A few years after they finished their tours in Iraq and got out of the military, Brandy and Daniel Prettyman started thinking about starting a new chapter in their lives.

The Army veterans - who met when they were assigned to the same base and later married - were working as consultants for a government contractor. But going into business seemed like a good idea, if they could figure out how to get started.

After some searching on the Internet, the Papillion couple stumbled upon VetFran, a program run by the International Franchise Association that provides business training and financial incentives to veterans looking to start a franchise. A few months later, the Prettymans were launching their franchise of a landscaping company called the Grounds Guys. VetFran paid for a quarter of the buy-in fee to get the business started.

"The timing was right, where we were personally was right and the opportunity that presented itself was pretty much key," Brandy said.