Military Entrepreneur Magazine
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When you use veteran and military spouse companies, or hire them, everyone
wins. Because they’re looking to build their future with you, and you’re looking
for top talent with integrity, leadership experience, advanced education and
technical know-how.
That’s why USAA has teamed up with some of America’s leading corporations to
we encourage organizations of all sizes to become a part of our mission by:
• Using veteran-owned companies
• Hiring veterans and military spouses
• Supporting local veteran organizations
• Encouraging others to do the same
Join us today and start creating success for your business and America’s
military families.
To learn more, contact [email protected]
Military Family Supplier Diversity
WHERE BUSINESS AND SERVICECREATE SUCCESS
To learn more, contact [email protected]
3
Message from our
FounderMilitary Spouses Serve Too!
Most service members will tell you that their spouses serve too. My mother was one of those spouses who gave up her career to follow my father and raise four children in the mil-itary. I remember her volunteering at my father’s command and in our community. She never complained, but as mili-tary spouse myself, I now recognize the sacrifice she made alongside my father for our country.
This issue highlights some pretty amazing military spouses from around the country. One went to medical school, but once married realized the challenge of a husband that de-ployed up to eight months out of the year and raising small children, did not bode well for a career in medicine. Her story is not unique.
Highlight:
a80% of military spouses ‘want or need’ to work
aCompared to their civilian counterparts, military spouses:
4 Hold higher levels of education
4 Are paid 28% less for the same job
4 Unemployment rate is 3x higher
*2015 Military Family Survey
Entrepreneurship is changing lives for our nation’s military spouses and more are gravitating towards this option than ever before. From lawyers to landscapers, architects to artists, the opportunities have never been greater. What’s really exciting is that more government agencies and private organizations are paying attention. The Department of Defense now hosts a monthly webinar for military spouses on the subject. The Small Business Administration’s Office of Veteran Business Development (OVBD), led by Barbara Carson – a military spouse herself – helped stand up the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Alliance. While the Coalition for Veteran Owned Business (CVOB) is working with The Ros-ie Network and USAA to establish a nationally recognized certification for businesses owned by military spouses.
These are all steps in the right direction and we are proud to be an integral part of these efforts.
We hope you enjoy the stories of just a few of the amazing military spouse entrepreneurs highlighted in this issue. We continue to be inspired by them every day.
Stephanie Brown Proud Military Spouse CEO & Founder, The Rosie Network
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Featured Stories
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16 14
12
8
5 18
Rocky’s Road
Carrying OnOne Busy Momma
One Stop Shop
Brew BossRepurposedServing Talent
5
One Busy ‘Momma’
Sunday meal prepping was Flossie Hall’s
answer to balance a busy life with a healthy
lifestyle. What started off as ritual to stock
up on nutritious meals for her family quickly
flourished into a successful entrepreneurial venture.
A Navy spouse and 33-year-old mother of four,
Flossie is the “Momma” in Healthy Momma, a meal
preparation service to help families with a busy
schedule continue to eat healthy.
Like many moms, Flossie struggled to lose the
pregnancy weight she had gained with four kids. At
one point, this petite mom weighed 215 pounds. She
decided to ease her family into healthy eating and
staying active. On Sundays, she would prepare her
families meals for the entire week.
Mother of Four Turns
Meal Prep Into Thriving
Small Business
6
training exercises or deployments.”
Managing to wear all the hats in the family as well
as a company can be very challenging and stressful.
Flossie says you have to depend on a strong network of
friends and fellow military spouses to help carry you
through the long days. Her advice?
“Lean on your community for support and
resources,” Flossie recommends. “Resources like the
Rosie Network were created to help us be successful.
Reach out to fellow entrepreneurs for information and
guidance and always be willing to lend a hand and
expertise when needed.”
Flossie believes that being a military spouse
has prepared her for entrepreneurship because
the military lifestyle creates a strong sense of self
and resilience. Spouses are continuously having to
adapt to new jobs, schools, deployment and training
schedules. Two to three years later, Rinse and Repeat.
Just like being a military spouse, every day presents
“By preparing the week’s meals on Sunday,” Flossie
explains, “whether it was breakfast, lunch and dinner,
my family was able to reach into the frig and just grab
and go. They had no excuse not to stay on track.”
