Many people who look into franchising love the prospect of becoming their own boss, and this was no different for Army veteran-turned-Mosquito Hunters franchisee Casey Reed and his wife, Jessica.

The former Chief Warrant Officer was less than a year away from retiring from his 21-year career with the Army when he learned about Mosquito Hunters in December of 2018. FranNet consultant Amanda Berry briefed Reed and other retiring Army colleagues about the world of franchising while they were still on base in Fort Knox, Kentucky.

“The Army has a pretty exhaustive, comprehensive program to help transition soldiers into civilian life and a lot of that has to do with résumé-building and looking for what we’re going to do for the next chapter of our lives,” Reed said. “What the consultant did was pair retiring and transitioning soldiers and military personnel with potential franchises and educate us on the process.”

The lifestyle opportunities for a franchisee stood out the most to the Reeds, especially when it came to having job autonomy and spending more time with family.

“What Amanda briefed us on was everything I was looking for in future employment,” Reed said. “I wanted a little bit of freedom and autonomy, to stay at home and not travel so much. I wanted to come home every single night and eat dinner with my wife and kids like a normal family and be my own boss.”

The Reeds signed their Mosquito Hunters franchise agreement in February.

“We purchased while still being active-duty,” Reed said. “I had six months left before retirement, so we purchased knowing we’d do a delayed start.”

As a mother to five children and as a spouse who navigated the Army life alongside her husband for many years, Jessica is more than prepared for her family’s new enterprise.

“I’ll be doing the spraying and operations, at least to start, and she’ll be the one really running this thing and keeping me on track,” Reed said of his wife. “She’ll be doing a lot of the scheduling and the books. I like to say she’ll be the brains.”

The Reeds looked at a total of five different franchises but it was “very apparent” from the start that Mosquito Hunters was a standout opportunity. Since its founding, Mosquito Hunters has earned recognition as a competitive and affordable franchise option. Its low cost of entry, simple business model and recurring revenue stream are just a few reasons as to why it is considered a great investment. In May of 2018, the brand partnered with the more established franchise Lawn Doctor, which has been around since the mid-1960s, further increasing its reach and scope.

Mosquito Hunters also has a significant offering for Reed and his fellow veterans: The brand offers military veterans and first responders $10,000 off the franchise fee.

Throughout the discovery process, Reed especially enjoyed the conversations he had with members of the Mosquito Hunters Franchise Development team.

“They had answers for every question I had and they were true answers, not what he thought I wanted to hear,” Reed said. “I felt like Mosquito Hunters was a real organization with real people and they had real stories. I didn’t want to get swayed into making this decision. Our talks were very educational and there was no pressure.”

According to VetFran, an organization that educates veterans about the benefits of franchising and also educates franchisors about the benefits of involving veterans, veterans leave the service with strong leadership skills and an understanding of teamwork, positioning people like the Reed family for success. Veterans account for 7% of the U.S. population, but 14% of franchisees are vets, according to VetFran.

The Reeds’ Mosquito Hunters will be located in Boerne, Texas, about a half-hour drive from San Antonio, and is scheduled to open in the spring of 2020. Their Boerne Mosquito Hunters will also service the nearby cities of Spring Branch and Bulverde.

The decision to franchise in Boerne was a strategic one. Reed noted that Boerne is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas. While Boerne has general home service offerings, there isn’t anything specifically related to mosquitos.

The Reeds are open to the idea of expanding with the brand and opening more territories, but for now, they are focused on getting their first location off the ground.

The Reeds just purchased a house in Boerne, so they’re not yet fully integrated into the community, but they do plan to be heavily involved. This includes becoming members of their local Chamber of Commerce and getting involved through their church.

Reed believes the brand will be well-received in his market, especially considering the warmer weather. ”The length of our season here is going to be much longer than the average because there’s definitely a mosquito issue in my territory,” Reed said.

The Reeds also plan to get their five children involved in their new franchise venture.

“We’ll spend a lot of Saturdays at farmers’ markets; really wherever we can get the whole family involved,” Reed said. “I’m also pretty heavy into volunteering with youth sports and that can be paired up nicely with the franchise. We can get a bunch of little 8-year-old soccer players with Mosquito Hunters-sponsored shirts.”

Reed anticipates he and Jessica will enjoy the franchisee life.

“I think it’s going to be a very good business marriage because, for the better portion of my career, I’ve had the ability to work both on my own and as part of a team a lot in the military,” Reed said.

He feels that a franchise opportunity like Mosquito Hunters is a great opportunity for military veterans.

“What a lot of soldiers, especially retired soldiers, bring to the table is the work ethic and the understanding that what we put into it is what we get out of it,” Reed said. “It’s going to be successful based on the sweat coming off of the brow.”

The startup costs for a Mosquito Hunters franchise range from $70,107 to $85,903. The franchise license fee ranges from $25,000 to $35,000. To learn more about franchising with Mosquito Hunters, visit https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/.