Veterans in Franchising February 2020

Page 41

Veterans in Franchising february 2020

www.franchisingusamagazine.com

strategies to recruit and retain

veterans in franchising

kona ice:

good morals, better business us veterans supported

by true rest float spa Franchising USA

Leadership.

Teamwork.

Executing SOPs. Connecting veterans with education, resources and opportunities at vetfran.org

Franchising USA

Page 43

V e t e r a n s i n F r a n c h i s i n g S u ppl e m e n t february 2020 Our Veterans in Franchising special supplement has become a regular feature of Franchising USA. To share your story in the next issue, please contact Vikki Bradbury, Publisher Phone: 778 426 2446 Email: vikki@cgbpublishing.com

Contents On the Cover 4

Strategies to Recruit and Retain Veterans in Franchising

Veterans Profile 48 Kona Ice 50 True REST Float Spa

48 Kona Ice: Good Morals, Better Business 50 US Veterans Supported by True REST Float Spa

Veterans News

Veteran Expert Advice 46 Strategies to Recruit and Retain Veterans

in Franchising Ron Holt, Founder and CEO, Two Maids & A Mop

44 Veterans Get A Dedicated Franchise Expo

Franchising USA

V e t er a ns i n Fr a nch isi ng

veteran news Veterans Get a Dedicated Franchise Expo – March 13-14, 2020 Mid-Atlantic Veterans Franchise Expo Advantage Franchisors !

Everyone in the franchise development world knows that Veterans can be great franchisees that provide a high degree of discipline and commitment (among other positive traits) to make franchise concepts successful.

In fact, over 650 franchisors are members of the VetFran Program of the International Franchise Association (IFA).

These premier franchisors offer special incentives to attract Veteran candidates to their franchise systems. VetFran, teaming with VETToCEO and the Small Business Center at the Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) is offering some unique advantages for franchisors who wish to access quality veteran franchise candidates. Additionally, they will reach thousands of soldiers while they are transitioning from military to civilian life. Over 27,000 veterans transition out of the service from bases in North Carolina every year.

The Expo will be located only 6 miles from the main gate of Fort Bragg, the largest military installation (by population) in the free world. Fayetteville/Fort Bragg was also chosen because of the 5 other military installations nearby, and a population of over 390,000 Veterans within a 90-minute drive. The event will draw from database solicitations of over 50,000 from Expo partners and will be open to the public. The Expo will be backed by a strong campaign and will be featured in Fort Bragg Life newspaper.

One of the key sponsors of the Expo is VETToCEO, an entrepreneurial community with training resources and guidance that assists veterans in leveraging their skills to start or buy a business or franchise and run it successfully.

VETToCEO is a nonprofit whose programs are designed and facilitated by experienced

Franchising USA

Program. This Program is limited but offers support, such as business training and feasibility studies, for small business ideas, including franchises. The program can’t fund franchise fees, but the costs associated with franchise training can be eligible. To qualify, Veterans must have a disability rating of 20% or greater, and the ability to navigate the franchise discovery process for their preferred franchise.

entrepreneurs who are also veterans, exclusively for veterans of all branches.

They offer their program free of charge to qualified/verified members of the military and veterans. Since 2005, VetToCEO has been able to assist thousands of veterans through the generosity of leading corporations, grants, and individuals who have a passion for helping veterans. The VETToCEO long goal is to replicate the Expo near multiple military transition points around the country.

!

According to Kent Hill, the Director of the FTCC Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, “this Expo will be the first to leverage Fort Bragg transition programs such as ‘Boots to Business’ and the USO-NC ‘Pathfinder’ program which helps start hundreds of Veterans on their entrepreneurial journey each year.”

In addition, the Veterans Administration (VA) benefit liaisons on every base, can provide assistance qualifying and enrolling in the Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VRE) Self-Employment

Franchisors can sign up for a booth as several spots may still be available. There will also be information-only tables available from those Franchisors that can’t attend. But if you can attend you’ll get to have fun too. The facility offers a unique virtual shooting contest that will challenge the best marksmen and award prizes for the best results.

For more information please click on the link above or call Kent Hill at (910) 678-8496.

