Do Veterans Make Better Franchisees?

Entrepreneur.com:

It’s 3 a.m. You’re in a gas mask and protective gear, preparing to navigate through a mine field to liberate Kuwait. You haven’t slept solidly for days, and now you’re dealing with small-arms fire and mortars landing around you. You realize there’s no way to proceed without heading into oncoming fire, maneuvering through the mine field, and preparing to face whatever surprises might await you on the other side.
veteran

It’s 3 p.m. Your customer just called and chewed you out for an error your staff made, and he’s threatening to turn you in to the Better Business Bureau if you don’t refund his $15. One of your employees is 20 minutes late and before you can deal with that, your computer crashes–just as you had finished typing up the proposal that’s due in an hour.

If you’re reading this column, you can probably relate to at least one of these situations, but can you imagine going through both in the space of a few months? Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? As a veteran and a business owner, I’ve lived through both of these scenarios, and given a choice to relive one or the other, I’d take the second one any day–and twice on Sundays.

According to the SBA, more than 14 percent of businesses in America are owned by veterans. As a veteran of the Marine Corps, I came to realize my character was cast fairly early. For many people, the military is a natural fit; they love the esprit de corps, the chain of command and the tough love that makes you earn everything you get. The question is, when military life ends, do these traits translate into the business world?

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