Flossie decided to start a Facebook page to help
motivate herself, friends & family to take similar
steps. The page grew to reach over 100k per week!
She soon had friends asking her to help them meal
prep and before she knew it, people were paying her
for her services. Within nine months, Flossie went
from a side job in her kitchen on Sundays for friends,
to preparing several thousand meals a week in a
commercial kitchen.
TURNING A PASSION INTO PROFITSFlossie quickly realized the need for quality home
cooked food for busy families wanting to eat healthy
at a reasonable price. Healthy Momma was founded to
provide that solution. Her passion and commitment to
helping families by providing great tasting, affordable
and healthy meals is what makes her truly successful.
Healthy Momma meals are offered at $3 to $7 per meal,
making them similar in cost to purchasing groceries
yourself and cooking at home.
“When you make healthy food affordable accessible,
you open up the possibilities for people to enjoy a
healthy lifestyle, feed themselves and their families
without breaking the bank,” said Flossie.
JUGGLING FAMILY, DEPLOYMENTS & A BUSINESSEntrepreneurship was not always Flossie’s goal, in
fact, she has a BA in psychology and a BS in Biology
(with honors) and spent ten years working toward
medical school to become a doctor. Life has a funny
way of throwing you a curve-ball and hers came in the
form of a handsome man in uniform (sound familiar?).
Like most military spouses, her greatest challenge
has been juggling the schedules of her four kids – one
in high school, middle, elementary and preschool –
with the demands of frequent deployments, while
managing a rapidly growing company.
“Any working mom knows how hard it is to juggle
our kids schedule,” she said, “but being a military
spouse also means having do it alone at times due to
Healthy Momma (cont’d)
7
new challenges. Her approach is to view each
challenge in a logical way and say, “okay, now how
do we fix this?”
“Life will always throw you curveballs,” Flossie said.
“How well you learn to swerve is the key to success.”
BIG PLANS FOR HEALTHY MOMMADon’t be surprised to see a Healthy Momma
location near you some day soon. Plans are in place to
expand nationwide. A welcoming place where people
can stop in for fresh, healthy and affordable food or
order a week’s worth of meals to be delivered to their
front door. Meals like turkey meatloaf, broccoli and
quinoa or stuffed sweet potatoes (a customer favorite).
Flossie changes the menu frequently and pays special
attention to meals just for kids.
This doesn’t happen if you don’t have a product
or service that people love and a strategic plan to get
there. And if Healthy Momma’s growth over the last
year is any indication, she has clearly created a recipe
for success. (www.RosiesList.org/Healthy-Momma)Flossie Hall turned her personal call to action into a profitable venture by making healthy food accessible.
Giving back to the military, veterans, and hiring them is important to Bottle
Breacher as a business. Bottle Breacher is veteran owned and operated, with a
25% veteran hire rate. We feel strongly about giving back to those who have
sacrificed by supporting nonprofits that give back to veterans and active duty
soldiers, including Wishes for Warriors and Eagle Fund.
Wishes for Warriors goal is to make Veterans dreams a REALITY. They are dedicated to returning the good vibrations back into the lives of our
combat wounded heroes. They do this through therapeutic outdoor retreats, af-
ter experiencing a life altering injury. Their mission is to show
veterans that whether wounded of body or mind,
they are still able to live out their
dreams and passions.
The Eagle Fund is a program developed as a partnership with the Andrews Research &
Education Foundation (AREF) and EXOS, world
leaders in sports medicine and human perfor-
mance. This program exists for the purpose
of supporting active duty wounded/injured members of the
Special Operations community. The primary goal of Eagle Fund is to get
participants back to the fight, and at the very least, improve their
overall quality of life.
The Eagle Fund Breacher and Wishes for Warriors Breacher
are available for purchase at www.bottlebreacher.com.
When you purchase a
Wishes for Warriors or
Eagle Fund Bottle Breacher,
we give 100% of the
proceeds back to the
nonprofits.
Bottle Breacher
8
Growing a start-up busi-
ness while working
full time is no
easy feat.
Military spouse
Steve Craig has to
give up weekends
with his family and
work long nights, but it’s
worth the effort to meld his
passion for online commerce
and entrepreneurial drive
with a favorite hobby of his—home brewing.