Sign up now at https://tinyurl.com/ Veteran-Franchise-Expo. !

NOBODY GETS TO THE TOP BY ACCIDENT! We advise many of the top franchise owners in the world. You can get acces to the very same resources that build their empires at no cost!

Contact George Knauf to Start Building Your Empire TODAY! www.MyPerfectFranchise.com Franchising USA

V e t er a ns i n Fr a nch isi ng

expert advice: Ron Holt | Founder and CEO | Two Maids & A Mop

Strategies to Recruit and Retain Veterans in Franchising And, like many other franchise owners, providing an opportunity for veterans remains a top priority for our brand today.

Ron Holt

I’ve had the honor of working with a number of veterans and military members – listening to their inspiring stories and learning from their collaborative efforts and distinct backgrounds.

I am consistently impressed by their commitment to become involved in our brand as entrepreneurs and to start their own journey within the franchise network.

Franchising USA

Military veterans truly resemble the ideal franchisee across all industries. They are goal-oriented, carry vast leadership capabilities and bring forth experience in adapting and planning for the strategies needed to be successful. I’ve found that the best way to encourage veterans to live up to their potential as franchisees is to provide them with a business model that works best for them.

Here are a few critical elements to ensure that veterans get the most out of their experience as franchisees.

Prioritize support and resources On a number of occasions, I have met with veterans in our franchise system who expressed that owning their own business has always been a long-term goal. Many of these retired military members had already built the work ethic and adaptability to become business owners, but faced a sizeable problem across the board. The veterans who had spent years overseas found that they grew unfamiliar with the common business practices and resources required to build a successful company.

They had the right ideas and goals, but they didn’t know where to start. That’s why a thorough franchise model is critical in the process of bringing veterans on to your team.

Providing necessary support and essential resources should be the backbone of your franchise model. Veterans already carry the motivation and diligence to be successful, but they also need an extensive support system to tap into in order to fully bring their ideas to fruition. Points of contact for every aspect of the business and a list of trusted vendors they can collaborate with are just a few examples of how you can provide your veteran franchisees with everything they need to unleash their full potential.

Keep a diverse network Veteran businesses are known for their longevity and employee retainment.

Throughout the course of their military experience, veterans work with people of all backgrounds and from various

“If your franchise model has windows of opportunity for individual development, as well as strategies to keep it running for generations to come, you are more likely to appeal to the needs of veterans who are in search of their own entrepreneurial venture.”

“When looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity, veterans want a system that allows them to grow and expand their leadership abilities.”

areas of expertise – communicating and collaborating with individuals from all over the world is simply something they’ve been trained to do.

To aid in the efforts of becoming a longterm business and generate successful employee retention, it is important to provide military veterans with a network of diverse and experienced team members.

Within our brand alone, I can think of a handful of veterans who have benefitted from meeting others in the network and collaborating with individuals whose backgrounds and strengths vary from their own. Whether it’s with fellow franchisees, members of the executive team or administrative professionals in the system, veterans can work to the best of their abilities when they have a melting pot of ideas and roles to work from.

Open doors for development and growth One of the most inspiring characteristics I have seen among veterans I have worked

with is the unwavering leadership potential they carry. Many of those who entered the armed forces at some point in their lives are natural-born leaders, especially those who sought titles of officers and lieutenants.

When looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity, veterans want a system that allows them to grow and expand their leadership abilities. The discipline and work ethic they earned while serving directly translates into their business ventures, and if presented with the ability to move up the ladder, veterans are better suited to be successful. This opens doors for newcomers to dive deeper into the world of franchising, and for single-unit owners to explore the scope of multi-unit opportunities.

In conjunction to the development aspect of the business, many veterans look for a legacy they can be proud of. The Two Maids & A Mop franchise model, for example, caters to family-focused entrepreneurs and allows them to pass

their business onto younger generations.

Veterans are often interested in an enterprise that can be inherited, which can be traced back to the importance of business longevity. If your franchise model has windows of opportunity for individual development, as well as strategies to keep it running for generations to come, you are more likely to appeal to the needs of veterans who are in search of their own entrepreneurial venture.

