Dan Lorenz is a decorated U.S. Army Special Forces Officer turned multi-unit franchise owner, trusted advisor, and founder of Guerrilla Franchising—a no-fluff, precision-guided platform that helps executives, transitioning veterans, and investor groups escape the corporate grind and build lasting wealth through franchise ownership.

With over 20 years of leadership experience in elite military operations and entrepreneurial ventures, Dan brings a tactical, strategic, and brutally honest approach to the franchise world. He’s not here to sell you a dream—he’s here to help you buy your time back.

From the Battlefield to the Boardroom

Dan’s turning point came not on the battlefield, but in a fluorescent-lit office. After returning from a high-level deployment influencing U.S. foreign policy in the Southern Hemisphere, he found himself in a corporate role that stripped him of autonomy, value, and purpose. The contrast was stark—and unsustainable. One early morning breakdown and a life-changing conversation with his Marine Corps brother later, Dan made the leap into franchise ownership. Within two months, he opened his first Mosquito Authority franchise, and the rest, as he says, is history.

Today, he’s a multi-unit owner (including CYCLEBAR NoMa) and a former operator of a successful Mosquito Authority location, which he scaled and exited. But more than that, Dan is a battle-tested mentor for people who want more than just a paycheck. They want freedom.

The Guerrilla Franchising Method

Through FranChoice and his own venture, Guerrilla Franchising, Dan has guided hundreds of clients through the chaos of 4,500+ franchise models to find the few that align with their skills, lifestyle, and long-term goals.

He doesn’t operate like most franchise consultants—many of whom act as glorified catalogues. Instead, Dan applies military-grade filtering, lean startup logic, and his own in-the-trenches franchise experience to guide clients through a process that is personalized, pressure-tested, and designed to expose red flags before they become regrets.

He narrows the field by aligning four key pillars:

• Capital

   

• Capability

   

• Clarity of outcome

   

• Territory availability

   

If a model doesn’t serve your goals, lifestyle, and leadership style, it’s out. Period.

Who He Helps (And Why)

Dan specializes in working with:

• Veterans – because they understand mission-focus, risk mitigation, and decisive action.

   

• Executives – because they think in systems, ROI, and strategy.

   

• Investor groups – because they seek scale, predictability, and leverage.

   

These are the people wired for success in franchising, but often lack the right playbook. Dan gives it to them—without the fluff.

Core Values That Drive His Work

Dan’s philosophy is built on three immovable principles:

• Radical Honesty – no sugarcoating, ever.

   

• Ownership First – you’re not buying a job, you’re building a machine.

   

• Mission Over Metrics – if it doesn’t align with your life’s mission, it’s not the right move.

   

He sees franchising not as a job alternative, but as a tool for freedom. The motto he lives by—“Get Money. Buy Income.”—is about deploying capital into cash-flowing businesses that give you your life back. Because money earned isn’t wealth. Money deployed is.

Franchise Fit: What He Looks For

Not everyone is a fit for every model. Dan helps clients filter based on:

• Transferable Skills – Can your leadership, ops, or sales background plug into the system?

   

• Time Commitment – Will it give you the life you want now and five years from now?

   

• Risk Tolerance – Some models print money. Some take time. Know your appetite.

   

And he warns against two common pitfalls:

1. Chasing hype or passion without a plan – Passion doesn’t pay bills. Process does.

    

2. Taking advice from the wrong people – Don’t let your well-meaning but misinformed uncle talk you out of financial freedom.

    

Real Impact, Real Results

Dan’s work has changed lives. One of his clients—a burned-out tech exec—went from corporate exhaustion to owning three thriving B2B franchises, with more time for his family than ever before. His transformation? Life-changing.

Dan has seen this story play out time and again, and he knows it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through the right mindset, the right system, and the right guide.

A Business Owner First

Dan doesn’t just advise from the sidelines—he’s still in the trenches. His experience across different models taught him invaluable lessons:

• CycleBar pushed him to master marketing, culture, and community.

   

• Mosquito Authority showed him the power of low-overhead service models.

   

• Both proved one thing: people and systems drive profit—not passion alone.

   

He keeps his edge by studying industry trends, validating models with operators, tracking consumer behavior like it’s his AO (Area of Operations), and constantly looking to expand his own franchise portfolio.

Vision for the Future

Dan’s goal? To professionalize franchise advising. That means more content, more tools, more real-world insights—not hype, not guesswork. He envisions Guerrilla Franchising as the special operations force of the franchise world: precise, disciplined, and brutally effective.

He’s also building a data-rich, case-study-driven ecosystem that demystifies franchising for serious buyers. Eventually, he plans to scale the Guerrilla approach by onboarding like-minded consultants who share his mission-first mindset.

What Freedom Looks Like

For Dan, freedom means being present—at his kid’s game, on a Tuesday night hike with his wife and dogs, or closing deals without checking in at a corporate job. It’s about being in control of his time, health, wealth, and relationships. And it’s what he helps his clients reclaim every single day.

“If you’re crushing Q4 numbers but missing your kid’s birthday, you’re failing. If you’re chained to a desk instead of building a future—you’re dying slowly.“

Franchising is not just a business model. It’s a vehicle for real autonomy. And Dan Lorenz is the advisor who helps you drive it like it was built for you.