'How I Found My Business'

The internet seemed to destroy the once-booming travel agency industry. But the industry has evolved, and for one U.S. military veteran, it provided the perfect opportunity.

- Clint Carter

For as long as he could remember, Nick Moyneur had fantasized about launching a company. But by 2014, at age 31, he saw no clear way to do it. Moyneur had just concluded six years in the Navy, and he felt disoriented without the regimented military direction he’d been used to. He was also now married, with two young children to care for, and betting the house on an unproven business idea was a nonstarter. “I was going over ideas for a couple of years, and my wife kept shooting them down,” he says. “It was too much risk for her.” And, he admits, she was right.

At a loss for what to do next, Moyneur took to Google. He began searching terms like “business opportunities for veterans,” which eventually led him to VetFran, an organization that ranks veteran-friendly franchise companies. One of those companies, Dream Vacations, was running a contest called Operation Vetrepreneur, exclusively for U.S. military veterans: Moyneur could present a résumé, a business plan, and a video application. If he won, he’d receive one of five free franchise agreements along with training, corporate support, and marketing materials—which is to say, a debt-free ticket to owning a travel agency.

But wait—weren’t travel agencies left for dead, no longer needed once people could book flights and hotels and tours online themselves? Was this actually a viable business? Moyneur wasn’t sure, but he at least knew something about the industry. His wife had worked for travel agencies for years, and much of their lives had already been centered around traveling.