Veterans often make smart business owners due to their superior leadership skills. Veterans are trained to handle many diverse challenges in changing conditions. They are adept with team dynamics, and they understand better than anyone that professional development is a continuous process. By Sherri Seiber

Veterans often make smart business owners due to their superior leadership skills. Veterans are trained to handle many diverse challenges in changing conditions. They are adept with team dynamics, and they understand better than anyone that professional development is a continuous process.

National Veterans and Military Families Month is an important time for our country, and it is particularly special within the franchise industry. Many franchisors recruit specifically for veterans, as they become key contributors to the franchise community.

Most service members discharge well before traditional retirement age, and many decide to embark on second careers as entrepreneurs. Franchise ownership is a longstanding path to entrepreneurship for veterans.

One of the main benefits of franchise ownership for veterans is the amount of supportive resources available to current and former service members. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has several veteran-specific education and training programs. These include Boots to Business, an entrepreneurial program offered on military bases around the world, as well as the Office of Veterans Business Development, which maximizes the availability of SBA resources for veterans and their dependents. In the private sector, VetFran is a strategic initiative of the International Franchise Association. VetFran educates both veterans and franchisors about the benefits of veterans as franchise owners, in addition to facilitating franchisor-franchisee relationships.

FranFund is proud to be a long-time sponsor of the Armed Forces Bowl in our hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. We are also honored to have worked with many veterans to secure funding for their franchise businesses.

We extend our sincerest thanks and gratitude to all of the men and women who have served our country.

– Sherri Seiber

Sherri Seiber is the Chief Operating Officer for FranFund. She and her team are passionate about designing flexible funding plans that help new and experienced business owners fund their franchises, from single units through multi-unit expansions. For more information, contact Sherri at sseiber@franfund.com or visit franfund.com.