Top Franchises For Veterans Are Offered By Neighborly
With more than 4,800 home-service franchises in nine countries, including 3,200 in the U.S., holding company Neighborly places very high as top franchises for veterans. Those include several offered here on HomeServocesOpportunities.com including Mosquito Joe, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric, Mr. Handyman and Glass Doctor.
Neighborly COO Mary Kennedy Thompson says her company’s commitment to supporting and hiring veterans is personal.
“Don Dwyer, our founder, who served in the military, wanted to give back to those who served our country. So, he started the VetFran Program right after Desert Storm in the 1990s,” said Thompson, an ex-Marine herself. “From the start, our company has made it a top priority to recruit veteran employees and franchise owners because we feel veterans deserve the power to prosper. They served our country and put their lives on the line for us. We owe it to them to take care of them.”
Military veterans Hanlon and Childers have certainly benefited from their franchising experiences. Hanlon is one of Dream Vacations top performers, growing his business every year. Despite the pandemic, which has severely impacted the travel sector, he says he’s selling more luxury vacations at a higher price point in 2021 than in previous years.
“It takes a special skill set to become a successful franchise owner, and the fact is not all veterans make great franchisees. But a lot of them do, and I’ll do whatever I can to educate them and guide them through the process,” said Hanlon, who in 2019 was named Dream Vacations’ Ambassador of Veteran Affairs, an award which honors a former member of the Armed Forces who represents the interests of military veterans and is dedicated to their advancement as travel agents.
Childers, who became passionate for home care services while caring for his ailing grandmother, credits his military experiences with providing him the discipline and the tools to become a successful multi-unit franchise owner.
“In the Marines, I was put in charge of the logistics of moving hundreds of troops, everything they required to take with them to prepare them for war. I now run a franchise with about 100 employees who are caring for clients with a lot of different kinds of physical and mental disabilities. I feel like I was prepared to take this challenge,” he said.
“The Marines taught me a lot of things, but most importantly discipline and organizational skills,” said Childers who opened his HomeWell franchise during the pandemic and yet still exceeded his first-year revenue goals by 300 percent, placing him among the franchise’s top performers. “The thing I like about the franchise model is it’s got a good game plan, and it also provides me with the structure I need to be successful.”