FRANCHISE ISSUE: BE YOUR OWN BOSS CivilianJOBS.com’s
The Essential Military-to-Civilian Transition Resource September - October 2016
militarytransitionnews.com
Freedom in Franchising by Heidi Lynn Russell Contributing Editor
I
f you’ve performed your military duties to the letter, you already know the drill of adhering to a system, which makes you a perfect candidate for franchising. And franchising may be the perfect career option for you, too. After all, the “secret sauce” for franchise success is a formula of procedures dictating the creation and delivery of product and services. “My company, Edible Arrangements, gave me anything and everything – all the tools to be successful and the blueprint to be Maurice Welton successful,” says former Army SGT Maurice Welton. His business has grown to five locations in the southernmost tip of Texas since 2007. “The secret is that you listen, you follow. The formula is easy. Veterans are great for this, because you don’t ask questions. Someone tells you to hitch a plow to a mosquito and says, ‘Don’t ask me how; just hook them up. Don’t
question me. Just do it.’ And you do it,” Welton says. Veterans like Welton bring a stick-toit-iveness to their businesses and are natural growth strategists, says Robert Robert Cresanti, CEO of the International Fran- Cresanti chise Association (IFA). They also are adept at networking to solve problems, a key factor in franchising success, he says. “Military members accomplish missions. They get together and say, ‘How did that work when we took 300 trucks across the desert, and what are the things we should have thought about?’ That’s how
the franchisee network works,” Cresanti says. “You talk to dozens, if not hundreds, of others that have the same business you do, except maybe they’re in another state with a similar-sized city that has two high schools and a minor league baseball stadium.” Of the 750,000-plus franchises in the United States, veterans owned about 66,000 of them in 2007, the latest data available, Cresanti says. A veteran is 30 percent more likely to hire another veteran. Veteran-owned franchises see average annual sales of $2.1 million each. Like any military mission, franchise ownership requires detailed planning and shoring
support before you see successes like Welton’s, however. Here are some lessons that veteran franchise owners have learned along the way, plus tips from companies that are actively recruiting and helping military members buy and operate franchise businesses. You can still launch a business even if you’ve already taken a fulltime job. Many veterans worry they’ll land in a full-time civilian job they hate after they leave the service. And Welton had had “one of those days” when he discovered that it wasn’t too late for him to make a change. He had exited the Army in 2003 after serving six years as a cook and
food inspector. At home after a tough day at work in 2006, he flipped on a Donny Deutsch show and saw a report about Edible Arrangements. “I never had an ambition to open my own business originally. I’m a traditional guy who thought I would work for somebody and get a pension. That was my mindset. But I had that one day at work that made me want to get off the corporate treadmill,” Welton says. continues page 4
Your Career in Good Hands by Janet Farley Contributing Editor
I
t’s a well-known fact. Finding a post-uniform job is far from easy. The Good Hands® people at Allstate Insurance Company, however, are doing their best to change that. The company recently launched the Allstate Military Veterans and Spouses Program, a unique initiative designed to help veterans and military spouses become Licensed Sales Professionals (LSPs) and work for one of more than 10,000 Allstate agency owners across
the United States. LSPs are employees of Allstate agency owners, and work closely with Allstate customers while supporting day-to-day business operations. They also work to build strong community relationships while providing insurance and financial products to customers wishing to protect their homes, cars, motorcycles, lives and retirement incomes. Ideal candidates are able to demonstrate initiative and ownership and are able to work under tight deadlines. They have a proven ability to learn new skills quickly
and can effectively communicate with others. Candidates desiring employment as an LSP should also be able and willing to obtain a property and casualty state insurance license once they are hired. Qualified LSPs who want to advance may have that possibility. “Our licensed sales professionals may also go on to become agency owners, too,” said Justin Herndon, a representative from Allstate’s Media Relations and Issues Management Team. continues page 6
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Transition Talk: Salary negotiation ....................page 3
Finance: Tips from entrepreneurs .....................page 10
Feature: Fitness Careers ......... page 14
Career Coach’s Corner: BYOB ..... page 17
Job Fairs: Find one near you ...........page 18