paying off. We’re super happy we did it.”
Investing in a home service franchise with Neighborly is a great opportunity to tap into this existing network of resources and knowledge, shared by business owners, like Nathan, who have been through the process and are eager to share their experiences with others. Building new connections within Neighborly and being part of a program like VetFran allows Veterans to get to know others with similar backgrounds, access resources during the transition to civilian life, and find a roadmap to success for the next phase of their careers.
Start Your Next Mission: Business Ownership with a Neighborly Brand
Veterans bring a unique set of attributes to business entrepreneurship —teamwork, discipline, and grit— that position them for potential success in franchising. With the support of initiatives like VetFran, and continuous support from a franchisor like Neighborly and its brands, Veterans can easily find a new business ownership opportunity, a community that understands and values their contributions, and camaraderie with others who share the same backgrounds and lived experiences.
Neighborly’s hub of home service brands are consistently recognized as some of the best Veteran small business ideas. As more aspiring Veteran business owners explore the world of franchising, their stories continue to inspire others to embark on the journey of entrepreneurship after military service.
Whether you're considering joining our family of franchises or seeking insights into the broader world of franchising, download the free Franchise Ownership Guide to learn about franchising with Neighborly and unlock your path to business ownership.
