VETERANS IN FRANCHISING MARCH 2018 6#5 4

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Veterans in Franchising march 2018

www.franchisingusamagazine.com

new veteran-only franchise takes flight

g-force

why military veterans make great franchisees

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SAME DRIVE. DIFFERENT BATTLEFIELD. TAKE THE NEXT STEP > VETFRAN.COM OFFERING FINANCIAL SUPPORT, TRAINING & MENTORSHIP Veterans interested in franchising can take their skills learned in the military to successfully own and develop small businesses. Learn more and support veterans in franchising at www.vetfran.com.

• 650 franchise companies participating • 151,000 veterans and their spouses found careers in the franchise industry • 5,100 veteran franchise owners

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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 march 2018 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

Expert Advice

50 G-FORCE: New Veteran-Only Franchise Takes Flight

52 Why Military Veterans Make Great Franchisees Jim Rowley, Co-founder, UFC GYM and

52 Why Military Veterans Make Great Franchisees

Veteran News 48 Miracle Method® Surface Refinishing

is Coming to Augusta

USMC Veteran

54 How Developing Tough Skin in the Military

Prepared Me for Franchise Success Randi Samuels, Owner/Operator,

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More®

Have Your Say 56 Our Military Veterans Need a Hand Up, Not a Hand Out… Franchising Can Provide This Tom English, Franchise Owner, Baskin-Robbins

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V e t erans in Franchising

what’s new!

Miracle Method® Surface Refinishing is Coming to Augusta

Leading professional bathroom and kitchen refinishing franchise will add Augusta, Georgia to its growing network of more than 140 locations.

O’Kane, VP of franchise development.

“The Tomblins clearly recognized that demand in Augusta. They saw an opportunity to provide a service to the residents of the Central Savannah River Area that wasn’t readily available, and they’re driven to turn that opportunity into a successful business that will offer their family a fantastic quality of life.”

Miracle Method Surface Refinishing, the nation’s largest professional bathroom and kitchen refinishing franchise, announced today it will open a location in Augusta under ownership of entrepreneurs Chris and Lana Tomblin.

The business will service the entire Central Savannah River Area, including the communities of Evans and Grovetown in Georgia and Aiken and North Augusta in South Carolina.

Miracle Method of Augusta East will offer a variety of bathroom and kitchen refinishing services and specializes in ceramic tile, countertops, vanities, bathtubs and surrounds, showers and sinks. The franchise also offers bathing safety modifications such as non-slip surfaces, grab bars and bath-to-walk-in shower conversions.

“Demand for kitchen and bathroom refinishing solutions is spreading to more markets as people choose to purchase a less expensive option for re-modeling their kitchens and bathrooms,” said Gwyn

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Chris Tomblin is a real estate investor and a 26-year member of the U.S. Army Reserve. Lana is a photographer. Their son, Christopher, is currently a sergeant in the U.S. Army and will be joining the family business after leaving the service. Miracle Method is a participant in theInternational Franchise Association’s Vet Fran program and the Tomblin family was able to take advantage of a significant franchise discount for their service.

“Through my real estate investments, I came to realize there was a need for refinishing services in the Central Savannah River Area,” Chris Tomblin said. “As I searched for a solution to refinish the kitchen and bathroom of

a local property I wanted to invest in, Miracle Method always came up during internet searches as an answer, but didn’t yet cover this territory. The prospective real estate investment quickly transformed into a business investment, and now we are thrilled to be opening a business as a family and providing a refinishing answer to the residents of the Central Savannah River Area.”

With 38 years of experience, Miracle Method is the fastest growing kitchen and bathroom surface refinishing company in the industry and has shown a 73 percent sales increase over the last six years.

Earlier this year, Entrepreneur magazine ranked Miracle Method No. 1 in its category on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500® list. The company has also been named to Franchise Business Review’s Top 100 Franchise list for Veterans & Franchising in 2017.

