WHETHER IT’S THE POSSIBILITY OF BIG REWARD OR THE FREEDOM OF CHARTING ONE’S OWN COURSE, STARTING A BUSINESS IS A VERY APPEALING OPTION FOR MANY WITHIN THE MILITARY COMMUNITY.
But to make it big, there is also a lot of risk. For Jerry Flanagan, an Army veteran, and his wife Tracy, the failure of their first “big idea” led to them to their now successful business in junk removal. Getting there was a lot of work. Now the owners of JDog Junk Removal & Hauling,* affectionately called Mr. and Mrs. JDog, are building not only a business but also franchising their idea to other military families who are willing to put in the same hard work they did to build their own business.
A ROUGH START
In 2009, things looked pretty bleak for Jerry and Tracy. Their business, a birthday party rental space concept, was limping along after the recession with six franchises holding on. “We had to declare bankruptcy,” said Tracy, who had met her husband, Jerry, five years earlier and started the business with him. “We lost everything. It was a pretty scary time.”
But neither of them wanted to give up on their entrepreneurial dreams, so Jerry started researching recession-proof businesses to avoid the issue they faced with their first business. Junk removal and waste disposal stood out to him as having potential even in a down economy. In March 2011, the couple made the choice to begin a junk removal business but didn’t market themselves as veteran-owned and operated as they do today.
It wasn’t until a customer commented on Jerry’s work ethic and how his Army service was a value add for the company that they realized how to make their company stand out. “The customer said to Jerry that he should tell people about his service, that people would want to know,” said Tracy. “People would want to know it was a veteran-owned business.” With the customer’s feedback, the couple realized the time Jerry had spent in the Army years prior had translated to a lifelong influence on how he did business: showing up on time, a professional look, and being respectful.
They quickly rebranded the business, officially launching as JDog, Jerry’s old nickname in the military, designed a new look and feel, and emphasized the company’s veteranowned status and its veteran employees.
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling offers junk removal and hauling services for residential and commercial customers. Their business operators are veterans and military family members who deliver services “the military way – with respect, integrity, and trust.”
In 2012, Jerry and Tracy began hiring veterans to be a part of their existing business and, two years later, the company took on outside investment from Julip Run Capital and began selling franchises to veterans and their families. Today, JDog is a successful multi-million dollar company that has franchisees across the United States, many of them near military installations.
GOING GREEN!
JDog reuses, recycles, resells, and re-purposes items it hauls away whenever possible, including donating items to local charities—60 to 80 percent of the items they haul away are kept out of the landfill.
WORKING AS A MR. & MRS.
“If you would have told me we would have been working so closely in a business, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Tracy about her business partnership with Jerry. “Working with your spouse has challenges, especially now that we are on a larger scale.” The spouses are not only co-founders of the business, but, when they sold their territory to take the business national, Jerry became the CEO and Tracy became the vice president of the company. But don’t let those titles fool you! The couple works in many capacities to make the business successful for themselves and their franchisees.
“What I’m most proud of is our mission – for veterans, for military families, to give them a new mission. Now that we are in this space, it’s our mission and our responsibility,” said Tracy.
“Jerry and I work together as brand ambassadors, at black-tie events, networking as Mr. and Mrs. JDog,” said Tracy, who, along with Jerry, wears many different hats. “I’m the designated HR person, I do the work coordinating for the franchises. I’m also in the veteran hiring space, making connections with veteran organizations that have veterans looking for employment, national relationships, too. I help the local territories of our JDogs find local veteran hiring resources. I also teach two classes in the JDog training…”
Tracy said that working together as a couple means it is important to have clear roles “Even though Jerry and I have some dual roles, I have my lane here at HQ and Jerry does, too,” said Tracy, who recommended that couples who start in a hands-on role together work to separate the workload and make the work distribution even as the business grows.
What else makes for a successful business and personal life when you work with your spouse?
Making sure you have the same mission and goals, communication, and trust, said Tracy. She also said that it is important to be able to “shut the business off and take some time for yourselves to remember what it means to be a husband and wife.” Maybe it is a date night or having morning coffee together and not talking business. Tracy said this is an area they are working on, especially since the business consumes so much of their time. But the passion they have for what they do, and each other, is apparent. “I’m proud of my husband,” said Tracy. “I’m proud to be his wife on this journey. It’s been amazing being by his side and helping him build JDog.”
J-DOG IS GROWING!
This year, the brand is looking to expand beyond junk removal to other service related opportunities to possibly include carpet cleaning. Their focus is on existing veteran-owned services businesses that might line up well with their existing brand direction.
