Former US Army Nuclear Disablement Team Officer Opens JDog Junk Removal & Hauling Franchise in Tarrant County, Texas

JDog Junk Removal & Hauling, a junk removal franchise from Veteran-focused franchisor JDog Brands, was created with a specific goal of helping Veterans achieve success through business ownership. Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic creates an unprecedented need in the home services industry, more and more Veteran entrepreneurs — 82 so far this year — are joining JDog Brands as it looks to expand its footprint across the country. Bryan Potts, a former member of the U.S. Army’s Nuclear Disablement Team, is one of those newly signed franchisees in Texas.

Potts joined the Army in 1992 as a combat engineer and 10 years later was commissioned as a chemical officer after completing Officer Candidate School. He was selected to be a nuclear operations and counterproliferation officer and eventually was added to a Nuclear Disablement Team. Once he retired from the Army, Potts moved on to become the director of facilities management for a local hospital, where he oversaw the operations behind environmental services and facilities management.

After deciding the corporate world wasn’t for him, Potts decided to look into franchising. “I knew I wasn’t happy in corporate America, and I’ve always wanted to work for myself,” he said. “The Army has taught me a lot of things about leadership.”

When Potts discovered JDog Junk Removal & Hauling, he immediately recognized the benefits it provides Veterans looking for a new professional direction. The JDog Brands franchise opportunity was specifically designed by CEO and founder Jerry Flanagan to meet the needs, skills and values of Veterans like Potts.

“Our franchisees are exclusively Veterans. Veterans often have a difficult time transitioning into civilian life,” said Flanagan. “Most jobs don’t look anything like the military structure that Veterans are accustomed to, but franchising, when done correctly, can fit like a glove. Veterans like to follow a process. They take their training seriously, and they’ve got the grit and experience to overcome challenges. We’ve built our franchise opportunities to make the most of those qualities and help our franchisees find success quickly.”

Flanagan is a Veteran himself and created the company with the goal of decreasing the Veteran unemployment rate to 1%. JDog is designed to work with franchise owners from virtually any military background, so long as they demonstrate an alignment with JDog’s core values of respect, integrity and trust.

“In the military, when we transfer from post to post, we learn to change and adapt and overcome obstacles,” said Potts. “If you can learn something a certain way, you learn how to do it a different way too. You can learn how to deal with different problems in the business world. Instead of identifying obstacles, it’s identifying solutions for how to overcome obstacles. Leadership is a quality many leave the military with. It all comes down to the basic concepts of leading by example, know the people who are working for you, understand their goals and fears and work on growing them.”

The JDog Junk Removal & Hauling franchise only allows Veterans and their families to apply for franchising and provides in-depth support, a flexible and low-cost business model without the need for a storefront, streamlined operations and a tight-knit community of fellow veteran business owners.

“I looked into franchising a few times, but every franchise seemed to require a high-barrier entry fee,” said Potts. “I had given up on it, and then six months later, I received an email about JDog and decided to look more into that. I never thought junk removal would be where I wanted to go, but I looked into the company and went to their Discovery Day. I came back excited, and we looked at different territories throughout northeast Dallas and Texas. We decided on JDog because it was at the right price point, and we knew we would have the corporate team there to support us.”

Potts officially signed on with the brand to open two territories in Tarrant County, and while JDog is already known in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Potts says he is looking forward to creating even more brand awareness. “I would like to expand my crews and get our operations running efficiently and smoothly,” he said. “If we were to expand, we would likely go into a different area and start from scratch. We’re focusing on making this the best operation we can right now.”

Now, in the second half of 2021, JDog Brands is actively seeking qualified franchisees like Potts to open franchise territories in markets across the country, starting with Cincinnati, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for both JDog Junk Removal & Hauling and JDog Carpet Cleaning & Floor Care.

“As we continue to grow JDog across the country, we are thrilled to partner with passionate and driven Veterans like Bryan Potts to help them achieve their dream of business ownership,” said Flanagan. “The beauty of this proven business model and streamlined operating systems is that it requires no specialized skills or knowledge, but at the same time, it is designed to elevate the strengths of Veterans and make the most of their talents. So much of being in the military is about following a process, and with JDog, we’ve built a process Veterans can take and turn into a thriving business.”

The cost to open a JDog Junk Removal & Hauling ranges from $30k–$110k, but generally that investment is $85k including a $35k franchise fee. For more information on franchising with JDog, visit *