To learn more about franchise opportunities, please visit http://fss.miraclemethod.com or call 877-434-5096.

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Are you a veteran running a successful franchise? Our VETERAN READERS could use your EXPERT ADVICE! Share your tips for success and provide new Veteran franchisees with the advice they need to be successful in franchising.

Franchising is a great choice for Veterans. Tell our VETERAN READERS about your concept and why it’s a great fit for veterans.

What’s unique about your franchise? How does your Veterans Program work? What areas are you currently targeting? All this and more can be covered in our unique package that gives you FREE follow up editorial in a following issue of choice if you book our VETERANS COVER STORY!

V E T ER A NS I N FR A NCH ISI NG

GET FEATURED ON THE COVER!

Page 49

A mer ica’s S w imming Pool C ompa ny ( ASP )

POOL FRANCHISE LOOKING TO EXPAND OFFERS VETERANS VALUABLE DISCOUNTS

Veterans can enjoy year-round savings from the United States’ No. 1 swimming pool repair, maintenance and renovation company, but a lucky few get even more.

That’s because every year around Veterans Day, America’s Swimming Pool Company (ASP) holds a contest among veterans vying to become franchisees and waives the entire fee for the winning veteran.

Two runners up also receive a 50 percent discount on the franchise fee.

And during the rest of the year, all veterans enjoy a 15 percent discount on the franchise fee, Jef Flournoy, VP of Franchise Sales and Development at ASP, explained during a recent interview.

At the moment, the Macon, GA-based franchise has about a dozen veteran owners among its 99 franchise locations.

Flournoy praised the great work ethic of veterans and called them not only great business owners, but great leaders within the ASP family.

Great for Customers and Owners Founded by current CEO Stewart Vernon in 2002, ASP has been franchising for the past 12 years.

With the swimming pool industry being so fragmented and offering a relatively low quality of service at the time, Vernon saw the opportunity to create a company that would become a national brand in the industry that promised professionalism, stellar service and the use of the latest technology for both customers and franchisees alike.

On the consumer side, ASP has Pool Ops. With Pool Ops, franchisees can schedule appointments and then track those service calls. When service is complete, Pool Ops will send a complete report via email to a pool owner outlining everything that was done to their pool — from a simple cleaning to any maintenance they

a business from marketing to billing to running QuickBooks.

After Pool School, brand new franchisees go through ASP’s Guerrilla Action Marketing Plan for another 10 weeks of training. This training is a little less demanding, consisting of a call once per week with an ASP operations team leader.

“We really want franchisees to get off to a good start and get into good habits,” Flournoy said.

Along with a local marketing team, the company has a national PR firm that supports franchisees, plus staff at headquarters who handle technical questions from franchisees throughout the day.

Regional round table meetings are held where franchise owners get together to discuss best practices and build relationships between each other. Flourney described those as meetings where six to 13 people who are all involved in the pool industry gather in a room to share their best ideas and best practices with the goal of making everyone a better business person.

requested — along with a time-stamped photo of the clean pool or the piece of equipment that was worked on. From this report and photo, the owner knows for certain the service was completed.

The report even gives details like which chemicals were used to balance the water, how much of the chemicals were used and which technician completed the work.

VETERANS in Franchising Page 45

SEPTEMBER 2017

Lastly, the annual owners meeting lasts for two days and is a smorgasbord of information for franchisees where industry vendors give presentations on the latest technology in the swimming pool market.

Nationwide Expansion Flournoy himself is a former ASP franchisee. About 10 years ago, right before his wife enrolled in dental school in Augusta, GA, he bought an ASP franchise in that city and ran it for about eight years while his wife attended school. After she completed her pediatric residency, she received a lucrative job offer back in Macon where the couple were both from.

Flournoy sold his ASP franchise, the couple moved back to their hometown of Macon and he immediately called ASP and requested a job on the corporate side of things where he remains today.

On the franchisee side, ASP boasts a comprehensive training program and a strong support system.

