FRANCHISORS CONTINUE TO OFFER DISCOUNTS FOR VETS

“About half of the quarter-million who are coming out of the military every year have no secure jobs,” says Andy Bell, CEO and founder of Handyman Matters.

Bell spoke with the Denver Business Journal this week about his new MVP program, which offers special discounts to honorably discharged vets.

Handyman Matters already has 35 vets among its 104 business owners nationwide, and about half of the 1,000 they employ also have been in the armed services.

“It’s a tough time to come back, with 10 percent unemployment,” Bell told the paper.

The Denver Business Journal is online, yet only available to subscribers. Good news is we wrote about the program a couple weeks ago, so click HERE for more information!

Handyman Matters isn’t the only franchise looking to attract veterans this year. In addition to strong leadership skills and a sense of urgency, veterans understand how to follow an established system—making them ideal franchisees, many say. As a result, the IFA implemented the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative (VetFran), which offers financial incentives to honorably discharged veterans. Currently, there are nearly 400 franchise companies participating in the program.

Many of these franchisors will be present at this year’s West Coast Franchise Expo, which will take place Nov. 5-7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Not to mention, vets get in for free! For more information, visit http://www.wcfexpo.com/.