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Nov
7
2018
COMMUNITY

How The UPS Store Supports Veterans Year-Round

How The UPS Store Supports Veterans Year-Round

Learn how The UPS Store supports veterans year-round.

The UPS Store salutes all veterans and active duty service members year-round, but this time of the year it’s especially important to show our gratitude. As Veterans Day approaches, we would like to take the opportunity to thank the many brave men and women who have served our country and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Our support of military personnel extends beyond a single day of remembrance. The UPS Store is committed to assisting veterans through the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative (VetFran) program. Founded in 1991 as a strategic initiative of the International Franchise Association (IFA), VetFran’s mission is to provide franchising opportunities to our nation’s veterans and their spouses.

As a sponsor of the VetFran program, The UPS Store is committed to making the transition from military service to civilian life easier for veterans. As we prepare to celebrate Veterans Day, let’s take a look at why veterans and The UPS Store are a perfect match.

Veterans are Uniquely Qualified to Become Successful Franchise Owners

“We were the businessmen of the Navy and some of the biggest qualities we had to bring to the ship were in customer service. That's how we get customers coming back to our store — because of the outstanding customer service we and our associates give. I think that was a great quality to have in the Navy that translates well to The UPS Store.”

  • Rick Popelmier, The UPS Store franchise owner and Navy veteran

Franchising is a marriage between an entrepreneurial spirit and the discipline to follow established guidelines to execute a proven plan. The ideal franchisee can operate within a franchisor’s framework while also being an effective leader that gets things done. Veterans receive plenty of training and develop many skills during their time in the military that uniquely qualifies them to accomplish that feat. In fact, 1 in 7 franchises in the United States are owned by veterans.

Some of the abilities shared by ideal franchise owners and veterans include:

Teamwork

The military teaches recruits how to be leaders; and just as importantly, it teaches them how to function as part of a larger system to achieve a common goal.

Self-Discipline

The discipline of following a chain of command serves veterans well as they follow requirements set forth in franchise ownership guidelines.

Level-headed

When you’re running a business, things don’t always go according to plan. Military personnel are accustomed to stressful, high-pressure situations and can use their experience to successfully handle challenging business circumstances.

Work Ethic

Giving up in the middle of a mission is not an option in the military. While business operations are not as intense as military operations, commitment and work ethic are crucial to success in both worlds.

Leadership

The leadership skills gained in the military are invaluable to franchise owners as they navigate the business world and guide their own team.

Service-oriented

Veteran small business owners continue their commitment to serve by providing important services and creating jobs within their communities.

Resiliency

Veterans are more prepared than most to succeed when faced with adversity. Courage under fire, controlling fear, assessing situations and acting decisively are characteristics ingrained in veterans that benefit business owners as well.

Why The UPS Store is an Ideal Franchise for Veterans

“The advantages of owning a franchise versus being an independent business is the business model they provide. We have support at the local level and regional level with continued education, training and marketing help. It’s a much greater opportunity to succeed with that support in the background. I get up every day and enjoy going to work, helping people, talking with my customers and solving their problems.”

  • Bob Tate, The UPS Store franchise owner and veteran

A Strong Foundation

The UPS Store has the experience and established franchise system to get our owners started off on the right track. This is perfect for veterans as they have   experience following plans, executing orders and working within a team to achieve success.

Ongoing Support

At The UPS Store, we provide in-depth training programs and ongoing support throughout the relationship to make sure our owners continue to succeed. This includes a comprehensive training program, advertising and marketing campaigns and a network of knowledgeable and dedicated franchisees.

Proven Success Record

Our franchise system has 5,000 locations delivering exceptional customer service to small businesses and personal customers in their communities. The UPS Store has also been ranked as the top franchise system in the postal, printing, communications and business services category for 28 straight years by Entrepreneur Magazine.

Reputation

The UPS Store ranked fourth in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2018 Franchise 500 list and tenth in the top franchises for veterans. The latter ranking is based on incentives and other programs The UPS Store offers to help veterans become owners.

Veterans Among Our Ranks

“The skills veterans develop through their military experience, such as leadership, work ethic and discipline, are integral to pursuing a second career. The UPS Store franchise allows veterans to apply these skills to manage and run their own business. We are proud to support veterans and help fulfill their aspirations to be successful business owners.”

  • Tim Davis, president of The UPS Store, Inc. and former U.S. Marine Corps captain and Gulf War Veteran.

The UPS Store is proud to support more than 300 veteran-owned franchise locations. We were among the top franchise businesses for veterans and military-connected families according to Military Times Best: Franchises 2018. This ranking is based on financial and other support offered to current and former service members and their families, as well as factors like:

  • Company culture
  • Franchise unit performance
  • Investment quality
  • Costs associated with franchising

How The UPS Store Helps Veterans Succeed

Although it can be difficult to translate military jobs into civilian careers, veterans possess many skills that can help them excel as franchise owners. And The UPS Store is committed to providing veterans support for a smoother reintegration into civilian life. We offer the following incentives to current and former military members interested in opening a franchise location with The UPS Store:

  • $10,000 off the franchise fee
  • 50 percent off the application fee

To learn more, please visit our Veteran Franchise Opportunities page or contact our franchise development team today.