For 11 days from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m, franchisees attend ASP’s Pool School on its campus in Macon, which features 14 working pools that have every kind of pool equipment conceivable. But, Pool School isn’t actually the beginning of their training.

“Before Pool School starts, they would receive between 30 to 35 hours of what we would call pre-Pool School training,” Flournoy explained. Much of this training happens online.

Typical ASP franchisees are between 25 and 55 years old and have to be willing to follow the franchise system. They do not need to have swimming pool experience, Flournoy noted, but will usually have

At Pool School, in addition to the hands-on maintenance training, franchisees receive instruction in every aspect of running

V E T ER A NS I N FR A NCH ISI NG

For information on how to submit a VETERAN EXPERT ADVICE byline, please contact editor@cgbpublishing.com

www.franchising

usamagazine.com

“We really want franchisees to get off

a good start and get AS PtoPO OL into good habits.”

FR AN CH ISE LOO KING

some kind of customer service or sales experience, although that’s also not

required. But they do need to possess an undergraduate degree.

- Jef Flournoy

Right now the franchise is in 21 states, TO EXPA ND but the VP of Franchise Sales andOFFE RS ASPVETE starts as a predominantly homeRAN S grows into based business and generally VALU Development is expecting to expand that. ABL E DISC OUN a business that requires a small TSoffice and “In the next three to five years, we should warehouse space, Flournoy noted. While be in 30 to 35 states,” he outlined. it’s not really a retail franchise, some The only places the franchise is franchisees have added a retail element to completely sold out is in Dallas, Atlanta, their businesses.

Orlando and in Montana.

For veterans looking to become business

MI LITARY SK ILL S

owners, America’s Swimming Pool Company offers great opportunities and for a lucky few, an amazing opportunity at particularly interested in expansion in OPE NED savings getting started.

THEwhile Houston, Memphis, Richmond, VA, Las DOO R TO LEAD ERS Vegas and Tampa, FL. www.aspfranchising.com HIP There are franchises available everywhere else throughout the country and ASP is

ROL E

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V e t erans in Franchising

cover story: G-FORCE

New franchise

gives veterans opportunity to earn their entrepreneurial stripes A brand-new franchising opportunity wants to turn military veterans into small business owners.

G-FORCE, based in Bedford, NH, is a parking lot striping franchise that is open exclusively to veterans of the United States Military and active Guard and Reserve.

Founded by Jack Child, a 10-year Army

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and Air Force veteran, the company started operations last year and just received the green light to start accepting franchisees.

But, Child isn’t just a veteran of the Armed Forces, he’s also a veteran of the parking lot striping and pavement services franchise industry, having been the first to develop a lot striping franchise concept in 2009. He sold that business in 2012 and was under a no-compete order for five years. The no-compete order ended last year, opening the door for G-FORCE. “I decided to jump back into the industry, but this time with the focus exclusively on military veterans,” Child said during a recent interview from the National

Pavement Expo & Conference in Cleveland. “This time, I’m building the brand around the franchise owner, instead of the other way around, which is how most franchises evolve.”

Parking lot striping is what Child calls a “stealth business” in that not many people have heard of it or think about it, but anyone who uses a parking lot interacts with the industry. Parking lots are everywhere and they all need G-FORCE’s services.

Constant Need Because it’s required by law for parking lots to be clearly marked, there is a constant need for the service G-FORCE

“G-FORCE, whose motto is “We’ve Earned our Stripes, Let us Earn Yours”, holds a lot of potential for military veterans looking to own their own business.” offers, Child noted. Over time, parking lot stripes and other markings wear away and that can lead to a dangerous situation for businesses. A fresh striping job also enhances the property’s value and aesthetics for customers, employees and tenants.

In addition to parking lot striping, franchisees will have the opportunity to expand their services if they want.

They’re required to offer the striping services but, if they choose, they may expand into warehouse striping, hot rubber crack sealing (very high demand), asphalt repairs and installation of signs, detectable warning systems, rubberized speed bumps, rubberized wheel stops and concrete parking stops.

