Best Small Businesses for Veterans

Did you know that over 2.52 million of all U.S. businesses are owned by veterans? If you’re considering being your own boss, you’ll be in great company. Because our team at Empire Resume cares about the lives of fellow veterans who are striking out on their own after transitioning from the military, we’ve gathered a list of amazing small business opportunities.

Small Business Resources for Military Veterans

But before we begin, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the resources to help fuel your veteran small business ideas from last month’s veteran entrepreneurship series such as:

And, if you’re looking for more, we’ve got you covered with SCORE, the Procurement Technical Assistant Program (PTAP) and Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) too. Check out our article, veteran small business resources, on our military blog that’s jam-packed with for additional information for you.

Now, let’s dig into some of the best franchising opportunities for veterans and veteran-friendly startup ideas.

Franchising Opportunities for Veterans

An article in Military.com states, “According to the International Franchise Association, one out of every seven franchises in the United States are veteran-owned and operated.”

Benefits of franchising a business as a veteran instead of starting your own from the ground up include financial discounts, marketing advantages due to brand imaging and awareness, and a set of done for you standard operating procedures or systems. Essentially, as a franchisee, you’ll have a ready-made business.

Seeing how the coronavirus pandemic brought a shift to how businesses operate internally with their employees, and externally with customers, you want a franchise to be recession proof. For example, the businesses within the food and beverage, healthcare, and delivery industries have been deemed essential during COVID-19.

Inspired by the list of Entrepreneur’s 2019 ranking of the top 150 franchises, below are some awesome well-known franchising opportunities for veterans that we’d like to bring to your attention:

UPS Store

The UPS Store is the world’s largest franchisor of retail shipping, postal, printing, and business service centers. The UPS Store is a powerful brand consisting of over 4,800 locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada. Review its franchising opportunities page to learn more about franchising a UPS Store location.

Two Men and A Truck

With locations all over the nation, the Lansing, MI based company is the fastest growing moving franchised moving company in the United States. To learn more about how to start a franchise of your own, visit Two Men and a Truck’s franchising page. Their motto: We move people forward.

Papa Murphy’s Take & Bake Pizza

Papa Murphy’s, the 5th largest pizza franchise in the nation, is the expert in the take-and-bake pizza segment, with more than 1,300 locations in the U.S., Canada, and UAE. To learn more about franchising your own take and bake pizza company, visit Papa Murphy’s franchise page. Their motto: We make it. You bake it.

Lawn Doctor

Lawn Doctor is an all-season long leader in lawn care. With headquarters in New Jersey, the company has the highest customer retention rate in the lawn care industry and services in 40 states throughout the nation. Visit Lawn Doctor’s franchise page for more information.

Fast Signs

The Texas based Fast Signs was listed as Military Times’ Best Franchise of 2018 and recently awarded the 2020 Award of Excellence by the Canadian Franchise Association, according to WFMZ-TV News. The leading company in the signs and graphic industry helps businesses and organizations extend their brand reach and effectively communicate to consumers. Fast Signs is a business-to-business franchise with over 700 locations in 9 countries. For more information on franchising opportunities, visit Fast Signs’ franchise page.

Veteran-Friendly Startup Ideas

Just in case you’re thinking, “The investment to start a franchise is steep. I’d rather start a business from scratch.” As a veteran-owned professional resume writing service company, we completely understand.

Just be sure to take some time to take your military training, hobbies, volunteer duties, and likes and dislikes into consideration. Your startup business should be one that you enjoy, love, and gives you a reason to wake up each day. Be sure to use promotional products to help grow your business.

It’s also extremely helpful if your product or service is in alignment with your skillset, talents, and even your job in the military. After all, being an entrepreneur is a career change post-military transition. Use your military talents to give you an advantage.

Finally, it’s important to note that some locations are better than others to start a veteran-owned business. Some of the top cities, according to the PenFed Foundation Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program, include New York, Houston, and Chicago. To discover more booming locations for veteran-owned businesses, review the article, top cities for veterans to start their own business by Military.com.

Here are some great veteran-friendly startup ideas:

Trucking business
Personal trainer or fitness center
Chef or meal prep or meal planning
Staffing agency
Consultant
IT or software development business
Freelance or professional writing services
Dog grooming and walking
Auto detail shop
Translation
Food truck
Notary
Government vendor or contractor
Bookkeeper
Barber or cosmetologist
Tutoring services
Virtual assistant
Catering business

The options are endless when it comes to a veteran startup small business. And, if you already have the equipment to get started at home, you’ve already won half the battle.

When you need help launching and marketing your small business, always refer to the blog articles we’ve included here for a list of resources like the Small Business Association Office of Veterans Business Development.

Additionally, always keep Empire Resume in mind for your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) needs. If you’re a consultant or applying to become a government vendor, a well-written CV or bio can win your potential client’s hearts and land you the contract. Contact us at 801-690-4085 or info@empireresume.com.

Your dream doesn’t end after the military, when you become a vetpreneur, your journey has just begun.

Empire Resume Will Help You Transition into the Civilian Workforce

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Dr. Phillip Gold is President/CEO of Empire Resume and has vast experience writing resumes for service-members transitioning from the military into civilian roles. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force and was responsible for leading nuclear missile security. Phillip is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and holds a BA in Communications from The Ohio State University, an MS in Instructional Technology, an MBA in Finance, and a PhD in Finance.

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