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52 G.I. JOBS | JUNE 2017 | GIJOBS.COM GIJOBS.COM G.I. JOBS | JUNE 2017 | 52 MASTER SERGEANT MICHAEL HANLON Dream Vacations*, Wilmington, N.C. What do you like best about being a franchise owner? I love it when my clients come home and tell me stories of how good their trip was and that their kids had so much fun. What's the biggest challenge? I tend to get very stressed when I have clients traveling. I want their vacation to be perfect and I strive to have everything taken care of, but sometimes things just don't work out the way they are supposed to. Would you recommend franchise ownership to other post-9/11 veterans? Yes, I would. As I previously mentioned, we are a veteran-friendly company and there are lots of veterans who are owners. I take pride and show that I am a veteran on my business card. What ঞps would you give to transiঞoners or veterans interested in buying a franchisee? Do your research. Make sure you have the ability to cover the upfront cost of ownership. Take advantage of speaking with other franchise owners. What was your exit plan when you decided to reঞre? I didn't really have one. It happened a lot earlier than I had planned. My wife was given an incredible opportunity for her career so we decided to pursue it. At least initially our only plan was that I was going to be the primary caregiver for our children as a "stay at home dad." When did you become interested in owning your own business? In late 2014 I started getting bored when the kids were in school and I took a look at a few options that were available to me. How did you research your franchise opঞons? Believe it or not our first family cruise was booked with a CruiseOne franchise owner as part of a group cruise, so I was already familiar with the brand when I started researching. I never really knew much about owning a franchise so I researched it more and found lots of great stories and articles online and found it to be very veteran-friendly. How did you finance your franchise? Paid for it from savings. What difficulঞes did you have to overcome? As a former military member you have self-discipline, so that part of it came pretty easy. Gaining a client base has been the toughest thing to overcome. It is amazing what you can do with social media and my base is continuing to grow. How would you quanঞfy your success so far? I have been able to pay for my cost of ownership, as well as our yearly fees, and still be profitable. HQ: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Founded: 2016 (Formerly CruiseOne – 1992) # of franchises: 1,100 # of veteran franchisees: Approximately 30% Franchise fee: $8,820 (after their 20% military veteran discount) Total initial investment: $3,254-$21,850 Military discounts or incentives: • 20% off franchise fee ($1,960 value) • Associate fee waived ($495 value) for first veteran or active-duty military spouse • All additional veteran or active-duty military spouse associate fees offered at half-price ($248 value each) • Free cabin at national conference ($2,064 value) • Veteran-owned business marketing assets and web banners ($195 value) Royalties: 1-3% of gross commissionable sale price, capped at $22,500 Other fees: Monthly marketing contribution that is a flat 0.25% and goes back into the franchise owner's business. Varies by departed revenues. Franchise locations: 1 Franchise purchased: May 2015 Opened for business: June 2015 Age: 49 Military Service: Master Sergeant (E-8), Army (1987-2012) MOS: Combat Medic (68W)/Flight Medic and Human Resource Specialist (68W) Education: • Bachelor of Business Administration, Marshall University, 1995 • Master of Public Administration, West Virginia University, 2006 VETERAN/FRANCHISE OWNER ABOUT THE FRANCHISE *Franchise is a paid advertiser in this issue.