They are among the nation’s elite when it comes to leadership, teamwork and getting the job done, so how do they work all of those skills into a stable, long-term career ?
Charlotte, NC – Of the approximately. 80 million small businesses in the U.S., four million are owned by US Veterans and 400,000 small businesses are owned by service-disabled veterans.
In the meantime, those veterans looking to get their feet into a small business are still having difficulty during this recession, as millions of Americans are.
Veterans are frequently overqualified for most entry-level jobs in terms of the technical expertise they have gained on the battlefield, yet they may not be quite experienced enough for mid-level jobs. They are among the nation’s elite when it comes to leadership, teamwork and getting the job done, so how do they work all of those skills into a stable, long-term career?
ACFN. a California based ATM Franchise Business is offering returning veterans the opportunity to start their own business, and fast.
Brian G, a veteran of the US Marines, is one of the many veterans who found his future with ACFN. After considering a transition into the corporate world, Brian instead opted to take a chance on business ownership. Now he operates a number of ATMs in his home state.
Brian’s main objective in owning his own business was the possibility of rapid expansion. He mentions, “I wanted to grow my business as fast as possible to produce an annual income large enough to sustain myself and my family. ACFN offered that without any major challenges.”
President of ACFN Jeff Kerr built his business with those goals in mind. He intended to create a business that was extremely flexible and allowed franchisees to dictate the size of their business without any drawbacks. He comments, “An ACFN business is very flexible and in most cases can be molded and scaled to fit a franchise owner’s specific set of circumstances.
“By allowing franchisees to retain their jobs and other business activities they have the benefit of rolling their ACFN profits directly back into their business to grow their business at a faster pace.”
VP of Sales Robert Harris, adds “Many of our franchisees have enough profitable locations to support themselves and so they choose to use their extra income exclusively for business growth. It’s a proven system and continues to make many of our owners very happy.” Over ten percent of ACFN Franchisees are Veterans.
The Veterans Administration is collaborating with the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration to certify Veteran owned small businesses and service disabled Veteran owned small businesses for listing on the Federal Supply Register, which enhances their visibility and competitiveness, creating jobs for Veterans.
The SBA also partners with micro-lenders and other financial institutions providing small loans of up to $35,000. The Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan exists in case the vet’s business suffers economic damage after he or she is activated for duty. Another program, the Patriot Express Loan, is available to veterans, disabled vets, Reserve and National Guard members and spouses.
ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.