While the business is seasonal in the colder climates, it can be run year-round in warmer climates. It also has low overhead and can be operated from home as an owner-operator service until a franchisee is ready to expand and hire more people, Child pointed out.

G-FORCE’s distinctive camo-style trucks and trailers, inspired by a military theme, help set G-FORCE franchisees apart from the competition. According to Child, the business community overwhelmingly supports veteran business initiatives.

Franchisees get a large exclusive territory, service trailer, one or more striping machines (depending on the package), traffic paints, stencils and miscellaneous equipment with their franchise. If franchisees don’t already own a pickup, they may lease one.

Total Investment for a G-FORCE Franchise is between $22,050 and $86,400, depending upon territory size, truck, equipment package and other variables, according to the company’s latest Franchise Disclosure Document.

Veterans are granted a 1% discount for each year of service off the Franchise Fees, up to 15%.

Corporate America Steps Up to Help G-FORCE has negotiated attractive discounts and grants from Corporate America as their way of saying “Thank you”.

Paint company Sherwin-Williams is donating the first 50 gallons of paint to each new franchisee which can generate about $5,000 worth of sales. They’ve also offered nationwide pricing for G-FORCE Franchisees.

Graco Industries, which manufactures the line painting machines, is offering discounts exclusive to G-FORCE franchisees.

Pavement Stencil Company, which was founded by an army veteran, is offering a 10 percent discount on the stencils the franchisees will use for painting.

And, pavement sealant manufacturer GemSeal is also offering discounts to G-FORCE franchisees on paints and equipment and can assist with leasing.

Child and G-FORCE’s operations manager, Bill Putnam (pictured on cover), are hoping the veterans they bring in as franchisees will in turn hire veterans as their businesses expand, although who the franchisees hire is ultimately up to them.

Support and Training G-FORCE is looking for veterans who want to be their own boss; who are committed to outstanding customer service; who like to work outdoors work with state-of-the-art equipment; who want to create wealth for themselves; who wish to create opportunities for fellow veterans, and can follow a proven system. They must have the highest standards of integrity to represent the company.

Because the company just started franchising, it’s wide open for territories right now.

When G-FORCE signs up a franchisee, they’ll receive training either in New Hampshire or in their own territory. That training will include how to operate and maintain the equipment (which now includes laser technologies), how to generate sales leads, how to quote jobs and how to close deals. Franchisees will also get help with marketing and their online ads.

Child has extensive experience with training others. During his military service, he spent seven years in the US Air Force as an officer, pilot and, finally, as pilot instructor for the C-141. Not only did Child have to teach others how to fly, he was actually in charge of teaching the other pilot instructors.

“So, I was essentially teaching others how to teach and that’s come in very handy when I wear my franchise hat,” Child said, “…it’s important to know how to help someone approaching a new task —whether it’s running a franchise or hooking up to a tanker at 20,000 feet for the first time — you have to understand their state of mind, tell them about the common errors, minimize or eliminate those errors before they occur and set them up for success.”

Child has already received some promising feedback about G-FORCE. Back in November, the company won the First Annual Veteran Entrepreneur Series Pitch Competition in Boston among 18 fellow “Vetrepreneurs”, sponsored by Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, Veteran’s Edge, Suburban Integrated Facilities Resources, WS Development and Venture Cafe. The judges in the competition were impressed with G-FORCE’s franchise concept because of its multiplying effect on the veteran community.

G-FORCE is one of two national brands with a veteran focus, but is currently the only franchise system dedicated exclusively to veterans.

G-FORCE, whose motto is “We’ve Earned our Stripes, Let us Earn Yours”, holds a lot of potential for military veterans looking to own their own business. www.gogforce.com

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V e t erans in Franchising

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V e t erans in Franchising

Expert Advice: Jim Rowley, Co-founder of UFC GYM and USMC Veteran

Why Military Veterans

Make Great Franchisees “Military veterans are conditioned to prioritize the success of the mission over their own self interest and to use their discipline to see that mission through. The success of the business has to be the top priority, even when it means putting in extra hours to make sure it happens.”

