VetFran

Founded in 1991, VetFran is a strategic initiative of the International Franchise Association and the Franchise Education and Research Foundation. IFA is honored to stand beside our veterans through their transition to civilian live and entrepreneurship. VetFran is designed to give veterans the step up that they deserve. This includes incentives, job placement, discounts at franchise companies and discounted membership for veterans interested in starting a franchise.

Veterans have always been drawn to the franchise business model, and franchisors have long recognized that entrepreneurial veterans are some of the best qualified, motivated and successful prospective franchisees out there. Even though veterans account for about 7% of the population, 14% of franchisees are vets. Veteran franchisees are more likely to hire veterans as employees, and 65% of franchisors have indicated that their rate of hiring veterans has increased in recent years.

Veterans emerge from service with strong leadership skills and a thorough understanding of teams. Military experience includes leading and motivating people, improving processes, and accomplishing a defined mission. Like the military, successful franchisees and employees accomplish the mission with a team.

Over 600 franchise companies are members of VetFran, leading their industries in making a tangible commitment to recruiting veterans. For VetFran member companies, veterans are a part of their corporate culture and empowering veterans to become small business owners within a franchise brand is both a calling and a smart business decision. Many of these companies have found that veteran franchisees are some of their strongest performers, and they want more of the same. We’re proud to introduce you, the veteran opportunity seeker, to these companies.

When searching, you will notice that our VetFran members have 1 star, 3 star and 5 star rankings. Many companies exceed the minimum requirements of their star level. The star system showcases the ability to meet increasingly higher criteria indicative of various strengths.

A commitment to our nation’s veterans goes far beyond corporate social responsibility, patriotism and supporting our heroes. For franchisors, it is also a proven pathway to attracting some of the best prospective franchisees out there who leave the military with a skillset uniquely matched to franchising. Veterans leave the military with the leadership and teamwork skills to lead a franchise location (or many!), and learning, training and executing systems and standard operating procedures is their bread and butter. Dedication, perseverance and discipline imparted by years of military service combined with the entrepreneurial spirit of those veterans seeking franchise opportunities makes for a perfect combination, and franchisors know it.

As a non-profit initiative, everything VetFran does is made possible by the generous donations of our sponsor companies and individuals, and if our mission resonates with your values, we’d love to have you join us as a sponsor. VetFran sponsor companies gain high visibility throughout our network and at all of our events, and the sponsorship is widely recognized and appreciated throughout the International Franchise Association’s community. Companies that believe in the mission of VetFran and believe in the impact it makes across franchising, not just for their own company, step up join in that mission with a sponsorship. You can read about our different sponsorship tiers and we encourage you to contact us to learn more about becoming a sponsor.