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What is in store for soldiers coming home from Iraq and other foreign deployments?  Will they join the long list of unemployed? Huffington Post says the International Franchise Association is encouraging veterans to try franchising.  Franchisors believe that the discipline imposed in the military training of soldiers make the latter ideal for the franchise system.

Rick Bisio, a Bradenton, Florida-based author, franchise consultant and broker with FranChoice Consulting says that you see unemployed people everywhere. “Another person you know has lost their job.” He continues, “Friends, relatives, neighbors and business acquaintances (are unemployed) — it’s epidemic.”

Consequently Bisio is focusing on “franchises that thrive in recessionary economies,” because many unemployed workers are opting for self-employment. Moreover franchising will be particularly attractive to returning soldiers because the discipline imposed by the military will stead them well for adhering to franchise systems.

“Veterans grow up understanding two things; systems and discipline,” said Mary Thompson, president of the Mr. Rooter franchise system in a report by Franchise Business Review. She is also chairperson of the International Franchise Association’s VetFran committee. “I want to help veterans, but it’s not just that,” Thompson says. “There’s a very selfish side to this; vets make great franchisees.”

Franchisors that join IFA’s VetFran offer discounts to veterans that buy their franchises. And although it is open to all veterans, VetFran notes the urgency to help warriors making a transition to civilian life. “As tens of thousands of service men and women return from deployment in Afghanistan and Southwest Asia, expanded opportunities are needed to ensure veterans and their families can transition into the civilian economy,” VetFran posts online. “Franchising provides an ideal career path to enable returning veterans to become leaders of and productive participants in the U.S. economy.”

Franchise Business Review researches franchises and publishes industry articles. “Based on our findings, veterans looking for franchise opportunities aren’t necessarily looking for businesses that fit their military training,” says Eric Stites its CEO. “Like non-vets, veterans are looking for good opportunities regardless of industry, and many have the funds to afford a relatively large investment.”

Photo by theHolga