Paul Grise, Pillar To Post franchise partner from Western Kentucky, and Tennessee, was recently featured in Franchising World magazine.

Success changes people and sometimes, moving on from the most stellar of careers is the only way to step into visions of a new life cultivated by years of experience. That is what Paul Grise, owner of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors of Western Kentucky had in mind when he left his job of four years as a private security contractor.

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is North America's leading home inspection company, whose professional inspectors work in real estate communities and in buyer/seller markets, providing on-the-spot inspection reports detail more than 1,600 key components of a home and its condition, bringing rational thinking to what can be emotional purchases.

"I had an exciting career", said Grise, "supporting various operations in many highly desirable and exotic locations. This is what I transitioned to after serving 10 years in the U.S. Army.

I always knew that the private security circuit was just a bridge to transition from the military into the civilian sector and that I wanted to be a business owner. My first contact with Pillar To Post was via a skype call while I was still operating out of Kandahar, Afghanistan.

I began searching a broad range of business opportunities, narrowed my search down to franchises, and eventually chose Pillar To Post Home Inspectors. I chose the system because I identified that there was a need for their services in my territory and the system was well structured and a professional organization. It was important to me to partner up with a system that was leading the way in its respective professional field and I have been happy with my choice since entering the system. We truly are the "tip of the spear" in the home inspection industry, with our closest competitors a generation or more behind how we conduct our businesses.

I believe veterans are a good fit for the Pillar To Post system because the skillsets that we develop in our military careers directly transfer over in many ways. Many of us may not have an MBA, but we do have our DD-214s that represent years of experience and skillsets that directly roll over into the skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur. Many of the intangible skills we develop in the military, such as leadership, organizational skills, mission planning/execution, self-driven initiative, and most importantly our ability to adapt and overcome adversity, are not appreciated by employers in the civilian marketplace and are difficult to quantify on a standard employment application. These skills, honed over our years in the military however, directly correlate to the skillset needed to be a successful franchisee.

What I enjoy about having my franchise is that I operate independently, without direct supervision, and I am the driver behind where I can take my business. I am three years into my career with Pillar To Post and feel like I am just beginning to scratch the surface of the potential growth and success that my team and I can achieve within the system. We have established relationships with a terrific group of realtor friends in the markets we service and are proud to be part of their teams in taking care of our shared clients. Our realtor relationships are an extension of our services and are something we take great pride in."