2023 Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 Top Rated for Veterans badge

We Proudly Support Our Veterans

Participating partners with the VetFran program, The UPS Store offers qualifying veterans $15,000 off their franchise fee to start their new business. To learn more, contact The UPS Store Franchise Development Team.

Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 Ranked #4 in 2023 badge

Ranked for over 30 Consecutive Years

The UPS Store has been ranked #1 in the postal and business services category for over 30 years and remains in the top 5 overall for the seventh consecutive year according to the Franchise 500 list.

Kristin Howard

Franchisee, Michigan

The reason my husband and I decided to go into franchising and specifically with The UPS Store, is the different opportunities we're given with the business. The UPS Store has name recognition as well as opportunities to expand.

Debbie Adams

Franchisee, Kentucky

What I enjoy most about being a The UPS Store owner is working with my customers. We are the solution specialists for our customers.

Jim George

Franchisee, Illinios

My favorite part about The UPS Store network is the camaraderie with other franchisees. Everybody loves to help everybody else. You’re really part of a family.

Greg Murray

Franchisee, Florida

The interesting thing about The UPS Store is that when a customer walks through the door there's an extremely high probability that they're coming there to do something that is important to them. So at the end of the day, what we do for customers is very important and they are trusting that we are going to do it well.

See the Full Testimonial

Mariana Huberman

Franchisee, Washington, D.C.

One of the things that I love about The UPS Store franchise system is that you're not ever in this by yourself. The franchisees of The UPS Store network are great.

Heidi Morris

Franchisee, Colorado

The thing I enjoy most about being a The UPS Store franchisee is I get to get up, go to work and know that I'm helping other business owners succeed in what they're doing.

Bob Brown

Franchisee, Tennessee

Owning a The UPS Store franchise has changed my life because it's finally given me the opportunity to engage my customers and my staff and be able to take real pride in what I do. As a franchisee, we get faced with solving peoples' problems every day and we do everything we possibly can to try to help.

Marie Jensen

Franchisee, Oregon

My favorite thing about The UPS Store is the variety. I love the variety of customers, I love the variety of services; getting to know the customers, meeting their needs, finding out how we can help them accomplish what they need to accomplish and seeing how happy they are. That makes me ecstatic.

Learn More About Marie

Tad Mollnhauer

Franchisee, Florida

With the products and services that The UPS Store provides we can make a difference in people's lives and that is the best reason for being a The UPS Store owner.

Joy Batchelor

Franchisee, Idaho

What makes being a The UPS Store franchisee worthwhile at the end of the day is the customers. The customers treat us like we're family.

Paul Erchinger

Franchisee, Texas

One nice benefit of owning a The UPS Store franchise for me has been that it gives me the opportunity to be more involved in the community. As I make relationships with others it seems like no matter what the environment is, in one way or another business comes out of that and that's not my objective—it's been a secondary benefit to being involved in the community.

Chris Reminder

Franchisee, Ohio

There are several things that I really enjoy about being a The UPS Store franchisee. First and foremost it allows me to get to know the people in the local community and that is a lot of fun. We get to see people on a regular basis. We get to know their life stories. That's a lot of fun.

Bruce Jones

Franchisee, Kentucky

Since we have joined The UPS Store, our life has changed by just having more time to spend together as a family. We've been very fortunate with the stores that we have and we have a great staff that looks out for our best interest and we look out for theirs.

Lonnie Williams

Franchisee, Oklahoma

What makes The UPS Store so successful is it gives each individual an opportunity to grow with the network and just meet the challenges that are brought to them on a daily basis. Every day gives us a new opportunity to help another person, to help another small business, to answer a question and to solve a problem.

Jeff Graham

Franchisee, Alabama

I love my customers. I love my employees. I love every person, every face that comes into my store. I enjoy every day going into work and I can't see doing anything else for the rest of my life.

Stacie Stigar

Franchisee, Alaska

I think that this franchise is so successful because of all of the resources that are available to us as center owners—we have marketing materials, we have so many different opportunities for help from the home office, and it just really makes for a great franchise.

Don Pollard

Franchisee, New Jersey

I think the thing that makes this franchise successful is a number of things. First of all we have an outstanding system, we have a great product, a great brand, and we're able to attract dynamic people to run these centers and run the business. So I think when you put all that together it really provides for a winning combination.

Mary Ellen Nichols

Franchisee, Tennessee

The thing I love about the franchise is that you have the UPS name backing you but yet you also have the autonomy to make your own decisions to promote.

Laura Griffin

Franchisee, Florida

In the eight short months I've owned my The UPS Store it has really changed my life. I've gone from being an employee of someone else to being an employer of my associates. It's a big responsibility but it's exciting every day.

Sandy Scandrett

Franchisee, Wisconsin

Being a The UPS Store franchisee has improved every aspect of my life. It's very rewarding financially, professionally, and emotionally. I have a large number of regular customers who are really, really appreciative of everything we do.

Kristie Robison

Franchisee, Alabama

I would say owning a The UPS Store location has changed my life to where I have more time and flexibility. In owning your own business you get your store up and running and you get employees that you can trust that are going to help keep your store running. This allows me to attend my two boys' ball games and also travel and do things with them so it has really changed my life for the better.