8 Things JDog Cheerleader Janae Sergio Should Know (And Maybe Does)
Janae Sergio promotes herself as a “combat NAVY veteran,” sexual assault survivor, victim advocate, social media influencer and the “#1 best-selling author” of her self-published autobiography “Perfectly Flawed: A Veteran’s Journey from Homeless to Hero.”
(She’s just the latest to join the ranks of the cheerleaders & collaborators who turn a blind eye to a company deceiving and destroying veterans, like Grunt Style, Irreverent Warriors, The Pink Berets, and others).
Janae Sergio promotes herself as a “combat NAVY veteran,” sexual assault survivor, victim advocate, social media influencer and the “#1 best-selling author” of her self-published autobiography “Perfectly Flawed: A Veteran’s Journey from Homeless to Hero.”Apparently, she claims to be:
- A sexual assault survivor who cares deeply about other victims
- A combat veteran who cares deeply about military veterans
- A fearless speaker of truth to power, refusing to be silenced by the male power-elite
- The outspoken critic of Nine Line Apparel, a company whose culture she claims contributed to a tragic veteran murder/suicide & attempted cover-up
- An enthusiastic supporter & cheerleader of Jerry “JDog” Flanagan & his JDog franchise opportunities for veterans & military families
After speaking at the aptly-named and sparsely-attended JDog “J-Con 2023” franchisee meeting last weekend, Ms. Sergio posted a gushing video about how “super impressed” she was with Jerry Flanagan and the JDog franchise opportunity.
In her video posted to LinkedIn, she claims that JDog franchise businesses are “thriving from coast-to-coast.” She claims she met over 100 of those thriving JDog franchisees at J-Con 2023 (according to my unofficial sources, fewer than 20 JDog franchisees attended the event. Last year, there were more than 70.)
Here are 8 things it would behoove Janae Sergio to know before she hitches her dinghy to the career Titanic that is JDog.
8 Things JDog Cheerleader Janae Sergio Should Know (And Maybe Does)
#1 Jerry “JDog” Flanagan Has a History of Sexual Harassment Complaints
In 2019, sexual harassment complaints against Jerry Flanagan led to an investigation that allegedly resulted in the restructuring of the JDog management team & policies put in place to protect franchisees and employees. In the early 2000s, a lawsuit against Jerry Flanagan by his employer, Creative Playthings, references a sexual harassment complaint by a female employee as being a factor in his dismissal.
READ: Letter Suggests Jerry Flanagan Was Removed From JDog Franchise for Sexual Harrassment
#2 JDog Franchises, LLC Has Terminated More than 166 200* Veteran-Owned Franchises
This data is from JDog Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDD) which are official documents prepared by the company and certified by Jerry Flanagan to be true and correct, under penalty of law.
Read: Franchise Warning: JDog Junk Hauling for Veterans (Index)
- The just-released 2023 FDD discloses 35 additional terminations & 14 additional ownership transfers
#3 The JDog Junk Removal & Hauling Franchise has a 99% Turnover Rate
According to the company’s public disclosure documents, 165 franchises opened within the most recent 3-year period & 157 veterans-owned franchises exited through terminations & transfers. This makes JDog one of the riskiest franchises in the nation, in my opinion.
READ: JDog Junk Removal Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Item 20
#4 The JDog Carpet Cleaning & Floor Care Franchise has a 200% Turnover Rate
JDog Carpet Cleaning opened 18 carpet cleaning franchises in the three year period, closed 9 and only 9 remained at the end of the period.
Read: JDog Carpet Cleaning Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Item 20
#5 The Moment a Veteran Signs a JDog Franchise Agreement, They Are on the Hook for $536,450 Whether They’re Successful or Not
Most franchises and every other junk franchise collect a royalty that’s a percentage of gross sales. So a lower volume franchise – or one that has a bad year – pays less.
JDog requires a “flat fee royalty” that escalates to $2400 per month that franchisees are required to pay for 15 years (180 months) whether they are successful or not.
#6 Franchise Failures Put Hardworking Veterans Into a Pressure Cooker That Some Won’t Survive.
Anyone who knows these facts and still supports & spreads JDog’s false success story is intentionally putting military veterans & military families in grave danger.