In 2014 Craig founded Hop Goblin (www.RosiesList.org/Hop-Goblin), a small home brewing
supply business that provides quality ingredients
and equipment for the home brewing enthusiast
including both beer and wine making products.
He was introduced to home brewing in 2011 and
worked for one of the top home brewing suppliers. In
late 2012 and early 2013, he worked on the merger of
the top two homebrew supply companies, and his ex-
perience with this created his foundation in the brew-
ing space that he would unknowingly leverage a little
over a year later.
Craig had always wanted to own his own business.
When he became unemployed in 2014, he figured with
his education and background in Information Technol-
PROFILESteve Craig, Hop Goblin
Stationed in Warren, Michigan where his wife, Karen,
serves as a Major Logistics Officer in the Army National
Guard. Karen originally joined the Navy back in mid 80’s
and then joined the National Guard in 2001. She has had one
deployment to Iraq and they have an 11-year-old daughter.
Brew BossMilspouse Taps Into Passion for Craft Beer
ogy it was a good time to leverage his web commerce
background and combine it with his interest in home
brewing. The home brewing market was on the rise
and after being mentored by some keen venture capi-
talists and entrepreneurs, he felt the timing was right
to give it a go and created Hop Goblin.
Craig’s greatest challenge has been managing his
startup while maintaining a full-time job. As Hop Gob-
lin does not bring in enough income to quit a full time
job, he often has to dedicate many weekend and late
9
Awards will be given in the following categories:
Military Spouse-Owned Small Business
Veteran-Owned Small Business
Military Family-Owned Small Business
evening hours to keep Hop Goblin growing. His goal is
to hire staff to meet the expanding needs of Hop Goblin
as soon as revenue allows, but in the meantime it’s a
difficult balance and requires creativity to take care of
his customers – even when he’s not available. He can’t
typically take customer calls on his toll-free phone line
during normal business hours, so he uses a voicemail
service to take messages and assure his customers that
he’ll respond.
But it seems to be worth it.
“There is honestly something
therapeutic in knowing the
products you have curated, sold,
picked, packed and shipping for
customers with your own two
hands,” Craig said.
Craig believes that you reap
what you sow. He enjoys spend-
ing long hours writing web copy
and researching best practices to stay relevant to online
consumers. When asked about advice he would give to
his fellow military entrepreneurs Craig shared:
“There are a lot of services for military entrepre-
neurs, seek these out and use them. SCORE and The
Rosie Network are two services that have really helped
me get things rolling.”
“Do your research, bounce ideas off your friends
and loved ones – they often have the more honest and
unfiltered feedback you should listen too,” Craig added.
“Make sure you have the capitol to
launch such an endeavor. Business
loans should not be the first lever
you pull to launch your business.
There are far more people and com-
panies willing to spend your hard
earned capitol then there are people/
companies willing to partner and
help convert customers with sales.”
Recognizing our nation’s outstanding military
entrepreneurs is just one way to raise awareness and put our Veterans and Spouses in the Spotlight!
The Rosie Network’s mission is to promote our nation’s military small business owners. With that in mind we are proud to announce the launch of the Military
Entrepreneurs of Year Awards.
These awards are our way of recognizing the men and women “behind the counter” who have served our country and continue to contribute to our nation as small business owners and employers. Join Team Rosie as we celebrate our fearless military spouse, veteran and military family small business entrepreneurs as they pave the way!
Awardees will be featured on the cover of M.E. MAG Winter 2016 special edition, receive a financial grant and be recognized as Military Entrepreneurs of the Year on The Rosie Network website and social media.
To nominate a business (your own or your favorite military entrepreneur) visit our website at www.TheRosieNetwork.org/MEOY and simply complete the application, VOTE and SHARE! It’s free and you can nominate more than one business!
Each nominee must be a registered and verified member business on Rosie’s List http://therosienetwork.org/register. There is no cost to join or create a profile on Rosie’s List. Winners will be announced by October 15, 2016.
To learn more and view Military Entrepreneurs of the Year Awards Rules & Regulations, please visit www.TheRosieNetwork.org/MEOY
10
Meet Dave and Sharon Gran, a Marine
Corps veteran and spouse with more
than 20 years of service. To say they are
familiar with the joys and frustrations
of PCS moves would be an understatement. After one
particularly challenging move from Stuttgart, Germany
to Northern Virginia in 2000, the Gran’s decided to
build an online resource for military families to assist
in the daunting task of frequent moves. So they
launched MilitaryByOwner — a “one stop shop” for all
things military move related.