Ron Holt is the founder and CEO of Two Maids & A Mop, a fast-growing franchise concept that specializes in professionalized home cleaning services. Holt founded Two Maids & A Mop in 2003 with the grit, hustle and perseverance that the brand is still known for today. Over the next 10 years, Holt grew the brand from one corporate location to 12 and in 2013, the brand began franchising under Holt’s leadership and today has over 80 locations across the country. twomaidsfranchise.com

Franchising USA

V e t er a ns i n Fr a nch isi ng

Page 47

V e t er a ns i n Fr a nch isi ng

profile: Kona Ice

If you had told me 20 years ago that I would be cruising through the streets of Mississippi with Calypso music blasting from my tropical themed truck, I would’ve laughed.

Looking back on where my career started, I never thought I could find common ground between the U.S. Army and a shaved ice truck.

I served in the Army as a weapons mechanic for five years – from 1992 to 1997. From there, I moved into the heating,

Franchising USA

“Army Core Values” that we learn in basic training – loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. To me, investing in Kona Ice seemed to be a reflection of these values; it took personal courage to forgo my previous work experience and open a Kona Ice truck, but I felt it was my duty to the neighborhood to invest in a selfless service like Kona that would allow me to make an honest living while giving back to my community.

In a sense, I’ve felt I have gotten to instill these same values in children in my city through Kona Ice’s partnership with schools. By rewarding well-behaved and high performing children with Kona Kups, we are teaching kids that hard work pays off and sharing the importance of philanthropic services. Through Kona Ice, I believe I am shaping a more positive, kind and hardworking community.

“The Army taught me what it means to have a sense of purpose, and since then, I have followed the ideal that everything I do should be for the greater good. ”

ventilation and air conditioning industry, on both the corporate and commercial side. Recently, I made my most drastic career change yet and started to look into franchising opportunities. There was only one franchise that I felt completely encapsulated my values as well as what I wanted out of entrepreneurship – a business that would serve the community and emphasize philanthropic efforts.

Today, my wife and I own a Kona Ice shaved ice truck in Gulfport, Mississippi.

My journey to choosing Kona Ice started with logistics. When looking into potential franchise opportunities, it was imperative that I found a franchise with an easy protocol to follow, as my military experience instilled in me a strong sense of order and structure. It’s no surprise that I found such a great fit with Kona Ice; simply put, Kona Ice is a solid business model. The company already had built-in

brand awareness, which made it easier to break into the market, and even if the community wasn’t aware of Kona Ice before, it’s difficult for a tropical themed truck blasting Calypso music to go unnoticed. Beyond the order and structure of the onboarding process of Kona Ice, franchisees have flexibility with their business once it is up and running.

For example, Kona Ice gives me the opportunity to choose my own hours and be my own boss, allowing me to have more time to spend with my family.

Beyond a strong business model, I desired a concept that made me feel like I was making a difference in my neighborhood, as I had been taught during my five years in the Army that the core value of being in the military is having a greater sense of purpose; everything we did was for the greater good of our country. Moreover, the pillar of the U.S. Army is built upon the

In a way, I feel like I am still serving, but instead of serving my country, I am now serving my community, bringing joy to the neighborhood with my colorful truck and an option for the city of Gulfport to utilize my business for fundraisers. Kona Ice encourages me to feel good about my successes and promote my business; the more sizable of a profit that our truck earns, the more we can give directly back to the community.

Serving in the Army and owning a shaved ice truck do not seem to be related professions, but I believe it was the values instilled in me during my time in the military that drew me to open a Kona Ice truck over 20 years later. The Army taught me what it means to have a sense of purpose, and since then, I have followed the ideal that everything I do should be for the greater good. This led me to a philanthropic business model like Kona Ice. Nationally, Kona Ice has donated over $70 million since its inception in 2007, and I look forward to seeing what philanthropic milestones Kona Ice will overcome this year on a national scale as well as the thousands of individual communities the company serves.

