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Peter Turner owns and operates seven Dunkin Donuts locations and expects to double that number by next year. Managing 150 employees and juggling the demands of so many stores may prove overwhelming to some, but Turner entered entrepreneurship armed with a specific kind of experience.

“I was a pilot for 20 years flying primarily the SA-60 Seahawk Destroyers,” said Turner.

So what does being a navy pilot have to do with coffee and donuts? It seems both military service and business ownership require similar skills.

“Whether you're an NCO or a young officer, it's really about people, some equipment and a mission,” said Turner. “And you're trained for that better than you realize.”

“Today's service requires service members to have independent thinking and adaptive thinking and really use resources efficiently, good management of people and assets, and that's a great resume for owning and operating a business,” said Sean Collins, Director of G.I. Jobs magazine.

According to Collins, there are 11,500 businesses being successfully operated by veterans nationwide -- a 35% increase over last year.

“It's really a win win,” said Collins. “On one hand, service members have a recipe for success and need only apply the skill set that they already have and determination and drive. On the other hand the franchisers are gaining someone with tremendous skills, tremendous work ethic and a high probably of success.”

And they know it. In fact, some companies, like Dunkin Donuts, actively recruit military members by offering incentives like mentoring programs and reduced franchising fees.