Forces Recruitment Services Ltd was the first commercial Recruitment Consultancy set up to place ex-military candidates across the board. It was set up by former Army Musician Graham Brown in 2001 and has now grown into a franchise operation supporting 17 offices across the UK and expanding; the company has also recently been nominated by Recruiter magazine as Best Small Recruiter 2010 from thousands of agencies. If you are interested in making money for yourself, helping place ex-servicemen and women into work and running your own diary, contact Graham Brown on 01353 645004 or graham@forcesrecruitment.co.uk. This is a case study of David Wildmore, Regional Director of FRS (Guildford & Kingston).

"1976 to1984. British Army - Ammunition Technician in the (then) RAOC, dealing with all the technical aspects the munitions used in the British army - I ended up in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) side of the trade, which ensured 2 IED tours of Northern Ireland. I was also Advanced Guided Weapons qualified, which included monitoring and reporting on the performance of the various GW used in the Army.

A couple of years in 3 BAD West Germany, then 18 months in Hounslow 11 Ord Bn (EOD), followed by 30 months in Catterick Garrison in 11 Ord Bn (EOD).

1984 to 1990. Australian Army - utilising my British army experience. 5 years in Melbourne, Victoria HQ 3 MD EOD Centre and 1 year in Hobart, Tasmania.

I always enjoyed my time in both armies, the people you meet, the places you get to visit and the many and various challenges it all brought. One way of judging whether you enjoyed any aspect of your life is to look at it in retrospect and my 14 years in the army just flew by.

A couple of years in 3 BAD West Germany, then 18 months in Hounslow 11 Ord Bn (EOD), followed by 30 months in Catterick Garrison in 11 Ord Bn (EOD).

1984 to 1990. Australian Army - utilising my British Army experience. 5 years in Melbourne, Victoria HQ 3 MD EOD Centre and 1 year in Hobart, Tasmania.

I always enjoyed my time in both armies, the people you meet, the places you get to visit and the many and various challenges it all brought. One way of judging whether you enjoyed any aspect of your life is to look at it in retrospect and my 14 years in the army just flew by."

"Yes, I had the opportunity to emigrate to Australia and join the Australian army, which a lot of ex-British service personnel had also done."

"I worked for my brother, who is involved in the building industry and the time spent with his was very worthwhile for gaining experience in that field."

"I have run my own businesses since 1993 in Australia in the real estate and property development industries and upon my return home in 2008 I researched various business opportunities. Recruiting has many methodological similarities to the real estate industry and it was a logical business progression.

I researched the recruiting industry to decide which area I would feel comfortable in competing in. We all know the value ex-military personnel bring to a business owner and FRS provides me with the vehicle to utilize my previous experiences. FRS is the market leader in this niche market and having been involved with franchises since 1994 it was a logical choice through which to enter the recruiting industry."

There are many aspects to running your own business and it is my choice to operate my own businesses as opposed to working for someone else. Ultimately, I see there are 3 aspects that attract me to operating my own business:

1. You can determine your own future
2. My business provides me with a vehicle to fund the lifestyle I want to enjoy.
3. It provides me with an asset for the future - when I come to sell the business. It is always 'when', not 'if'."

"My military background provided me with all the key features which you need to help you succeed in the world of business, such as:

We become well practiced at the decision-making process through countless scenarios we encounter in the military

It teaches you leadership skills

You develop a 'can-do' attitude and strive to achieve

We are adaptable, practical, highly skilled and good at problem-solving"

"In business - still operating my own business and having expanded upon my current situation - it's the only way in business because if you stand still in reality you are going backwards. Your competitors will always seek to get an advantage over you.

In my personal life - still enjoying the challenges that life brings on both a personal and business level and I love travel, which is a direct result of my military background. My philosophy is that life is meant to be enjoyed and my business will always be a vehicle to fund my lifestyle."

"You have a huge range of skills and it is now a case of lateral thinking and translating those skills to the civilian environment. It is critical to deconstruct all the skills and experiences gained in the military and analyse them with a view to enlightening potential employers on just how skilled and experience you really are.

Don't undersell yourself. But more importantly, don't 'de-militarise' your CV to the point that its difficult to realise that you have served in the forces - I see quite a lot of that.

Going into business can bring its own challenges, but can be immensely rewarding - so don't discount the possibility."

To find out more about a recruitment franchise with FRS contact Graham Brown on 01353 645004 graham@forcesrecruitment.co.uk or visit www.forcesrecruitment.co.uk/franchise.html.