“The goal was (and still is) to connect military
families moving base to base,” said Sharon Gran. “When
a military family is faced with a PCS move, all the
resources that are available to them are in one place.”
Homeowners, real estate agents and property
MILITARY BY OWNER
One Stop Shop for Military Moving
“We have been using MBO since 2006
and have ALWAYS had immediate
responses and have been extremely
happy and grateful for MBO. We have
been overseas and have had virtually
no issues with this service. We have
been back stateside and continue
to use it because there is nothing
better! Truly fantastic! Thanks MBO!”
“Searching for Apartments in our
price range on the open Internet
left us disgruntled and frustrated.
We tried MilitaryByOwner and found
an apartment in a price point and
location that we wanted - veteran
to veteran. The search parameters
made it easy to find exactly what we
needed.” (RosiesList.org/MilitaryByOwner)
Here’s what some happy customers have to say about MilitaryByOwner:
11
managers advertise homes located near military
bases on MilitaryByOwner. When a military family
is faced with a PCS, being able to view homes (land,
new construction, existing) whether it is a for sale by
owner, listed with a real estate agent or a property
manager, is enormously helpful. Knowing you
are getting it from a trusted source is pretty much
priceless.
Listing available properties is only one part
of what MilitaryByOwner provides to help ease
the stress of moving. The site offers a wealth of
knowledge about the area, schools, and what other
military families have to say. Check out their blog
posts to get help with everything from starting a
business on base, to resources available for military
spouses seeking employment.
“What makes MilitaryByOwner unique is that
we know the target market because we are the
target market,” said Sharon. “Over 80 percent of our
employees are either active duty spouses, dependents
or retired from the military.”
Developing an online resource is not easy. Not if
you want to stay relevant. Keeping abreast with the
fast moving world of technology is their greatest
challenge, according to Sharon, and since the
majority of us today use our smart phones or other
mobile devices to shop, learn and socialize on the
internet, having a mobile friendly website is critical.
It helps if you offer an easy to use mobile app too
— something that MilitaryByOwner does, making
it a cinch to use while checking out homes and
neighborhoods.
“The military prepares you with a variety of
skills that can easily translate to owning your own
business,” said Sharon. “Start with a set of goals, listen
to your audience and always be prepared to tweak
the plan to achieve those goals.”
Successful businesses begin by solving a problem,
and while frequent PCS moves during your military
service is not likely to be solved any time soon, it is
nice to know that MilitaryByOwner understands
the challenge and has created a value-added service.
Keeping your customers is equally important and
having a staff that has ‘walked in PCS shoes and
works with military bases’ sets MilitaryByOwner
apart from its competitors.
Strengthen your outcome
-Strategy & Operations -Education & Development -Research & Analysis -Turnaround & Reorganization
(312)709-4990 Strong-oak.com
Operating with high-level stake holders to solve complex business
problems and improve performance.
How can we help you?
https://streetshares.com/
12
Taking the Principled
Path Pays off for Gun Gurus
Rocky’s Road
13
The business has come a very long way since open-
ing in 2011, selling firearms from our kitchen table to
friends, family, and co-workers in Fairbanks, Alaska.
“We sold all sorts of firearms at that time, only focus-
ing on the AR-15 after moving to North Carolina in 2013,
responding to local demand,” Rocky reminisced. “When
our website launched in January 2015, it propelled us
to a new level of exposure, though we were not at all
focused on the wholesale market.”
In March 2015, a friend who was the purchasing
officer for a large OEM reached out to Rocky and Patrick,
asking them to help fill a gap in their production. They
did, and the rest is history.
“I joke about the potential that ‘could have been’ if I
had stayed in Corporate America, but now I truly un-
derstand that my success is not dependent on circum-
stance,” said Rocky. “I believe that you will either be
happy or you won’t. Life is about decisions and the same
is true for success.”
ROCKY’S GOALS “One of my short term goals is to get our company
on the Inc. 5000 List of growing businesses,” Rocky said.
“Our business is constantly innovating/changing to
meet the needs of our clients, so it is tough to nail down
exactly where we will be a year from now. However,
we have built a warehouse about 20 minutes from Fort
Bragg, and will operate from there through at least the
rest of 2016.”
