V e t er ans in Fr anchising
Veteran Profile: VetFran
Franchising:
The Best Career Path for Veterans Then and Now In order to help make his idea a reality, Don said he wanted me to inform the Department of Defense that when service men and women returned from the Gulf, they could give him a call and he would help them become franchise owners, either through a Dwyer Group franchise or another brand. I told Don I would handle it, but in the back of my head I doubted this idea was going to succeed.
It was 1991. The Gulf War was coming to an end and tens of thousands of service men and women were returning to the United States. Don Dwyer Sr., founder of The Dwyer Group, one of the world’s largest parent companies of home service brands, (now known as Neighborly), realized that veterans would need opportunities to transition into the civilian workforce. Franchising USA
Through many ups and downs, the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) VetFran Program, which supports veterans and their spouses’ abilities to have access to owning a franchise through education, financial assistance and mentorship, would one day become that opportunity. Twenty-seven years ago, as I struggled to stay alert at a very early morning breakfast with Don Dwyer, he shared an idea that he had just dreamed up in the shower. The idea would allow franchisors to give hope and opportunity to thousands of deserving veterans.
Upon contacting the Department of Defense numerous logistical issues came to light, but Don insisted I persevere. Don instructed me to describe his idea in a brochure and he wanted the brochure to be given to every solider upon re-entry into the country. He wanted me to find a way to get the IFA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to sponsor the project, as well as call every franchisor we knew to tell them about the project and why they needed to be involved. I also needed to convince every franchisor to contribute $1,000 to help with expenses. And Don gave me 30 days to get it all done. Initially, everyone resisted the idea and said it would never succeed. But, as time passed, people came around. VetFran eventually won the support of the IFA, SBA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, but not without Don personally funding the project. When he decided we needed a national spokesperson to introduce VetFran, Don personally paid $25,000 to hire a famous general for that role.