Dream Vacations travel agency franchise
launches 13th annual "Operation Vetrepreneur: Become
Your Own General" contest
FORT
LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 10,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading travel agency franchise
Dream Vacations is recruiting military veterans to enlist in its
13th annual, award-winning "Operation Vetrepreneur:
Become Your Own General" contest and is accepting entries from now
through Sept. 2, 2024. The number one
franchise opportunity for veterans will be awarding three veterans
a free franchise as part of the nationwide contest that since 2012,
has given away 61 franchises valued at more than $700,000 dollars.
"At Dream Vacations, we're deeply committed to supporting our
veterans. We always aim to go the extra mile for our military
heroes and their families," said Drew
Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream
Vacations. "Through our annual Operation Vetrepreneur contest,
we're excited to help veterans achieve their dreams of owning a
business and finding success for themselves and their families.
This is our way of saying thank you and giving back to those who
served our country with honor."
The Dream Vacations franchise contest is open to former members
of any of the six branches of the U.S. military (Army, Air Force,
Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard) who are retired,
off active duty and/or honorably discharged prior to the contest
start date and are residents of the U.S. To participate, candidates
must complete an online entry form and an introductory phone
interview with a Franchise Development Manager. Candidates will be
required to submit a candidate profile, business plan and video.
Finalists will be invited to participate in follow-up phone
interviews before the winners are selected. The entry form and all
contest details can be found at www.operationvetrepreneur.com.
Three winners will be notified in September 2024. Each grand prize is valued at
$12,300 and includes a complimentary
Dream Vacations franchise with a waived $10,500 initial start-up fee and monthly
administrative service fees for the first year. After completing
Dream Vacations' New Franchisee Training, the winners will be armed
with all the tools and knowledge they need to begin their next
journey as small business owners creating dream vacations.
"Melissa and I have always had an interest in the travel
industry. The Dream Vacations Vetrepreneur contest seemed like an
opportunity to make that a reality. We thought it was cool that a
company would not only honor Veterans with their words, but that
they would put their money where their mouth was in the form of a
franchise," said Ron Hargrove,
United States Navy Veteran and one of the 2023 Operation
Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General winners from Genoa, Ill. "We were shocked to find out that
we won, and even more surprised to discover that they would fly us
to training and provide us with so many tools to succeed. We are
now just a few months after officially launching our franchise, and
we have exceeded our own expectations thanks to the training and
support teams at Dream Vacations!"
According to the Department of Defense, more than 200,000
military veterans are entering the civilian workforce each day, and
Dream Vacations recognizes that franchising provides a unique
opportunity to leverage the traits gained in the military and
translate them to entrepreneurship. This includes teamwork,
decisive thinking, leadership and self-discipline to name a few.
Those who have served in the Armed Forces also have an innate
desire to serve others and see the world, which are important
aspects of being a successful travel franchise owner.
Military veterans and Gold Star families interested in starting
a work-from-home business immediately can purchase a Dream
Vacations travel agency business now at a 30 percent discount,
receive an enlistment package valued no less than $5,000 and will have their administrative fees
waived which is valued at $1,800. In
addition to having access to the Command Center, an internal portal
with veteran-specific training and veteran-themed marketing assets,
all veterans and Gold Star families receive a waived training fee
for a business partner and the ability to hire active-duty military
spouses and veterans as associates at a discount. Additional
veteran incentives include the ability to move residences and stay
in business, travel discounts for military customers and access to
veteran networking groups.
The only travel franchise to receive a 5 STAR-ranking from
the International Franchise Association's VetFran initiative, Dream
Vacations proudly supports military veterans and is consistently
recognized by leading industry publications as a
veteran-friendly franchise. Dream Vacations was named
Entrepreneur magazine's top franchise for veterans in 2021,
and in the category, has ranked either first or second out of 150
franchises nationwide since 2017. Other recent number one rankings
include Military Times and Forbes. In 2024,
Dream Vacations was named the No. 1 travel agency franchise by
Entrepreneur magazine for adapting and evolving when facing
the unique challenges and changes that shaped the franchise
industry over the last year. Additional recognitions include
inclusion on G.I. Jobs annual "Hot Franchises for Veterans,"
US Veterans magazine's "Top Veteran-Friendly Companies",
USA Today's "50 Top
Franchises for Military Veterans" and recognition by MSC Cruises in
its Seaside Salute Award. The "Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your
Own General" program won gold from the Travel Weekly
Magellan Awards and the IFA Franchising Gives Back Awards.
Military veterans with a passion for travel and
entrepreneurship who are interested in opening a Dream Vacations
travel franchise and want to be considered as a candidate for the
"Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General" contest, please
visit www.OperationVetrepreneur.com or call 888-249-8235.
About Dream Vacations
Travel agents with the
top-ranked home-based travel agency franchise Dream Vacations have
the resources to plan and create seamless vacation experiences for
their customers while offering the best value. A member of the
International Franchise Association, Dream Vacations is part of
World Travel Holdings and has received franchise partner of the
year, a top-ranking status, by all the major cruise lines as well
as national recognition for its support of military
veterans. For more information about Dream Vacations, visit
www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com. Like Dream Vacations on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise, follow on Instagram at
@official_dream_vacations and watch its videos at
http://www.youtube.com/DreamVacationsBusiness.
Begins July 5th,
2024, at 12:01 a.m. ET and ends
September 2nd, 2024 at
11:59 p.m. ET. Void where prohibited
by law. Must be 18 or older at the start of the Contest, have a
computer and internet connection, be a legal resident of the US or
DC and a former member in good standing of one of the six branches
of the U.S. military who is retired, off active duty and/or was
honorably discharged prior to the start date of the Contest. If
selected as winners, Contestants must commit to a 5-year Dream
Vacations home-based franchise, which requires attendance at a New
Franchisee Training Class and a starting investment capital (for
more information, go to www.dreamvacationsfranchise.com or call
888-441-2542). Only one (1) submission per contestant.
To enter, complete the online entry form on our website
(www.operationvetrepreneur.com). If qualified and selected to move
to the next round after a phone interview, Semi-Finalists must
submit a video, Dream Vacations candidate profile, and a minimum
300 - 1,200-word business plan. Submissions must comply with the
Submission Guidelines in the Official Rules. Only complete, valid
submissions will be accepted. Sponsored by Dream Vacations, 1201 W.
Cypress Creek Rd. Ste. 100, Fort
Lauderdale, FL 33309. See [www.OperationVetrepreneur.com]
for complete Rules and details.
Media Contact:
Michael
Cadigan
Public Relations Manager, Dream Vacations
mcadigan@wth.com
(954)985-3627
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/military-veterans-can-win-free-travel-franchise-from-dream-vacations-302192450.html
SOURCE Dream Vacations