A Blessing in Disguise: From Pilot to Franchisee

At ServiceMaster Brands, our mission is Making Everyday Heroes More Heroic™. That’s why we love featuring the bravest of everyday heroes: our military. We’re proud to support veterans and active-duty military members. In honor of Veterans Day, we’re highlighting the service members who joined our family of franchise owners.

Jeremy Brown, a proud husband, father, and dog owner, has been with the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK (TMT) system since 2014. In 2020, he became a multi-unit operator. Long before finding TMT, he enlisted in the Active-Duty Air Force at age 23 and worked at the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana, as a Missile Maintainer. Three years later, after completing a pilot training program, he was assigned to fly the C-17 at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, where he progressed to Aircraft Commander and Instructor Pilot. His next flying assignment was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. However, during Jeremy’s tenure at Dover, a health issue got in his way by indefinitely suspending his opportunity to fly. This led him to join the Air Force Reserves, where he later became a Squadron Commander.

During Jeremy’s transition to the Air Force Reserves, he explored many corporate opportunities, but all of them required him and his family to move from Delaware. With his entrepreneurial spirit, he decided to explore local business ownership opportunities. After doing a lot of research with his family, Jeremy discovered the TMT local franchise, which was already in operation and for sale. He quickly felt connected to the people he met at TMT and the brand itself. “Not only did I feel the closest connection with all the folks I met within the TMT system, but it also felt like the brand that most closely aligned with all of my military experience,” Jeremy describes.

Although working for the Air Force and being a franchise owner are different experiences, it wasn’t difficult for Jeremy to find points in common between them. He saw many interesting similarities when comparing everything he did in the military to running a TMT franchise. Discipline, a team-oriented environment, the constant development of teammates and subordinates, the variability of days from one to the next, and the tangible sense of accomplishment when a move or a mission end are important things he experienced in both organizations. These similarities made Jeremy’s experience even more rewarding as a franchisee.

Jeremy has had a wonderful experience as a franchisee, so he recommends a job at a TMT franchise to other veterans. TMT’s veteran incentive that offers 10% off the franchise fee was important in the process since, according to him, every dollar counts when starting a business. For Jeremy, joining TMT was a great opportunity during his transition to civilian life, especially because the team members were willing to help him grow. He believes one of the most consistent themes across TMT is the willingness to promote and develop leaders from within. Another factor that led Jeremy to recommend a TMT franchisee job for other veterans is that the brand values skills more than credentials. “At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, degrees, certifications, and resumes aren’t the differentiators; rather, work ethic and the willingness to learn and lead are what can set you apart, and I know that these are traits our veterans hold in abundance,” Jeremy says.