You proudly served your country, but what’s next after a full career with the military? Experts say many veterans struggle with the idea of having to return to civilian life only to clock in and out of a mundane, nine-to-five office job.
Did you know that’s not your only option? Uncle Sam’s training actually set you up for success for a new mission: entrepreneurship.
Military Veterans Make Great Business Owners
Veterans play a major role in the stability and growth of the private sector economy. Take highly recognized brands like Nike, FedEx, Walmart and GoDaddy – all of these companies were founded or co-founded by veteran entrepreneurs.
Although veterans are known to do well as business owners, there’s one statistic that really stands out: 26 percent of veterans say they want to start a business, while only six percent of them actually do it.
This statistic surprised military veteran and Maui Wowi® franchise owner, Gary Cryder, “What keeps you from starting a business? Fear. But as a military guy, we’re trained to overcome fear and not allow it to control us,” he continued, “so much of the way I run my business is comparable to any military role, especially if you’ve served in a leadership position.”
Gary says the skills he gained in the military made it easy to transition to franchising, “There’s already a proven business model; all you have to do is follow it. And military vets are great at following orders.” We’d like to think Gary’s military experience propelled the success he’s found in our franchise system.
Here’s another interesting fact: The Coalition for Veteran Owned Businesses revealed many veterans are dissatisfied in the civilian workforce because what they’re really looking for is work-life balance, flexibility, as well as financial and personal independence. Gary says one of the biggest reasons he decided to franchise specifically with Maui Wowi® is because we were able to provide him with all of that. Keep reading to see how.
What Makes Maui Wowi® the Perfect Franchise for Veterans?
We are a Hawaiian smoothie and coffee franchise that offers world-class products, including all-natural, fresh-fruit smoothies, high-quality coffee and a pleasant selection of island treats. Although we offer multiple business models, our most sought-after one is the Ka’anapali Cart, a.k.a. K-Cart. It allows franchisees to operate on-the-go as a mobile business on a full- or part-time basis.
We use our proprietary K-Carts to deliver our beloved products directly to our customers at their favorite events and venues. Take your business from event to event like festivals and fairs or run it from a venue like Gary does at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
He says Maui Wowi® made it easy to get his life back after being away for so long, “I can make up for lost time with my kids and wife from all my deployments. I only have one venue, so I don’t work every week,” Cryder continued, “in this business, you walk away making $10,000 for the weekend; it’s unbelievable.”
Our founder, Jill Summerhays, says many veterans turn to Maui Wowi® for the same reason, “You really can make a full-time income as a part-time business owner and spend time where it counts most – with family.” Gary is living proof of this as a successful K-Cart owner of nearly six years.
We offer a 20 percent discount off our franchise fee to help veterans go from honor to owner. It’s our way of saying mahalo for your military service. If you want to make Gary’s success story yours, let us know here. Until next time, Aloha!
©2019 Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. All rights reserved. All other trademarks referenced are property of their respective owners. The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise; nor is it directed to the residents of any particular jurisdiction within the U.S. or elsewhere. The following states currently regulate the offer and sale of franchises: CA, HI, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, NY, ND, RI, SD, VA, WA, and WI. If you are a resident of one of these states, or of a jurisdiction that has similar requirements, we will not offer you a franchise until we have completed the applicable registration or obtained the exemption from registration, and completed the applicable disclosure requirements. Regardless of what state you reside in, an offering can only be made by a franchise disclosure document.