THE CHALLENGE OF FUNDINGMost banks are prohibited from
lending to firearms companies, which
didn’t make it easy for this entrepre-
neurial couple in the early days
“My husband and I really had to
believe in our business plan, forsake
a quality of life enjoyed by our peers,
and invest EVERYTHING we had
toward the business” Rocky explained.
“Running a cash business has slowed
our growth, but it also has rewarding
benefits, and we’ve never looked back.”
About Critical Capabilities
Critical Capabilities’ core business is AR-15 parts
provision for large, original-equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) in the firearms industry. What that means is
that when you walk into any gun shop across this
country, the AR15s that you see on the wall probably
have one, two, or maybe a half-dozen of our parts on
them. Critical Capabilities manufactures these parts
via contract manufacturing through a network of about
three dozen machine shops and sell these parts unmarked
and without a brand, allowing any manufacturer in the
industry to use their parts.
When most people meet Rocky Harri-
son, their first thought is probably not
firearms. But this former Ms. Alaska
knows her guns and how to operate
one like a pro.
She and her husband Patrick, a U.S. Military Acade-
my grad and Army special operations officer, own Criti-
cal Capabilities, an AR-15 parts manufacturing company
and e-commerce website (www.unbrandedAR.com), which
sells firearm parts to original equipment manufacturers
(OEM), dealers and retail clients.
Rocky’s career began like many other military spous-
es: in the corporate world. When she met her husband,
she was managing employees through a Leadership De-
velopment Program at AT&T Corporate and was under-
standably nervous about sacrificing what she considered
her dream job for the unknown military lifestyle.
No sooner had they tied the knot when the new-
lyweds received PCS orders to Alaska and spent their
honeymoon on the drive up the Alcan Highway.
Fast forward to January of this year. Rocky returned
to an empty home in Fayetteville, NC from SHOT Show
in Las Vegas, the largest firearms and outdoor trade
show in the world with more than 1,600 exhibitors and
62,000 industry professionals in attendance. Her hus-
band was finishing up a six-month deployment in Af-
ghanistan. While he was overseas, she was overseeing
the production, assembly and distribution of more than
12,000 backordered AR-15 lower parts kits.
(cont’d on page 25)
14
Crafted by Kim started out as a furniture
repurposing business founded by military
spouse Kim Spaulding to balance saving
money with having nice things for her home.
It quickly evolved into a reclaimed wood sign and art
business after she sent her National Guard husband a
“Kentucky” sign so that he would have a little piece of
home during his second deployment.
Crafted by Kim has now found her niche in orders
Milspouse Discovers Her Dreams Amid Reclaimed Remnants
REPURPOSED
Crafted By Kimfor weddings and families. Her products are all made
with a commitment to the environment and utilize
only reclaimed wood found in places such as old tobac-
co barns and farms.
Kim is a military spouse who found herself in the
all-too-familiar position of having a hard time keeping
her career going through the multiple moves required
for her husband. She was working full-time, but not in
the field she had studied for.
15
“After receiving my master’s degree in health
education and not using it in my current job,” said
Kim, “there was a sense of identity loss. Starting
my business and becoming an entrepreneur with a
cause became my identity.”
A new mom, Kim says she hopes to show her
daughter that she can also follow her dreams.
Her greatest challenge was managing the
growing demand while working full time. But
despite the hardship, it helped demonstrate her
dedication. Another challenge she faced was
loneliness while her husband was deployed. She
found comfort in networking with other military
spouses, as well as getting a dog (who became her
Crafted by Kim mascot).
Being her own boss has its perks, but it also
takes a lot of discipline. It allows her to set her own
goals, work a flexible schedule while raising her
family, and give back to military spouses, which she
does through the Rosie Network.
“During both deployments I found it hard to
find resources and support for spouses,” Kim said.
“I want to do something to change that. Milspous-
es serve just as much as the servicemen but are
often overlooked.”
Her advice to other military spouses is to figure
out what you love to do and decide what direction
that will take your business. For Kim, it was art, and
she used all available resources such as The Rosie
Network, local small business offices and other
entrepreneurs in her field.
“Start small, test out the market and most defi-
nitely find a mentor!” Kim said. She also emphasized
the importance of taking care of you first and all the
rest will fall
into place.