Military training and service prepare veterans to excel in a variety of jobs after their service is complete.

While many service members receive specialized training to perform specific combat and non-combat roles, the common skills and mentality military training imparts on all service members apply to many life situations, particularly the emphasis on preparedness, leadership and discipline. When deployed in a franchised business, these skills set a veteran up for success.

“Prepare” is a key word; in the military, preparedness is paramount to the success of any mission. Whether that’s the mental preparation to understand the mission and its purpose or preparing the tools needed to complete the mission, the majority of military life outside an active combat zone is spent in preparation.

Throughout the process of becoming a franchise owner, preparedness plays out in a variety of ways. It means doing due diligence before deciding on the franchise they want to become a part of. One needs

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to dig into the economics of joining a particular franchise and what their capital requirements are. Researching locations and finding the one that provides the best opportunity is all a part of the preparation process. Franchisees need to create a talent acquisition strategy that will attract the best employees for their particular business and developing their team to best carry out the business’s mission.

They need to prepare a marketing plan that helps them attract the right customer and continually be prepared to adapt the marketing plan to respond to changing conditions for continued success.

The discipline one learns during military service is also crucial to success and another asset to a franchisee owner.

A franchisee needs to have strong self discipline. They have to be ready to get up every morning and charge into the day, execute on their plan and ensure the mission succeeds. That discipline shows itself in how well a franchisee trains and develops their staff, how they ensure their product or service meets the customers’ expectations and taking care of the behind-the-scenes aspects of keeping the business running smoothly. Military veterans are conditioned to prioritize the success of the mission over their own self interest and to use their discipline to see that mission through. The success of the business has to be the top priority, even when it means putting in extra hours to make sure it happens.

Discipline also shines through in a franchisee’s ability to carry out the system established by the franchisor. The cultures of different branches of the U.S. military have been developed over the course of decades or even centuries. The weapons

“Though military experience and a civilian career differ in terms of the stakes, the skills a veteran learns through their service transition naturally to the role of a franchisee.” and some of the training techniques may change over time, but the culture and the system remain consistent. If you put anyone into that system and impart on them the discipline to follow the training and the orders of their officers, they’re going to succeed. Success stems from carrying out the plan and service members learn that deviating from the plan leads to problems. Similarly, if a franchised system works, someone who has the discipline to stick to the system and follow tried-andtrue processes is positioned to succeed.

Another key parallel between military experience and success as a franchisee is the leadership skills our veterans learn throughout their service. They learn from a very early stage to lead people of diverse backgrounds in terms of culture, religion and language. A platoon or squad leader learns how to communicate with and lead people from different age groups and different walks of life. Those leadership skills and ability communicate a plan are vital to success in leading a franchise. A service member may lead a group of 10 or 100 other people before they turn 20 years old, so by the time they complete their service and transition into a career as a civilian, taking the lead as the entrepreneur behind a franchised business comes more naturally than it might for someone who hasn’t had that same experience.

Though military experience and a civilian

Jim Rowley

career differ in terms of the stakes, the skills a veteran learns through their service transition naturally to the role of a franchisee. They have these built in advantages that can give them a leg up on someone who transitions into entrepreneurship from a corporate role.

Many of the top performers in a franchised system are the owners who have that military background. It’s a big reason why so many franchises, including UFC GYM, actively military veterans for to join their system as a franchisee.

Jim Rowley is a co-founder of UFC GYM and a USMC Veteran. ufcgymfranchise.com

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V e t erans in Franchising

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V e t erans in Franchising

Expert Advice: Randi Samuels, Owner/Operator, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More ®

How Developing Tough Skin in the Military

Prepared Me for Franchise Success I was young, right out of high school, when I decided to join the United States Air Force.

