If you’ve served in the military, you likely have a unique set of life experiences and skills to bring to the workforce. That statement is true regardless of whether you served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or National Guard. Even with a college degree paid for as a result of your military service, however, you may feel like you’re struggling to find the right fit in the workforce. Here are just two examples of some of the best jobs to think about if you’re ex-military.
Go Into Business for Yourself
The tenacity, strategic skills, and follow-through afforded to you in your military training and service are qualities that also can help you excel as an entrepreneur. If you have big dreams and are committed to working hard to build a company from the ground up, it’s easy to find success starting your own business. If you want the ability to work from home, it may be worth looking into starting an eCommerce storefront online and reselling electronics accessories or articles of clothing on the Internet.
The best liquidation sites can help you buy used, returned, or refurbished products from big-name retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target, giving you a good stock to source your inventory on at a discount. Sourcing from liquidators at auction can be a great way to save money on your merchandise, while still getting what you need to start your small business as a reseller.
It’s important to recognize that some customer returns are only because the item doesn’t fit or work as expected, so many times the items you’re buying from pallets are going to retain most of their initial value. With hard work, you can become a reputable seller on the web and start to grow your small business.
Open a Franchise
Another way to go into business for yourself is to start a franchise. This gives you an infrastructure to work within and there are many veterans franchising options that allow you to save money on your franchise fees. For example, military veterans looking to start their own business by opening a UPS Store can receive $10,000 off the initial startup costs plus a 50 percent reduction on the franchisee application fee. As a franchise owner, you’ll be able to tap into many of the same skills that you fostered serving the US.
For example, veteran franchisees, and all US veterans for that matter, all possess the leadership and collaborative skills necessary to thrive in any franchise opportunity. Veterans especially excel when it comes to working under pressure, so don’t shy away from a franchise brand like the UPS Store just because you need to be able to execute plans on time and with tight deadlines. Service members with active military experience should be incredibly comfortable with these sorts of activities, and the fact that franchises offer financial incentives and a proven business model may make you even more comfortable opening your own franchise.
Ultimately, whether you decide to become a franchise owner or a business owner is up to personal preference. Anyone with active duty experience should have the tenacity to make either business work as an entrepreneur. Part of your decision may come down to how much you want to have to deal with opening a new business or sticking to a top franchise that has consistently performed well in recent years.
If you truly have an entrepreneurial spirit, starting your own online marketplace by buying excess inventory from major retailers like Best Buy, Sears, Macy’s, and other companies across North America may be right up your alley. On the contrary, if you’ve identified a franchise location that fills a specific need, you may prefer to open a few franchise businesses.
The important thing to remember is that your experience in the military makes you a great candidate for either option, so follow your heart and you’ll be finding success in no time.