“The future is
bright for Crafted
by Kim and I hope
to have income
regardless of
where we end up
and continue to
give back to military
spouses,” said Kim. www.RosiesList.org/CraftedbyKim
visitwww.ledbetterphotographysd.com
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16
Military Spouse StyleS
erving Talent is a full-service recruiting
agency focused on actively placing
professional military and government spouses
with employers who appreciate their unique
talents and abilities.
Maggie Varona co-founded the company in 2015
with Marcelle Yeager, a State Department spouse who
had experienced many of the same challenges that
military spouses face. They both knew that military
and government spouses represent an incredible talent
pool that is overlooked by many employers. Togeth-
er, they decided that not only could they help these
immensely qualified spouses, but could also provide
incredible value to employers.
“We are on a mission to put one of our nation’s
greatest and most underutilized resources – our mili-
tary and government spouses - to work,” Maggie said.
Maggie is a mom of three young boys, a CPA, a
business owner and a Navy spouse. They have moved
SERVING TALENT
“We are on a mission to put one of our nation’s greatest and most underutilized resources – our military and government spouses - to work.”
Maggie VaronaCo-founder, Serving Talent
17
six times and endured countless deployments over
the past 13 years. Her biggest challenge has been, and
continues to be, explaining the transient military and
government life to employers and communicating just
how incredibly talented and educated our military
spouses are!
“To be sure, military spouses do not have tra-
ditional resumes,” Maggie stated. “However,
every single one knows how to solve
problems, think outside the box, get along
with others and, generally speaking,
make it work.”
She believes that many outside the
military community just don’t understand
the lives of military spouses and that, “it doesn’t nec-
essarily occur to employers just how valuable these
individuals can be to their companies.”
MILITARY SPOUSES ARE A SOLUTION TO EMPLOYERSMaggie loves helping employers understand that
spouses are not a problem to be solved but the solution
to all of their employment problems:
“We help employers make the connection that mil-
itary spouses encompass the skills that they value so
highly and are hard to teach – loyalty, empathy, cre-
ativity, motivation.”
To overcome this communication challenge, Serving
Talent connects with as many employers and military
focused organizations as possible, such as the Na-
tional Military Family Association and the Mili-
tary Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP).
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS ABOUT SOLVING PROBLEMSMaggie isn’t sure anyone ever really feels
fully equipped to be an entrepreneur - at
least she didn’t! However, after over a decade of
seeing super-qualified and educated military
spouses struggle to find a stable career amidst a
sea of crazy life changes, she decided that something
needed to be done to help.
Managing all of the chaos that comes with military
life made Maggie feel like she could handle anything
her new business might throw her way.
“In the end, entrepreneurship is all about solving
problems and goodness knows military spouses can do
that with their eyes closed!” Maggie emphasized.
To reach Maggie at Serving Talent, visit
www.RosiesList.org/servingtalent.
18
If you are like most entrepreneurs, you love Shark
Tank! If you are a military spouse entrepreneur,
you really loved watching Lisa & Cameron,
founders of R. Riveter walk away with the money
on Shark Tank this season! We hope you enjoy our
interview with Lisa, spouse of an Army Ranger and co-
founder of R. Riveter – Bags with a Mission.
M.E. MAG: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF & YOUR LIFE AS A MILSPOUSE As military spouses, we both have moved
several times throughout our marriages. Watching
your husband serve is a humbling and inspirational
experience, and made us realize we needed to create a
company that would allow us to serve in our own way.
I met my husband, Jason, while in college; we
dated long distance from North Dakota to New
York (surprisingly a great way to prep for a future
deployments). After graduating college, we had a fairy
tale military wedding and then moved to our first
duty station at Ft. Benning, Georgia. I didn’t know
much about the military lifestyle, so it was an eye
opener when I made four cross country moves by
the time I was 24. In 2010, we moved to Dahlonega,
Georgia where my husband was a Ranger Instructor
R. Riveter was born in an attic with a few scraps of material and a vintage sewing machine
Bags on a Mission“ Th e first step is to discover
what really inspires you.”
