You may have asked yourself this question.
After all, you can just Google “best franchises for veterans,” or “hottest franchises,” right?
If you do, you will get thousands of options—an overwhelming “buffet” of choices. Vetrepreneur® franchise coaches help veterans ask themselves the right questions to narrow the options to a manageable handful.
“We tailor those franchise options based on desires, skills, lifestyle, geographical and financial situations,” said George Decoux, a recently retired Vetrepreneur® franchise coach who operated a Chick-fil-A in Amarillo, Texas for nine years before moving to Houston to be closer to family. “It’s not the buffet, it’s not here’s the list—go pick one and then we’ll go through the rotary and figure out exactly what it’s going to be. We’re an advocate for them. It’s education through the Vetrepreneur® portal, it is perspective, it’s advice and it’s helping them make well-informed decisions as they go through the process.”
Vetrepreneur® Franchise Coaching is absolutely free to service members, veterans, and their families. — find out more here. The next session is happening soon!
“If they go through the process and find out that franchising isn’t the best thing for them or it isn’t quite the right time … it doesn’t cost you anything. You’ve just educated yourself on the process and discovered whether or not this is for you—because this is truly a lifestyle change if you’re going to go into business,” Decoux said.
The coaching process begins with the interested veteran attending a franchise workshop—boot camp—that explains the basics of the franchising world. If they are still interested, they complete a profile that gives the coaching staff an understanding of the veteran’s financial situation and who they are.
*Vetrepreneur® Franchise Coaching has access to about 600 franchises in 15 industries. Vetrepreneur® Coaching is free to veterans and we are paid a referral fee by franchises if a match is made.
Doug Hoerster, a Navy veteran who is now a Vetrepreneur® franchise coach, says finding out what motivates a veteran to become a business owner is critical to helping them narrow down the options during the second step: Self-Assessment.
“The most interesting part for me is trying to figure out why someone’s interested in starting a business,” Hoerster said. “A lot of people look at it as the work they’re going to do and not the business they’re going to run. So a lot of the work of owning the business is consistent across a lot of the franchises because you’re going to hire people as you grow the business, you’re going to be managing resources and you’re going to be out doing the business development and getting the sales so that when you finish the job you have more jobs coming in. And really understanding why somebody wants to own a business helps me tremendously and gives me options to put in front of someone that they might not have considered.”
Schedule a free meeting with a franchise coach by visiting Vetrepreneur.com/moat or scanning the QR code.