Many report that the suffering and stress of the JDog franchise failure was worse than what they experienced when they were deployed.
The mental health of veterans who cannot readily accept failure, and many marriages, cannot survive the kind of stress shared by JDog franchisees.
READ:
JDog Franchise Survivor Angela Derringer-Donnell Speaks Out
JDog Franchise Survivor Statement: Army Veteran Andrea Clarkin
JDog Franchise Survivor Statement: Navy Veteran Rich Roberts
#7 Perhaps Janae Sergio Should Speak Up For Murder/Suicide Victims Amanda Dewitt & Barbara Allen
Janae Sergio made it her mission to speak up for murder/suicide victim Madalyn Coulter. She demonized a company that appears to have had a tenuous connection to the tragic event. And yet she is silent on the deaths of Amanda Dewitt and Barbara Allen, murdered by Army Veteran & failed JDog franchisee Dan Dewitt. The economic loss resulting from his failed JDog franchise was cited as the key factor in both him bankruptcy and divorce documents. Yet neither JDog Franchises, LLC, Jerry Flanagan, tracy flanagan, nor President Kevin Kopa have acknowledged nor publicly expressed condolences to the families.
READ: JDOG Franchise Dream Ends in Veteran Suicide, Double Homicide
#8 Janae Sergio is Lying to U.S. Veterans & Military Families
Janae Sergio claims she is “super impressed” with all JDog and Jerry Flanagan have done for veterans.
She claims that JDog franchisees are “thriving from coast to coast.”
She claims that, in the last week at J-Con, she personally met with over 100 of those thriving franchisees “dedicated to the mission.”
The unfortunate truth is that all but a minority of franchisees are doing well or maintaining profitability.
Many more are struggling to survive, or have closed already.
As for having met more than 100 JDog franchisees? This is highly doubtful.
Reliable (unofficial) sources tell me that 70 junk franchisees attended J-Con 2022, yet only 13 junk franchisees and 6 carpet franchisees attended J-Con 2023.
JDog’s event photos, posted on Facebook, show sparsely attended seminars and group shots populated, overwhelmingly, by staff and vendors.
Do you have information regarding the JDog Junk Removal franchise? Please share, in confidence, with a comment below or an email to UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail.Com.
If you are among the veterans or military family members whose JDog franchise(s ) closed before reaching the end of the contract term, please accept our condolences.
Please share your experience and insights so fellow veterans can make informed investment decisions regarding the JDog franchise.
All JDog Franchise Posts (Most Recent First)
Franchise Warning: JDog Junk Hauling for Veterans (Index)
OPEN INVITATION: Unhappy Franchisee extends an open invitation to all those discussed to provide corrections, explanations, clarifications and/or rebuttals. We will correct factual errors & alternative views fairly. Anonymous or signed comments are welcome below or can be emailed in confidence to UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail[dot]com.
Sean Kelly is an independent investigative journalist with 35 years of franchise industry experience. Since founding UnhappyFranchisee.Com in 2006, his reporting has exposed & shut down several predatory franchise & investment schemes. Sean Kelly is a franchise watchdog who prompted and aided the FBI investigation that shut down the 165-victim multi-million-dollar NY Bagel franchise scam and landed perpetrators Dennis Mason & Joseph Smith in federal prison. Sean was featured in the ABC Four Corners expose of 7-Eleven wage theft in Australia and has served as an advisor to Dateline NBC. He has withstood bullying, intimidation & frivolous lawsuits as high as $35M and never lost. His crack editorial staff and fact checkers include Chick, Gem, Red, Pru & Joanie the Rescue Chicken.
Contact the author at UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail[dot]com
TAGS: Janae Sergio, Janae Sergio, Perfectly Flawed, Grunt Style, JDog, JDog Junk Removal franchise, JDog Carpet Cleaning franchise, JDog failure rate, veterans franchise, franchise for veterans, Kevin Kopa, Jerry Flanagan, Julip Run Capital, Chris Debbas, Tom Spadea, franchise failures, franchise scam, vetfran, Spadea Lignana law firm, Terry Corkery, JDog Foundation