Veterans Helping Veterans: Start a Business and Make a Difference

The Severna Park-based kid's gym franchise, Rolly Pollies, founded by U.S. Naval Academy graduates Joe Dondero and John Mann is making a difference this Veteran's Day by helping fellow military personnel transition out of the service and into small-business ownership. Military experience provides a great foundation for entrepreneurial endeavors, and Rolly Pollies has seen first hand how process and project management training, and other core military skills apply in a business setting. Today 4 out of 7 Rolly Pollies franchises are veteran owned.

Severna Park, MD (PRWEB) November 7, 2006 -- Two local veterans are helping their fellow military personnel transition out of the service and into small-business ownership through a most unexpected source: a kid's gym with child-sized equipment and a larger-than-life bug theme.

The Severna Park-based Rolly Pollies franchise founded by U.S. Naval Academy graduates Joe Dondero and John Mann is known for its purpose-driven curriculums in fitness, music, and art, as well as birthday parties and camps for children ages six months to six years. But in the military community, the franchise system is known for its veteran outreach program and discounted path to franchise small-business ownership.

Rolly Pollies offers veterans a 15 percent discount off the franchise fee of $35,000, which can make all the difference to the nearly one-out-of-every-four veterans who are either purchasing or starting a new business or considering the possibilities, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. This national trend is magnified at Rolly Pollies where 65 percent of the franchises are owned by veterans.

"When we started Rolly Pollies we quickly realized that the core skills that were driving our success were those we had honed in the Navy. Therefore, we have always looked to other veterans as potential franchisees," said Dondero. When asked to detail the core skills, he listed "superior project and process management, leadership and work ethic."

The company also reaches out to the veteran community as part of VetFran, an initiative run by the International Franchise Association, which has helped more than 600 veterans in 48 states become franchised small business owners.

"Franchised small-business ownership is an excellent option for veterans that is often overlooked," explained Mann. "Veterans tend to see corporate America and government agencies as the next step after a military career, and we want to help them see that you can still have a career and make a difference."

Rolly Pollies has franchises in New York, Arizona, Florida Minnesota, and Maryland and more locations are slated to open in 2007.

Editor's Note: For more information on Rolly Pollies, visit the company's Web site at www.rollypollies.com.

###