CruiseOne, the leading cruise retailer in the U.S. has a unique type of contest just for former military members. Operation Vetrepreneur, in honor of America’s military heroes, begins on Memorial Day and in November, five veterans will be awarded a free CruiseOne franchise.
The full name of this contest is Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General and underscores the opportunity to be your own boss, a “vetrepreneur.” The prize of a free franchise also includes the initial fee, a six-day training program at the CruiseOne headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale and much more.
“Hundreds of thousands of veterans are in the process of returning home from deployments and searching for the right next step. The transition is not an easy one and comes with a unique set of challenges,” saidDwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne. “CruiseOne is proud to stand up and support veterans with this new contest, as well as our other ongoing veteran appreciation programs. We look forward to helping this group get a fresh start in an exciting business with tremendous future growth potential.”
The CruiseOne contest is open to former members of any of the five branches of the U.S. military (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) who are retired, off active duty and/or were honorably discharged prior to May 15, 2012. To participate, candidates must complete an online entry form bySeptember 14, 2012. The form and all contest details can be found at www.OperationVetrepreneur.com or on CruiseOne’s Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/CruiseOneFranchise.
CruiseOne is serious about choosing the five veterans who will receive the prize and has created a three round judging process. Candidates will first have to speak with a CruiseOne franchise development specialist. Round two will require the semi-finalists to submit a franchise application, business plan and resume, which will be scored by the CruiseOne executive team. The final candidates will need to participate in a follow-up phone interview. The five winners will then be selected.
“As an active member of the International Franchise Association and VetFran initiative, CruiseOne is passionate about helping veterans build their own businesses,” said Tim Courtney, CFE, Director of Franchise Development for CruiseOne. “By nature, people who join the military are service oriented, hard-working and results-oriented when given the right training. We have a terrific success rate amongst veterans and are excited to see what the winners of this contest are able to achieve as part of our family.”
In November 2012, CruiseOne will announce the five Grand Prize winners. Each winner will receive a free CruiseOne franchise which waives the $9,800 initial start-up fee plus one year of waived monthly service fees. The winners will head to Fort Lauderdale for training at CruiseOne’s new state-of-the-art corporate headquarters for six days of in-depth training from November 12-17. CruiseOne will reimburse the winners for their incurred travel and will provide complimentary accommodations during the comprehensive six-day training program.
This year marks the twentieth anniversary for CruiseOne. With over 750 independently owned franchise locations, CruiseOne is the cruise industry’s largest home-based travel agent franchise. Last December, CruiseOne held the Second Chance at Success contest and awarded five free franchises to former educators who were currently unemployed.
I’m the editor and creator of CruiseMaven.com, a solo traveler cruising the world on waves and wheels, collecting recipes along the way. I hope my articles and photos entertain, advise and inspire you to travel the world without flying. Take a breath…stop for a local meal and a glass of wine along the way.
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