We recently spoke with Gary Cryder, an Army Veteran of 22 years and Maui Wowi® franchisee for the past four years in Nashville, Tennessee. Gary tells us how his military career has prepared him for business ownership, how his mobile Maui Wowi franchise has grown, and gives advice to fellow service members looking to start their second career.

 

I felt it was time for me to do something on my own and use the skill sets that I developed in the military toward running a business, and so far, it’s proven pretty fruitful.

 

What attracted you to Maui Wowi?
My franchise coach sent me 26 different concepts; Maui Wowi was the most attractive one. I spent six and a half years in Hawaii, so I definitely understand the culture, environment and the Aloha Spirit. What attracted me to Maui Wowi was the business concept of both smoothies and coffees. My wife was attracted to the smoothies and I was attracted to the coffee. When you’re part of the military, you’re part of a functional system where we operate as a family. Maui Wowi uses the word ‘Ohana to describe its franchise system, which means ‘family’ in Hawaiian, and that was also one of the things about Maui Wowi that I found very attractive. I’ve been operating for four years now and I’ve never had any problems contacting the support team or another franchisee to get help or answer questions.
How has your experience in the military prepared you for franchise ownership?

 

Being in the military prepared me to be a business owner basically by having a ‘don’t quit’ attitude. We’re trained in leadership and problem solving and also situational awareness. Those all play a part in my process of owning a business and the drive to continually improve.

 

Describe your growth as a franchise owner.
I couldn’t have predicted or made my growth as a franchise owner any better. I started off small by bringing my mobile cart to running events and that built my confidence. From there, I started going to larger events and then eventually had the courage to talk to Music City Center. The ‘Ohana helped a lot throughout that process. I talked to other Maui Wowi franchisees and asked how they operated. I sought knowledge, which is something that was taught to me in the military. If someone’s smarter than you, drain them. That’s a basic principle. So I did a lot of that. A lot of the ‘Ohana helped me grow. We work very well as a networking system in the central Tennessee area. We help each other whenever we need additional products or help. That’s all been part of my growth.

 

Would you recommend franchising to other veterans interested in business ownership?
I do recommend franchising. The reason I did it was because of the established business concept that is already in place. When you try to do an independent business it can be a little more difficult, so if you go with an established business concept, it makes it a lot easier. It’s an already proven system. All you have to do is follow the system that’s put in place. As former military members, we’re very good at following direction.

 

What is your advice to fellow military veterans who are looking to start their second career?
Entrepreneurship for military veterans has a pretty high success rate and it’s because of the leadership training we’re taught and our problem solving skills. It’s a good venture for veterans to get into. I attribute a lot of my success in business to my military career.