FBR Issue 4 - 2018

FBR SPECIAL REPORT
Above: Michael Rauen and Jason Jackson, Franchisees of TSS Photography, at a School Shoot Using
PhotoMatch Data and Image Management System
Right: Jeremy Brown, Franchisee, Two Men and a Truck
Veterans in Franchising:
The Pathway to Business Ownership for Those Who Served
In 2005, Richard Ingram lost his left arm
after being struck by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Not one to be defeated, Ingram successfully
challenged medical retirement and enrolled
in the Army ROTC program at the University
of North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA. According
to the Army, he was the first amputee to
earn an Army ROTC commission. Ingram
went on to serve as an Engineer officer,
deploying three more times between Iraq and
Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Star Medals
and a Purple Heart, ultimately retiring at
the rank of Captain. Recently, Ingram added
entrepreneur to his already extensive—and
impressive—resume, as the proud new owner
of a Brightway Insurance Agency in Baton
Rouge, LA.
“I really think my four deployments
molded me. In my third, as a First Lieutenant,
I had more projects and responsibilities than
many adults will have in a lifetime…and I was
in my 20s! I learned prioritization, networking,
and that if you want to succeed there is no
9 to 5, there is only when the task is complete,”
said Ingram.
“In my second and fourth deployments
I learned ‘How to Win Friends and Influence
People.’ I worked directly with Iraqis and
Afghans, respectively, and my job was to train
and patrol next to them. The challenge was
influencing them to want to do this. I would
spend eight hours a day just hanging out with
them to get an answer to one question; ‘Will
you go on patrol with me today?’ and that
started at least another eight hours of the
actual dangerous part of the mission, patrolling!
This was daily, but that’s what it took to
be successful and I knew it. Veterans know
stress and they know how to be successful.
They are resourceful and moreover, they
know the value of integrity through the values
the military has taught them.”
As a business owner and veteran, Ingram
is not alone. One in eight franchises in
America are owned by a veteran, according to
Franchise Business Review data.
In fact, there are more than 2.5 million
U.S. businesses that are owned by veterans,
making up about 9 percent of all businesses
in the U.S, according to the Small Business
Association. These businesses employ 5.8
24 | For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com