19
at 5th RTB. I experienced first-hand the difficulty of
finding employment in the local area as a military
spouse. That’s when I met Cameron and the idea for
R. Riveter began.
M.E. MAG: WHAT ABOUT YOUR SERVICE DO YOU FEEL EQUIPPED YOU TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR
Nothing can prepare you to become a military
spouse but eventually… you adapt. From the
outside,this lifestyle appears difficult but, it has also
bred some of the strongest and most resilient women
our generation has ever seen. The passion, creativity,
drive and sense of purpose that is learned as a military
spouse is, in our opinions, the secret recipe for a
successful entrepreneur.
M.E. MAG: TELL US ABOUT R. RIVETER, HOW YOU STARTED AND WHERE YOU’RE HEADED
R. Riveter was born in an attic with a few
scraps of material and a vintage sewing machine.
Together, we were going to achieve something
unique; something no company had ever done
before. We were going to provide military spouses
with the opportunity to work from home and take
their job with them wherever they go. We chose
a product that embodied our ideals. Handbags
were not only an accessory that women could
support and identify with, on a personal level, but
handbags also had many parts and pieces that the
creation could be outsourced to military spouses
across the country. It was an opportunity to
embrace our lives in the military and build
an empowering community from the
ground up. What better cultural icon is
there to name a company like this than
after Rosie the Riveter.
M.E. MAG: WE COOULDN’T AGREE MORE! WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGES & HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Owning a business isn’t easy. We face challenges
and obstacles each and every single day. However, we
choose not to let the challenges define us. They are
not what is important; it’s how we tackled obstacles
that makes R. Riveter so unique. Many of the aspects of
military life have proven to be a challenge as well as an
opportunity. The moves that once prevented us from
having a sustainable career have now opened up the
doors to our business venture.
M.E. MAG: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING YOUR OWN BOSS? The way our manufacturing process works is that
each Riveter has a role to play. One Riveter in Colorado
may be cutting and hand-stamping leather, while
another Riveter in Tennessee may be hand-stitching
liners. When a Riveter has completed a batch of their
handbag pieces, they ship them all to our flagship
location in Southern Pines, NC where our local Riveters
use them to assemble the final bags for sale online or in
our retail location.
This business model means that we (Lisa and
Cameron) are not the only business owners involved. R.
Riveter is not only providing mobile income to military
spouses coast to coast but we are empowering them
to be their own bosses – own their own businesses.
Why do our Riveters love being their own bosses? The
answer is different for every woman. You can read
more about our Riveters and their thoughts on being
a Riveter and business owner, in their own words, by
visiting http://www.rriveter.com/pages/meet-the-riveters.
M.E. MAG: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS?
Being a military spouse and living this lifestyle has
provided you with skills and experiences that
will arm and prepare you in the world of
business. Embrace your life as a military
spouse. Get creative! It’s easier to build a
career around your passions, than to try
and fit your passions into an existing job.
The first step is to discover what really
inspires you. If you do what you love you
won’t work a day in your life. Put together
a plan around that idea, and go for it. We both
agree the hardest part was taking the leap of faith.
Everyone will have advice and opinions, listen and take
it all in — but in the end it’s your idea — your dream.
You have to follow your own instincts.
20
MILITARY SPOUSE ENTREPRENEUR ALL IANCE
Some of the challenges military spouses face
while seeking traditional employment in-
clude multiple moves to new duty stations,
living overseas, supporting military members’
lengthy deployments, lack of childcare, under-em-
ployment or lack of employment opportunities, etc.
Feelings of career discouragement and frustration
are understandable.
While there is no easy solution to the challenges
military spouses face, there are options to increase job
satisfaction through self-employment and small busi-
ness ownership. More military spouses are starting
their own small businesses than ever before! Entre-
preneurship offers spouses flexibility of time, owner-
GREAT things happen
when GREAT organizations
come together for a GREAT reason.ship, increased tax incentives, portability, e-commerce
potential, and more.
Starting a small business is often intimidating, but
that doesn’t have to be the case. Initiating and growing
a business is not a solo mission. There are an abundance
of free resources available on and off post to veterans
and military spouses interested in starting or growing a
business venture.
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of
Veteran Business Development (OVBD) wants military
spouses to know that the services provided to veterans
are also available to spouses. This is one of the reasons
Barb Carson, OVBD Associate Administrator, is dedicat-
ed to the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Alliance (MSEA).