Article written by Chris Kimball, U.S. Army Veteran and Kona Ice Franchisee www.kona-ice.com/shaved-ice-franchise

Franchising USA

V e t er a ns i n Fr a nch isi ng

Page 49

V e t er a ns i n Fr a nch isi ng

profile: True REST Float Spa

US Veterans Supported

by True REST Float Spa The U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes that small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, with franchised businesses accounting for 10 percent of all small businesses in America as well as 7.6 million direct jobs and making up 2.5 percent of the U.S GDP. As a process-driven entrepreneurial opportunity, the franchise business model has long been an attractive business venture for veterans after their service as it gives individuals the opportunity to open their own small business backed with a proven model of profitability, an established brand, an extensive operating manual and support from a franchisor.

Even though veterans make up just 7 percent of the population, 14 percent of all franchisees are veterans. After leaving military service, veterans are drawn to opportunities where they can apply the skills they’ve developed during their service – including leadership, selfdiscipline and work ethic – in their civilian lives. The same skills that contributed to their success in military service are the same skills that make veterans well-suited for the franchising world. In fact, a recent study showed that 63 percent of veterans and active duty service members who envisioned a second career as a smallbusiness owner considered owning a franchise.

While many options exist out there, True REST Float Spa, a wellness franchise that offers members access to flotation therapy,

Franchising USA

is especially attractive to veterans because of their commitment to those who have served in the military. True REST Float Spa provides relaxation, better sleep and pain relief for multiple ailments including holistic treatment options for chronic pain, anxiety, depression and stress.

Out of the 32 franchise owners at True REST Float Spa, four are United States veterans. They have utilized the recurring revenue model that implements low, long-term maintenance; few part-time, minimum wage consultants; and an average of 5.6 percent spent on the cost of goods.

As the world leader in float therapy, True REST Float Spa supports franchisees and their members, especially active and retired military personnel, having an experience unlike any other. Since Sept.

11, 2015, every 11th day of the month, True REST Float Spa opens its door to active duty service members and veterans to float for free. Additionally, the floatation therapy leader has held promotions have included gift card deals where any purchase is matched and a member of the U.S. military, active or veteran, is gifted the second gift card. To date, True REST Float Spa has provided almost 3,000 free floats to veterans and individuals on active duty.

True REST Float Spa encourages interested veterans to realize their entrepreneurial dreams by offering at 10 percent discount on the initial franchise fee to own and operate a True REST Float Spa. For more details about this exclusive offer for veterans, visit www.TrueREST.com/Veterans

Page 51

The public and policymakers need to understand franchising.

Our purpose

@OurFranchise is an industry-wide campaign created to spread the word about the value of franchising and share the stories of men and women just like you, who are leading the way as franchisors, franchisees, and franchise employees. The franchise business model has been proven time and time again to work, but it’s threatened when the public and politicians don’t understand how it operates to benefit local, independent franchise establishment owners and their communities. Putting a spotlight on real leaders succeeding with the franchise model is how we’ll ensure franchising is stronger than ever before.

Follow us

Share the tools and resources offered on AtOurFranchise.org/resources

Help us keep the momentum going

Since our launch in June 2016, we’ve reached 1.7 million people through outreach efforts, including events in key cities and states, where we spoke directly with business owners, employees, policymakers, and the media. Additionally, we’ve reached people across America through our website and social media channels, digital advertisements, and the promotion of We the Franchisees on Politico – but there is much more work to do. As a franchisor, franchisee, or franchise vendor, you are a leader in your community – and we need your support, now more than ever.

You benefit by joining

By joining @OurFranchise, you’ll get access to exclusive stories and resources that can help grow your franchise business, educate employees at all levels about the franchise business model, and share the economic importance of franchising with consumers. You will also have the opportunity to share your franchise success story with your peers.

b

a

x

Our Franchise

@OurFranchise

@OurFranchise

This is just the beginning

Make sure you stay up to date with the campaign’s latest efforts through email updates and social media.

Visit our website to read and share the latest stories of franchisors and franchisees making an impact in their communities. Become a franchise advocate to help ensure Americans, now and in the future, have the opportunity to start franchise businesses. Take the lead today!

Visit AtOurFranchise.org Contact Erica Farage, Senior Director of Political Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy and Multi-Unit Franchisee Engagement International Franchise Association efarage@franchise.org (202) 662-0760

Franchising USA