I spent my four years in the service in the crypto graphics unit, which is a high-level engineering field, and worked my way up to the rank of Sergeant.

soon after. After my military career, I

I spent my first year of service in school learning the ropes of crypto graphics and found myself traveling to South Korea

me for business ownership and taught me

began doing government contract work with my high military clearance from

my time in crypto graphics. Later on, I

realized that depending on someone else for my livelihood was not my ultimate career goal, so I decided to go into business for myself.

When considering becoming a business

owner, I soon realized that my time in the Air Force better prepared me for a life as

franchise owner than I had expected. I had acquired a knowledge base and mindset

that they don’t teach business students in

college. My real-life experiences prepared the true meaning of responsibility and discipline.

“It is important to ask yourself, as a business owner and leader, what your weaknesses are in order to find solutions.”

Don’t Make Excuses While in the Air Force I was often at a disadvantage due to my height, I am only 4’11, and when I had difficulty completing certain tasks, I was told that I should grow.

What my commanding officers meant by “grow” was not in the physical sense, but that I should find other ways to combat the difficulties I was experiencing in my field due to my height challenge and any other disadvantages.

Looking at business ownership, it is important to utilize the same mindset.

When things don’t work out, or you find yourself facing problems with your business, you don’t sit around and make excuses for why things are going wrong. Instead, you figure out how to resolve them and get to the end result you desire. It is important to ask yourself, as a business owner and leader, what your weaknesses are in order to find solutions.

Your weaknesses are not your defining moments, your defining moments are when you push through those weaknesses and find the solution or strength that you didn’t know was there.

Utilize Your Support System In the military, you are always focused on the team. Each person has their own tasks to complete, but everything you do is collaborative. You have a group or family behind you that teaches and guides you through your responsibilities and tasks, which is the same for the franchise industry.

Having this background of group effort

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“Whether you are beginning your journey as a franchisee or have been in the role for a period of time, remember to listen to your instincts and utilize the skills that were drilled into you throughout your time in the military.�

and strong support systems made the franchise model attractive to me. Everyone within the franchise is working towards the same goal. The success of other franchisees in the system does not mean that you are not successful as well; it means that you are all succeeding. Both the corporate team and fellow franchisees are striving towards a collective goal and they all put forth a positive effort. There are always people behind you to support and help you, which is what veterans are accustomed to from our time in the military.

Have Tough Skin Throughout my military career, I was constantly being moved around to different military bases. I quickly inherited the ability to adapt to my new situations and surroundings, which is a powerful skill to have. Adapting to new situations also makes you equally brave and versatile. I was suddenly able to make hard decisions because I was put into situations where I needed to be brave and decisive; it was never something I could run away from.

When first opening my business, I was nervous to take the leap and knew it was both a huge responsibility and a great blessing. In 2011 when I decided to take the plunge and channel my bravery, I found that I quickly fell into my role as a business owner. There were challenges and difficulties along the way as expected, but overall, I know that I credit my military background for training me to take challenges head on and quickly adapt to new roles.

T-Shirts & MoreÂŽ, a locally-owned, high-technology garment decorating retail franchise where customers have the freedom to design their own apparel, which she opened in 2011. To learn more about franchising with Big Frog, visit www.bigfrogfranchise.com.

Whether you are beginning your journey as a franchisee or have been in the role for a period of time, remember to listen to your instincts and utilize the skills that were drilled into you throughout your time in the military. The lessons you have learned and the skills you have adopted will help you lead your business to success.

Randi Samuels is an Air Force veteran who specialized in the technology of crypto graphics while serving. She is now the owner and operator of the Mountain View, Calif. Big Frog Custom

Randi Samuels

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V e t erans in Franchising

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V e t erans in Franchising

Have Your Say: Tom English, Franchise Owner, Baskin-Robbins

Our Military Veterans Need a Hand Up, Not a Hand Out… Franchising Can Provide This

The business community is buzzing with companies espousing their support of helping veterans, yet veteran unemployment numbers remain stubbornly high. The stark reality is that many companies do not actually want to hire veterans for fear that they will be difficult to assimilate. This occurs with non-disabled veterans and even more frequently with veterans who have incurred disabilities during their service.

