Franchising after the ADF: a guide for veterans

• The Veteran Employment Program's 'Starting your own business' page lists two programs: Self-Employment Assistance, delivered through Workforce Australia, and King's Trust Australia's Enterprise Programme.
• The Supporting Veteran Owned Business Grant Program, which funds workshops and training for veterans and families considering their own business, was extended for three years from 1 July 2024.
• DVA's Support for Employment program is for veterans separated from the Permanent Forces for less than 5 years who don't have a DVA rehabilitation plan. You apply through MyService.
• DVA lists unexpected contact offering a service on its behalf, a tight deadline to act and a promise of financial benefit among the signs of a scam.
• The Franchising Code protects you exactly as it protects any buyer: the information statement, the disclosure document, the 14-day consideration period and cooling-off.

Franchise systems reward people who follow procedures and lead teams. They also demand commercial skills that service life may not have tested.

• Working to a system: an operations manual will feel familiar if you are used to standard procedures and checklists.
• Leading people: rostering, training and motivating staff are daily tasks in most franchises that employ a team.
• Logistics and planning: stock, scheduling and supply chains reward the planning habits many veterans bring.
• Composure under pressure: peak trading, staff shortages and customer complaints all test it.
• Gap to fill: selling and local marketing. Winning customers in a civilian market is a skill you may need to build.
• Gap to fill: cash flow, pricing and bookkeeping. Self-Employment Assistance offers free accredited small business training and help with a business plan.
• Gap to fill: civilian employment law. Awards, pay rates and record-keeping rules apply to your staff, so ask the franchisor what workplace-law support it provides.

Every service below was listed on an official government page in September 2026. Check eligibility and current status before you rely on one.

• Self-Employment Assistance: exploring self-employment workshops, business plan development, free accredited small business training, business advice sessions, business health checks and small business coaching, with possible financial support during coaching for eligible participants.
• King's Trust Australia's Enterprise Programme: free programs and tools for transitioning ADF members, veterans, reservists and partners of current and former serving members who want to explore, start or grow a business.
• Supporting Veteran Owned Business Grant Program: funded in the 2024-25 Budget for three more years from 1 July 2024, to deliver workshops, intensive training and competitiveness activities for veterans and families of working age.
• DVA Support for Employment: for veterans who are unemployed or underemployed, want to change careers or need help adjusting to civilian work. Apply through MyService, or call 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) if you have no MyService record.
• Veterans' and Families' Hubs: local one-stop shops for veteran services and advocacy organisations, which may offer employment and housing advice.
• Defence Force Transition program: training and programs to help you prepare for a career after separation.
• Open Arms, Veterans & Families Counselling: free and confidential support 24 hours a day on 1800 011 046, including individual, couple and family counselling.

• Don't let the size of a lump sum set your budget. Add the full franchise cost, working capital and a year of household costs, and see what is left.
• If you receive a pension or any other government payment, ask the paying agency how business income or assets could affect it before you buy.
• Before you plan to use superannuation, read our guide to using super to buy a franchise and get advice on your own situation.
• If a personal guarantee is required, find out exactly which assets, including your home, are exposed if the business fails.
• Keep a cash reserve outside the business. Transition is a time of change for your family too, and a reserve gives you choices.
• Get independent advice from an accountant and a franchise lawyer who act only for you, not advisers the franchisor recommends.

• DVA says a scam can come by email, text, phone call, letter or in person, and warns about unexpected contact claiming to be from DVA or offering a service on its behalf.
• Other warning signs DVA lists include a tight deadline to act, a promise of financial benefit and threats of fines, debts or jail. Stop and check before you act.
• If someone says a franchise is endorsed by DVA or backed by Defence, check directly with DVA on 1800 VETERAN before you believe it.
• A veteran discount is a commercial offer, not a government program. Make sure it is written into the agreement, and judge the franchise as if the discount didn't exist.
• Pressure to commit a transition payout quickly, before you have had the disclosure documents for 14 days, is a reason to slow down.
• Guaranteed income claims, or earnings figures given only verbally, need testing with current and former franchisees and a written basis.
• If you shared bank details with a suspected scammer, contact your bank immediately. If you shared identity documents, DVA points to IDCARE (1800 595 160). Report scams to Scamwatch.

1. Before you separate, use the Defence Force Transition program, and talk to Open Arms or a Veterans' and Families' Hub if you need support.
2. Take the ACCC's free course 'Is franchising for me?', which has 6 modules and takes less than 90 minutes.
3. Build business basics through Self-Employment Assistance or King's Trust Australia's Enterprise Programme.
4. Set a budget ceiling that still leaves a cash reserve after the full franchise cost and working capital.
5. Shortlist systems on the Franchise Disclosure Register and make enquiries. The franchisor must give you the ACCC's information statement within 7 days of a formal application or expression of interest.
6. Read the disclosure document, the Code and the final agreement. The franchisor can't sign until 14 days after you receive them, and any payment in that time must be refunded if you ask in writing.
7. Call current and former franchisees, including any other veterans in the system.
8. Have a franchise lawyer and an accountant review the deal. After you enter into a new agreement, you still have 14 days to cool off.

• Team-heavy models, such as food outlets and retail, use your leadership skills but depend on hiring well in your area.
• Owner-operator service models, such as mobile or trade services, suit people who want hands-on work with a small team or none.
• Management or multi-site models reward operational discipline but often need more capital and business experience.
• If your family may relocate, check the agreement's territory, relocation and transfer terms before you commit to one place.
• If you live with an injury or health condition, ask how physical the daily work really is, and how the agreement handles periods when you can't work.
• Choose a system whose franchisees say support is consistent, and ask how many franchisees each field support person looks after.

• Have I used the free transition and small business support I'm eligible for?
• Does my budget leave a cash reserve after the full cost and working capital?
• Do I know how business income could affect any payment or pension I receive?
• Have I checked every claimed DVA link or endorsement directly with DVA?
• Is any veteran discount written into the agreement?
• Have I had the disclosure document, the Code and the final agreement for at least 14 days?
• Have an independent franchise lawyer and an accountant reviewed the deal?