7-Eleven Is Giving Away a Franchise for Free If you are a veteran interested in franchising, you have until January to apply for 7-Eleven's free franchise giveaway contest.

By Kate Taylor Nov 14, 2014

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If you've served in the military and are looking to open a franchise, 7-Eleven has a giveaway for you.

The convenience store chain announced this week that it is holding its first veteran franchise giveaway contest. The winner of the contest, called Operation: Take Command, will have the chance to open a 7-Eleven franchise, bypassing the $190,000 franchise fee.

Contestants must be first-time 7-Eleven franchise applicants, who are honorably discharged veterans with excellent credit and at least three years of leadership, retail or restaurant experience. 7-Eleven will chose the winner after interviews, a Facebook video contest and finally, for the three finalists, an interview with 7-Eleven CEO Joe DePinto.

"I can think of no one more deserving of this extraordinary opportunity to win a 7-Eleven franchise than one of our military veterans who has given so much for our country," DePinto, a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point and former U.S. Army officer, said in a statement. "7-Eleven is a winner, too, because veterans bring top-notch leadership skills, a can-do attitude and mission-oriented focus to their business."

Online application for the giveaway opened on Veterans Day and will continue until Jan. 25, 2015. The winner will be announced in April.

If you're a veteran interested in opening a 7-Eleven franchise, but don't feel like entering a giveaway, never fear: 7-Eleven offers all qualified vets a discount of up to 20 percent on the franchise fee for their first 7-Eleven store. Many franchises actively recruits veterans, so if convenience stores aren't your cup of tea, you can also check out one of these 75 franchises including Subway, Anytime Fitness and Dunkin' Donuts that offer incentives for veterans year round.

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor.

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