Veterans in Franchising: Nick Moyneur

Former United States Navy Diver Nick Moyneur was interested in pursuing franchise ownership, due to his experience in following proven systems. In 2017, Moyneur was one of the winners of travel agency franchise Dreams Vacations’ annual “Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General” contest. Moyneur discusses his path to franchise ownership and what drew him to franchising after leaving the military.

1851: Why did you decide to join the military?

Moyneur: After college, I completed a three month internship with a scuba shop in Honduras and fell in love with diving. After returning back to the United States, I wanted to continue diving professionally so I set the goal of becoming a Navy Diver.

1851: What was the most valuable thing your military experience taught you?

Moyneur: I think having a sense of service and duty greater than myself is the most valuable thing I learned from the U.S. Navy.

1851: How did your military service prepare you for franchising?

Moyneur: As a United States Navy Diver, there are systems to follow for safety and effectiveness. Because of this, I was able to easily adapt to the franchise model.

1851: What is it about Dream Vacations that attracted you to the brand?

Moyneur: In the very beginning, I started working with Damon Chaffin at the Veterans Business Outreach Center. He said I should contact other franchisees. I followed his advice and reached out to numerous franchisees and everyone had good things to say, particularly about the amount of support available to franchise owners.

1851: What advice would you give to veterans who are looking to get into franchising?

Moyneur: Do your research. Use whatever resources you have available to you (there are a lot out there for veterans). Once you make a decision, follow through with it. If you have a passion for travel, this is definitely a great opportunity and something you should consider.

1851: What does franchising mean to you?

Moyneur: Franchising means that you have your own business with an awesome support team behind you every step of the way.

1851: What would you like to achieve in franchising within the next 5 years? In 10?

Moyneur: The biggest thing that I would like to achieve in franchising within the next 5-10 years is to continue to grow our business every year and to continue to learn from others as well as help others to learn.