Franchise Frontline

Success Stories & Resources

By Rhonda Sanderson rhonda@sandersonpr.com

Air Force Vet Launches New Career in Home Inspection

As a Navigator on active duty in the United States Air Force, Chris St. Peter was expected to find the calm in the chaos. After recently retiring from his 20-year career, St. Peter has found himself in the middle of more chaos, home! That’s because the 38-year-old St. Peter and his wife Giulia are parents to nine children. Said with a big smile, “our house is a little bit busy.” Even though the couple may have their hands full on the home front, St. Peter has launched a new career for which he couldn’t be better suited: as owner of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®, serving the entire Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

“I reached 20 years in the Air Force and decided it was time to retire,” St. Peter explained. “I wanted to do something that would allow me to dictate my own schedule while doing something interesting. I didn’t like the idea of going to another government job or the corporate sector where I’m basically making someone else money. I felt that going into business for myself was the best way to go and I really got into the idea of buying a franchise.

I looked at Entrepreneur’s list of best franchises for veterans, and Pillar to Post was at the top. I was really attracted to home inspection as a career. It’s a necessary service versus discretionary items or services (like luxury travel) that may be hit by a downturn in the economy. I also found the idea of home construction a bit fascinating, so this was right up that alley.

I think many things from my past career will help as I launch my new career,” St. Peter said, “such as the leadership, discipline, diligence, and ability to quickly adapt are the biggest assets I bring with me that will help me be successful in this field.

With my military career,” continued St. Peters, “there was a lot of training on attention to detail as well as following checklists. Something familiar if you come from a military background. This made the decision to join Pillar to Post fit like a glove.

I like the idea of being in business for myself in a vocation where you can still make a good living without having to spend a crazy amount of money on a degree that might not even get you an interview nowadays…. I like the idea also of working for my own bottom line, not someone else’s, something I hope my kids will pick up on.”

Launching operations in December, St. Peter is a perfect example of why so many military veterans make a perfect fit for owning a franchise. Veterans represent 14 percent of franchisees, and they prove a good fit for the franchise model because veterans possess strong leadership skills and a thorough understanding of being part of a team.

Franchises also operate on proven systems and defined procedures and the military training that veterans go through allows them to easily adapt to a system and find success in franchising. Over 40% of Pillar To Post’s new franchisees in 2022 are veterans.

Another of the many reasons St. Peter chose Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the innovative technologies the company introduced during the pandemic. Stateof-the-Art advanced technologies that have recently won a prestigious award as “best consumer service tools”. Concluded St. Peter, “Recent years have shown just how crazy the housing market can get and where homes are being sold, someone needs an inspection. That and the fact that people are looking for inspections for their rental properties too, so there will be plenty of business to go around for years to come.

As an added bonus, ours is a job that’s difficult for technology to replicate, so it’s a pretty stable place to be for the next few decades.”

For more information about Pillar To Post Home Inspectors® visit www.pillartopostfranchise.com

Finding a job in the civilian world may seem easy at first. After all, you have learned skills, practiced leadership and demonstrated initiative that will make you successful wherever you go.

The reality, though, is that it can be difficult. In fact, it can be downright depressing, demotivating and you may feel totally disillusioned.

Veterans In Transition is dedicated to you and helping you succeed in your transition.

For editorial & monthly columns regarding transitioning to civilian life, career advice, tips, workshops, transition to education, entrepreneurship, straight-forward legal tips for military and veteran business owners visit www.tinyurl.com/SDVM-Transition

Rhonda Sanderson is a franchise PR expert specializing in traditional, social media and crisis PR in the franchise space since 1986. Her column features profiles of veterans who have delved into franchising and transitioned into career independence through this popular business model. Tips, reference materials and resources will also be part of this advice feature.