The Franchise Consultant is proud to announce that we have formally signed the Armed Forces Covenant, a commitment made by businesses and organisations across the United Kingdom to support those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families.
What is the Armed Forces Covenant?
The Armed Forces Covenant is a voluntary pledge made to the armed forces community, covering serving personnel, veterans, reservists, and their families. By signing it, businesses and organisations commit to recognising the value that military service brings, and to making sure that those who have served are not disadvantaged in civilian life.
It is not a bureaucratic exercise. It is a straightforward acknowledgement that the qualities developed through military service, including discipline, leadership, the ability to work under pressure, loyalty, and a willingness to go beyond what is asked, are exactly the qualities that make exceptional franchise consultants, franchisors, and franchisees.
Our work with the Forces Transition Group
Signing the covenant formalises a commitment that has been developing in practice over the past 18 months. During that time, The Franchise Consultant has been actively involved with the Forces Transition Group, working to support armed forces personnel as they move into civilian life and, in many cases, into business ownership through franchising.
That involvement has given us a genuine understanding of the challenges and opportunities that service leavers face. The transition from military to civilian life is significant, and the question of what to do with years of skill and experience is one that many find genuinely difficult to answer. Franchising, we have found, is often a natural fit, and our work with the Forces Transition Group has helped us understand how to make that conversation more useful for the people having it.
Why we signed
The decision to sign was straightforward. Across our team and our client base, we work with people who have served. We have seen at first hand how well the skills gained in the armed forces translate into running a business, and specifically into franchising, where the ability to follow a proven system, lead a team, and deliver consistent results is everything.
Franchising also offers something that appeals strongly to many veterans and service leavers: structure with independence. You are running your own business, but within a framework that has been tested and refined. For someone who has spent years operating within clear structures and chains of command, that balance often feels more natural than starting entirely from scratch.
We wanted to formalise our commitment to that community, and to signal clearly that if you have served, or are currently serving or supporting someone who does, you are welcome here.
Clients who share our commitment
Our commitment to the armed forces community is also reflected in the franchise brands we choose to work with. Two of our current clients are particularly aligned with this mission.
Ex Forces At Your Service is a franchise built specifically around the qualities that military service develops. The brand was founded on the principle that veterans make outstanding business owners, and the franchise model is designed to make that transition as straightforward as possible. Working with them is a natural extension of the values we are formalising today.
Regimental Heating is another client with deep roots in the armed forces community. A heating and plumbing franchise founded by veterans and built around the same standards of reliability and professionalism that military service demands, it is a strong example of how the values forged in service translate directly into a well-run business.
Both brands sit within a broader approach we take as a consultancy: we are selective about the clients we work with, and a shared commitment to doing things properly matters to us. Supporting businesses that actively create pathways for veterans is part of that.
What this means in practice
Signing the covenant is a starting point, not a conclusion. In practical terms, it means we will actively consider how we support armed forces personnel, veterans, and their families, whether they come to us as prospective franchisees exploring an opportunity with one of our clients, or as business owners thinking about franchising their own operation.
It also means we will continue to be honest about what franchising involves, so that anyone from the armed forces community who enquires with us gets a clear picture of whether a particular opportunity is right for them, not a sales pitch.
Franchising for veterans and service leavers
If you are leaving the armed forces and considering what comes next, franchising is worth serious consideration. A franchise gives you a business to run from day one, a tested model, existing brand recognition, supplier relationships, training, and an operations manual that tells you how things should be done. It removes much of the uncertainty that comes with starting a business from nothing, while still giving you ownership, accountability, and the satisfaction of building something.
Many of the qualities that make a good soldier, officer, or NCO, including the ability to follow and lead simultaneously, to perform under pressure, to earn trust quickly, and to keep going when things are hard, are exactly what franchise networks look for in their franchisees.
If you are a business owner with a connection to the armed forces and you are thinking about franchising your operation, the same applies in reverse. The discipline and systems thinking that characterises military training translates well into building something that can be replicated and handed to others to run.
Speak to us
If you have a connection to the armed forces, whether you are currently serving, a veteran, a reservist, or a family member, and you want to explore franchising in either direction, we would be glad to speak with you. There is no obligation and no sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about whether franchising makes sense for your situation.
Steve Lee is Managing Director of The Franchise Consultant, a bfa Advisor Member franchise consultancy. He is the author of Bought In, a guide to buying and building a franchise business.