A Veteran’s Perspective: “I Want to Own My Own Business, but How?”

A veteran’s perspective on owning your own business.

By J.D. Bobbitt, Army and Air Force Veteran, Home Instead Senior Care franchise owner

I didn’t really have a lot of direction as a young man. I spent a couple of years in college and knew that I wanted to start my own business someday, but I had no idea how to make it happen.

At the time, I was a beer truck driver. I really liked that job because it was objective and straightforward — you knew how many trucks you had, how much you could carry and how much money you were bringing in based on your sales. While that business model appealed to me, I didn’t have the money or experience to buy or start my own business.

That was the moment I realized I needed to do something with my life that was worthwhile. My Dad was a WWII Veteran in the Pacific, and I knew that sense of duty and purpose was important to him. Military service also appealed to me because it gave me the opportunity to serve my country, build new life skills and help me choose my path in life.

I started as an Army private — spending plenty of time in the mud and living in tents — and went to helicopter school after finishing basic training. After several years in the Army, I left to join the Air Force and enrolled in the officer’s candidate program. I graduated as a second lieutenant and continued my flight service piloting numerous aircrafts. I had a very full and rewarding military career at bases around the world, including a tour in Europe when the Berlin Wall was coming down. Next thing I knew it was 25 years later and I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. I asked myself — what now?

I seriously thought about opening a crop-dusting business. While I was mulling that over, I received several calls from a defense contractor I had worked with during my time with the Air Force and finally accepted their job offer. It was a good job, don’t get me wrong, but it still wasn’t my own business.

After my first wife passed away, I remarried and my new wife, Lee, was a nurse at a large hospital. We both had good jobs but weren’t happy with our careers at that point of our lives. Then we experienced an “aha” moment that turned our lives around.

We lived in a geriatric neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas. Most of our neighbors were retired or elderly. I was the “young go-to guy” helping them with chores or repairs and being invited to dinner at their homes. Soon, my wife joined me helping our elderly neighbors. It was a new and rewarding experience that would soon become our career.

We knew about the home care and personal care services of Home Instead Senior Care and reached out to a friend who owned a franchise in Hutchison, Kansas. Soon, we were driving to the Home Instead headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, for an interview and to meet the prospective support team. It felt good to be there. They made a huge effort to welcome and involve new people as franchise owners.

I finally found what I was looking for in my own business. Lee and I packed up and moved to North Carolina to open a new Home Instead franchise in the community of New Bern. She is now my business partner and today, after nearly eight years, we serve about 100 clients with 100 employees.

Now that I own my own business, I often call upon the skills I acquired in military service to manage my day-to-day franchise responsibilities. Organization, attention to detail, willingness to take responsibility, courage to make decisions and recognizing priorities are among the values serving me well in my new career.  

At the same time, I’ve found that decision-making in civilian life offers more flexibility than what I was used to in the military, where time-critical judgments were often the norm. I’ve learned that sometimes it pays to “sleep on a decision” to avoid making rash mistakes.

It takes leadership and commitment to make your own business a success. You are part of a team, just like being part of a military unit.  And for veterans considering their job options, I can say with complete confidence that military skills are valuable assets that will serve you well when transitioning to civilian life.

Running my own business as a franchise owner and serving our elderly neighbors has proven to be the most satisfying work I have ever done. When we opened our doors in 2012, I would have never imagined our franchise having such a positive impact on people and our community. My wife and I are very happy in our career, and I am grateful to those at Home Instead and the people in our community who have supported our life’s dream to make a difference by serving others. 

J.D. Bobbitt is an Army and Air Force Veteran and Home Instead Senior Care franchise owner in New Bern, North Carolina.  Bobbitt had a long military career as a pilot in both the Army and Air Force, but down deep he really wanted to find and own his own business. He found that opportunity as a franchise owner with Home Instead. Find out more about Home Instead Senior Care here.