Knowing all of this, how can we as a society help our veterans make up for the business development they missed out on while serving our country? Providing business opportunities through franchising is a welcome approach and one that I discovered for myself.

Tom English

The word “veteran” has a dual definition, meaning both a person who has served in the military and a person who has had a long experience in a particular field.

sacrifices – both in their personal lives and

Appropriately, our military veterans

to secure a healthy financial future for

often have experience in making dual

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in business opportunities – to serve our country.

These sacrifices are made proudly and

thankfully. Veterans sign on the dotted

line, making a deal with their country to

give all that they have, including their life, should it be needed. When making this

agreement, veterans forfeit many aspects of a civilian life, often including avenues themselves and their families.

After serving 31 years in the United States Army with multiple deployments and receiving a Bronze Star for meritorious service, I am proud of my accomplishments and the people I worked beside. Yet, when I looked back over those years of service, I saw missed opportunity after missed opportunity. For example, in 1998 I had the foresight to form a company to scan business documents, but in 1999 I was called to deploy to Bosnia. I had made a deal to go when my country needed me, so my scanning company – and a potentially lucrative business opportunity - went dark.

My military service came to an end after suffering injuries to my ankles while serving in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.

Recovering from multiple surgeries, I began working – and eventually retired

– as an administrative law judge hearing Social Security appeals. I saw firsthand that many employers did not want to hire disabled veterans, even if they publicly stated otherwise. I began thinking about my own missed business opportunities and was eventually led to Baskin-Robbins and its franchisee program for veterans.

As I worked through the franchising process, I quickly saw that Baskin-Robbins means it when they say they want to help military veterans. Baskin-Robbins managers and executives from the brand’s parent company, Dunkin’ Brands, made it very clear they wanted to help me into the business world and welcomed me with open arms.

Just as there is more than one definition of the word veteran, there is more than one background story and no “typical” veteran situation post-service. The business world has always excited me, and I was fortunate to be able to create many great opportunities for myself in public service after I retired from active duty. BaskinRobbins has given me a great hand up, and

I am now starting anew in the business world standing shoulder to shoulder (as we would say in Afghanistan about our military partners: Shohna ba Shohna) with a wonderful company and a great group of people.

In the spirit of extending a hand up, I would encourage my fellow veterans interested in franchising to follow a few important steps:

1

– Look carefully at the fine print of the opportunities to understand what they are in fact offering. When I began researching Dunkin’ Brands, I read through the veteran stories on the company’s franchising web page and could tell Baskin-Robbins was truly a franchise helping veterans.

2

– Rely on the tenacity you learned in the military. You must do the due diligence to investigate a company’s track record. Don’t just go with what you see at first blush. Also, the franchising business isn’t for everyone. Opening and running your own business is a laborious process, so make sure it’s a good fit for you. At

every step of the way, the Dunkin’ Brands team provided straightforward information in a helpful way, which signaled to me that I was in the right hands.

3

– Work your strategic battle plan.

In the military, we hone our ability to focus on an issue and come up with a plan of action. We are not afraid of hard work and 20-hour days, and we believe in contributing more than our “fair share” to the team. These are skills that translate very well to business ownership and franchising. Find a franchisor that believes in having your back in the trenches of business.

Tom English owns a Baskin-Robbins shop in the Lansing, Michigan, area with his wife April, who has a rich history of small business ownership and experience managing QSR concepts and convenience store locations throughout Michigan. Tom worked for years in the public sector, serving in law enforcement, as a cabinet secretary, and as a judge, in addition to 31 years in the U.S. Army.

Franchising USA

V e t erans in Franchising

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