Did you know…

• There are approximately two million American women veterans
• Women make up 15% of today’s service members, spanning all ranks and branches of the U.S. military

Did you also know that military veterans make excellent franchise business owners?  That’s men and women–entrepreneurship knows no gender boundaries!

Take it from Rosie

Franchise business ownership is about determination, taking control of one’s destiny, finding your dream and making it happen.  Rosie the Riveter symbolized the indomitable spirit of the women who worked in defense industries during World War II, along with the 350,000 women who actively served in the U.S. Armed Forces. That “can do” attitude is still alive and well today in women in the military and is definitely an attitude that helps to ensure success in franchising!

It’s a logical step

Veteran franchise owner Terry Matz and her shiny, new Budget Blinds van

Regardless of the number of years served in the military, both Budget Blinds® and The Tailored Closet® veteran franchise owners believe their military training was invaluable and a great basis for business ownership. Training they received and skills they acquired translate directly into owning a business:

• Leadership training
• Supervising and managing people, team-building, training employees
• Organizational and management skills
• Building confidence, gaining self-awareness
• Thinking on your feet
• Developing discipline, responsibility, good work ethic, maturity, integrity
• Dealing with all kinds of people and different cultures
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Flexibility and dealing with change, ability to adapt
• Reduced fear of risk taking
• Recruiting is basically sales
• Following a model, a proven system

Add Home Franchise Concept’s (HFC) 20+ years in franchising, extensive product training, a proven business model, robust national and local advertising campaigns, committed business coaches and phenomenal corporate support, and you have a recipe for success!

Women in franchising

It’s no surprise that women business owners share the same goals as men, and at the top of that list is the desire to be your own boss. Especially after years in the Service, having more control can be very appealing. Military service demands sacrifice from the whole family, and in the case of an active duty mom it can mean she will often be away from home.

Terry Matz, franchise owner of Budget Blinds serving Southern Pines, is a women veteran and recently shared that this Mother’s Day will be the first one that she’s spent at home in 10 years. Buying a franchise after exiting the military has allowed her to build a business around her own life choices.  She looks forward to “getting back the time she missed with her kids” and, for her now, “going to work means working together” since both her sons help out in the business. She won’t be gone 40 hours a week to a job since Budget Blinds is a home-based business.

“I wanted desperately to work for myself…so I was looking for startups [and] VetFran and you guys popped up and I decided I couldn’t possibly beat that opportunity–the [business] model that Budget Blinds offered the franchisees, and every person we talked to was excited about Corporate. You guys have helped us out step by step and this made it so much easier.” –Terry Matz

The Million Dollar Franchise Event wants YOU

HFC and its franchise brands, Budget Blinds, The Tailored Closet and now Concrete Craft (HFC’s newest brand), welcome women veterans to franchising. A special program, the Million Dollar Franchise Event (MDFE) was launched on Veteran’s Day, 2013, and has assisted over 30 veterans with purchasing either a Budget Blinds or The Tailored Closet franchise by offering substantial discounts.

It’s a tangible way to say THANK YOU and to assist veterans with becoming business owners: “Thank you so much for your dedication to this country… without you and your families making sacrifices, my partners and I could not have started our business… and been allowed to live the American Dream that we so richly enjoy.” –Chad Hallock, CEO and co-founder of Budget Blinds and The Tailored Closet

If you are a woman veteran looking to build a new career, here’s a quick laundry list of reasons people choose franchising:

• Want the independence of being your own boss.
• Desire to build something to pass on to your children.
• Want to scale back from full time and chose my own hours.
• Don’t want limits on how much money I can make.

If you can see yourself in any of those scenarios, you may be an ideal candidate for franchise business ownership! Call 1-800-420-5374 today for more information, or go online to Home Franchise Concepts and check out the HFC franchise opportunities and the Million Dollar Franchise Event, our extra special thank you to veterans.