The Great Franchisee | Navy Veteran and His Wife Open Veteran-Centric Junk Removal Business

Dennis Doolen has dedicated his life to helping the people in his country and his local community. Doolen was in the healthcare industry for 34 years, with his career starting as a hospital corpsman in the Navy. He retired in 2008 from the military but stayed in the healthcare industry to help others. Now, Dennis and his wife, Katie, are looking to give back to the Veteran community through business ownership.

The Doolens opened JDog Junk Removal and Hauling, the national junk removal and carpet cleaning franchising that creates business ownership opportunities exclusively for Veterans and their families, in Humble on August 8. They look forward to serving their community in a new way by hiring Veterans and helping their customers have a great experience during some of the more emotional times of their lives.

1851 Franchise spoke with the Doolens to learn more about their franchising journey with JDog Brands.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Dennis: I’ve had a 34-year career in the healthcare industry. I began my career in the Navy as a hospital corpsman, and I retired in 2008. When I retired from the military, I stayed in the healthcare industry. I went on to help convert emergency rooms into mini hospitals, and around 2020, I started doing consulting work to help keep occupational medicine businesses open during the pandemic.

My wife, Katie, and I played around with some entrepreneurial opportunities in the past. We felt we needed something with a system in place and more support rather than just flying solo. When we started looking at franchises, we wanted something Veteran-friendly, with low startup costs, and something we could do together.

Katie: I’ve been a stay-at-home wife and mom. As Dennis said, we have looked into business ownership in the past and wanted something that would support us to get a great start.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Katie: I always thought that all franchises were expensive to startup with, most of them being unattainable.

1851: What makes you stand out as business owners in your local community?

Dennis: I think the fact that we are Veteran-focused will help us stand out. JDog is also environmentally friendly. With 60–80% of all pickups kept out of landfills, it really resonates with people. We use recycling centers and donate what we can.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Dennis: When we attended Discovery Day, we instantly clicked with Jerry and Tracy. We loved how supportive they were, and we loved the JDog mission that is focused on hiring Veterans. We’re excited to help people through some tough times. Most people might think of junk removal as pretty straightforward, but a lot of the time, we are helping people pack, move, and donate big parts of their lives. That can be emotionally draining. We’re happy to help lift some of the weight off their shoulders.

Katie: I love that every day is different. We get to meet new people and help them. We can support people through some of the most emotional times of their lives; marriage, death, moving to college, etc. And through JDog, we get to provide a level of stability and support.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Dennis: Right now, we are averaging about 20 customers a month, but we would love to build that up to 80 per month in the next few months. We are going to look into a second truck and crew too. From there, we want to look into opening a third territory and eventually expand into the carpet side of the industry.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Dennis: I want people to know that we aren’t just there to take the junk and leave. We want to help our customers work through what needs to be taken out and not just throw everything away. We also hold the core values of the military and JDog close to us, and we bring that mindset to every job.

Katie: You will be getting a fair price and treated with respect anytime you hire us.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Dennis: Investigate everything thoroughly and learn how to network. You really need to understand the communication of the corporate team and be ready to get out of your comfort zone.