Beyond the Battlefield: Thousands of Veterans Are Finding Success in Franchising

While serving as a military officer for the United States Army in Korea, Jaafar Mirlohi learned the importance of surrounding himself with professionals exhibiting a “team-first” mentality.

After returning home to Vallejo, California two years later, Mirlohi went to school, earned a degree in human services, and began his transition back into civilian life. His next step was finding a meaningful career, and when he stumbled upon an ad for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK*, Mirlohi saw a perfect match—the Michigan-based company’s motto, “Movers Who Care,” aligned with the same mindset he had come to know and embody during his time in the military.

“I’d say that any serviceperson after duty, or even those in the reserves, would be a perfect fit in the company because its systems and processes are just like the military,” Mirlohi said. “Life in the military translates well to this opportunity perfectly because TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is very structured in its approach. And with other veterans in the system, it’s nice to have fellow franchisees that I can talk with and relate to.”

Mike Steiner, an owner of Right at Home* in Grayslake, Illinois, shares a similar story. Having served in the Navy aboard the USS Puget Sound, the first combat ship to allow women to serve onboard, Steiner is also a veteran. The experience instilled in him a deep appreciation for qualities like integrity and honesty. He found both of those in Right at Home.

“It felt right to go into this line of business. I started looking into the most reputable in-home care industries. Integrity means a lot to me—so does honesty. I wanted something I could feel proud of, and I was fortunate to find Right at Home.”

Realizing the strong value that veterans can offer a business like Right at Home, Steiner has made it his goal to hire veterans as both employees and clients.

Mosquito Joe* is yet another brand that veterans gravitate toward. In fact, some 15 to 20 percent of its franchisees are former service members. While the company offers a $2,500 discount on its franchise fee to veterans, Mosquito Joe’s Chief Operating Officer Brian Garrison, who left the military in 2012, believes vets are attracted to the brand’s culture as well. Many of Mosquito Joe’s corporate team also served in the military.

“We feel vets bring the right set of experiences and work ethic to our business. They understand a lot about customer service, although they may not know they’re doing it. They are really good at completing a job to the best of their ability and on time,” Garrison says. “Veterans coming through the pipeline look at other vets in our system, and it resonates with them.”

At the end of the first Gulf War, Don Dwyer had a moment of clarity when he realized a specific group whose quality of life he truly wanted to impact and improve: military veterans. He wanted to empower them to get into business for themselves but not by themselves. That vision grew into VetFran, a program that incentivizes former veterans to become new franchise owners that today includes more than 650 brands across the country. These brands voluntarily offer financial discounts, mentorship and training for aspiring veteran franchisees and veterans seeking employment.

According to VetFran, franchising is a popular career choice for military veterans because many of their skills and traits from the military translate well with business ownership, such as integrity, management and thinking under pressure. And because so many franchises offer veteran incentives, it makes the transition that much easier once they return home and make their next move back into civilian life.

Today, nearly one in seven franchises is veteran-owned. In the last five years, 5,100 veterans have become business owners, and to date, there are more than 66,000 veteran-owned franchises. Combined, these businesses directly provide jobs for 815,000 Americans, and generate more than $41 billion in GDP. And in the years to come, these numbers are only expected to grow.

“Veterans do very well in franchising because they’re used to following systems. Structures and operational excellence are the basic tenets of franchising, because you’re following a proven scaleable model,” said George Eldridge, the Program Manager for VetFran. “People in the military know about hard work and discipline and they know about perseverance. You just don’t give up; you don’t leave somebody behind. You keep at it.”