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franchisechatter.comhttp://www.franchisechatter.com/2013/06/22/entrepreneurs-in-uniform-why-franchises-are-a-great-opportunity-for-veterans/

David Miller, founder and CEO of BrightwayInsurance

Franchise Chatter

Entrepreneurs in Uniform: Why Franchises are a GreatOpportunity For Veterans

Learn How to Make a Safer, Smarter Franchise Investment - Click Here

This is a guest blog post by David Miller, CEO, Brightway Insurance .

America is currently in the longes t perio d o f war in U.S. history, result ing in a large number of veteransreturning fro m overseas as well as thos e stat ioned at home loo king f or careers once their service isf inished. It is import ant t hat veterans have stable career opt ions t o explore when returning home. Tho sewho f ought hardest f or o ur country deserve the best f ighting chance at t heir own secure financial f uture.

Unfort unately, it isnt so easy right now.

Af ter s erving t heir co unt ry, many o f our nat ions veterans arecoming home to conf ront a new batt le. Steady employ ment isbecoming increasingly diff icult, especially f or veterans. According tothe Bureau of Labor Statist ics release f or March 2013 , the

unemployment rat e averaged 9.9% in 2012 f or veterans who haveserved since 2001, whereas the rate f or the average American is2.4% lo wer, at 7.5%.

Despite these discouraging numbers, veterans are discovering theyhave what it t akes to succeed in business when the rightoppo rtunity presents its elf . A new trend is becoming increasinglypopular in the veteran community, one t hat allows t hem to t akeadvantage of skills learned in the military. Many servicemen andwomen are choosing to go into business for themselves and a verygood o ption is through f ranchising.

Because starting a business is difficult to say the least, franchisingof f ers a t remendous support system and inf rastructure comparedto a pure start -up bus iness, hence it has become an increasinglymore ut ilized route f or veterans who are interes ted inentrepreneurship. Franchising provides the oppo rtunity t o lead ateam to common goals, build relationships in the community, and become f inancially secure throughdetermination. Not only is it positive f or t hose who served in the military, but f ranchiso rs like BrightwayInsurance and ot hers t rust veterans to have what it takes f or s uccess.

Some of the skills o f military that t ranslate well to a f ranchise include:
http://www.brightwayinsurance.com/franchise/http://www.franchisechatter.com/http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htmhttp://www.brightwayinsurance.com/franchise/http://www.franchisechatter.com/sales-letter/http://www.franchisechatter.com/2013/06/22/entrepreneurs-in-uniform-why-franchises-are-a-great-opportunity-for-veterans/http://www.franchisechatter.com/


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Comfo rtable in leadership roles

Work well under pressure

Disciplined

Underst and the import ance of policies

Respectful of procedures and rules

Detail-oriented

Has a network of f ellow veterans

Works with a sense of urgency

Accustomed to structure

Has the knowledge to s ucceed in a proven syst em

Can adjust to transition

Can manage multiple respo nsibilities

Comfo rtable in a f ast -paced environment

For example, Bobby Fazio is a veteran and Brightway f ranchise owner in San Antonio , Texas, o ne of severalveterans who o wn Brightway f ranchises.

My military experience continues to pro ve benef icial in all aspects of my life, including my career as aninsurance agent and Brightway agency owner, said Fazio. My military training has given me an internal drive tonot only survive the f ierce competitiveness o f our industry, but to be committed to win without sacrif icing theintegrity of my core values. My military background has given me a high level of resilience and determination.

Along with these value t rait s veterans share, they have so mething else in common: a network of other hard-working veterans. This s tro ng support syst em provides a way fo r business networking. Bobby Fazio is f amiliar with t his as well, and has had inherently great success f rom networking through o ther veterans.

My networks f rom the military are some of my best ref erral so urces, said Fazio. They are always quick tohand out my business cards and put in a good word f or an o ld friend.

For veterans just beginning to look into the opportunities of f ranchising, there are online resources availableto help with st eps along the way. One of these opt ions is VetFran , or Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative. Itis a st rategic f ranchise initiative created by the International Franchise Association t o help veterans t ransitionto civilian lif e.

For Brightways part, we encourage veterans by providing up to 100 percent f inancing of the f ranchise f ee,compared to the regular level of up to 50 percent. This is our way of thanking veterans f or t heir service while

recognizing weve seen terrif ic results f rom veteran f ranchisees.

David Miller founded Brightway Insurance in 2003. The company has become a leading national independent insurance retailer with more than 100 stores, and its focus on creating the ideal customer experience has resulted in an industry-leading customer retention rate of 93 percent. From 2010 to 2011, sales grew from $108 million to$168 million and rose sharply to $257 million in 2012. Brightway Insurance is an Inc. 500|5000 Fastest-Growing Company, making the list for the last five years.
http://www.vetfran.com/


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