21
Founding MSEA Organizations Include: SBA’s Office of Veteran Business Development
(http://www.sba.gov/milspouse) OSD, Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities
(https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/Portal/Content/View/1494) Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)
(www.moaa.org) Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF)
(http://vets.syr.edu) The Rosie Network
(www.TheRosieNetwork.org)MSB New Media
(http://msbnewmedia.com) Military One Click
(www.militaryoneclick.com) Blue Star Families
(www.bluestarfam.org) U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hiring Our Heroes
(https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/hiring-our-heroes) Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC)
(www.vboc.org) The Milspo Project
(www.milspoproject.org) Sandboxx
(www.sandboxx.us) National Military Family Association
(www.militaryfamily.org)
GREAT things happen
when GREAT organizations
come together for a GREAT reason.
How to get involved? Access to Military Spouse
Entrepreneur Alliance (MSEA) resources is FREE and
membership not required. Still in the early stages of
development, a dedicated MSEA website can be found at
www.MSEA.us. Let us know what you’d like to see on
the site and how the MSEA can help you! Contact us at
[email protected] and make sure we keep you
IN THE KNOW.
Dear Rosie:
‘My husband and I are on orders in North Carolina, where I worked as an independent contractor part time. Do I have to pay North Carolina taxes on my income or do I file with my domicile state?’
Tripping over Taxes
Dear Tripping over Taxes,
Fear not, while the tax code is anything but simple, there have been some advancements made by the IRS in recognition of military spouse employment. For example, the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA), Public Law 111-97, addresses this issue and others. This act allows military spouses to file and pay income tax to the domiciliary state (your legal state of residence, even if it is different than your service member), rather than the state in which you are living on official military orders.
Just REMEMBER, I’m a Riveter – not an attorney – so, learn more here:
http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Misc%20Files/MilSpouseResReliefAct.pdf
ASK ROSIE!
“I am delighted to work with MSEA to create new
opportunities for professional development and
military family resilience through military spouse
entrepreneurship,” said Carson, who’s also a veteran
and military spouse. The MSEA demonstrates the
commitment of the U.S. Interagency, commercial, and
non-profit organizations to providing military spouses
with the tools and resources required to successfully
launch and grow small businesses.
22
DoD Examines Rules to Ease Restrictions
Defense Department officials are holding
a weekly working group to examine ways
to make it easier for military spouses to
operate small businesses out of their
on-base homes.
“We have to figure out how to enable military
spouses to be the entrepreneurs we know they are. In
this age of Etsy and Pinterest, now more than ever, we
need to remove barriers to the American spirit called
entrepreneurship,” Rosemary Williams, who oversees
military community and family policy for the DoD, told
Military.com in a statement.
Williams, who is assisting the working group, is
worried that while the DoD encourages military spous-
es to be creative and pursue employment and entrepre-
neurship, current rules tie the hands of those who live
ON-BASE MIL ITARY SPOUSE BUSINESSES
by Amy Bushatz
(reprinted with permission from Military.com)
23
on base by placing strict restrictions on what business-
es they can operate out of their housing.
Currently, military spouses who run any kind of
money-making business out of their on-base home are
required to register their business on base. Additional-
ly, the types of businesses allowed on each base vary
by location. For example, Fort Campbell, Kentucky,
specifically prohibits only animal breeding businesses,
while Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prohibits a variety of
businesses, including hair salons and personal training.
But the biggest barrier to operating a small busi-
ness in on-base housing, spouses say, comes from the
base Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) and local
exchange offices. Both MWR and the exchange are
permitted “first right of refusal” for any business look-
ing to run in government-owned buildings, including
on-base housing.
If a business causes a conflict with anything either
of those entities may operate, the application is likely
to be denied. For example, the exchange, by regulation,
is permitted to refuse any business that falls under 18
specific categories including “retail stores,” “mail order,
catalog and ecommerce services,” “photo studios” and
“barber and beauty shops.”
That means any spouse who operates a small busi-
ness selling hair bows online;
participates in one of the
wildly popular multi-level
marketing companies, such
as Scentsy; or runs a photo
business out of their home
could be denied their request
to operate. And that, Wil-
liams worries, could squash
spouses’ ability to start their own businesses.
Officials with the Army and Air Force Exchange
Service (AAFES) said they are participating in the
working group and will work with whatever new reg-
ulations may result from it.
“The Exchange is participating in a Department
of Defense working group that pertains to non-fed-
eral entity business operating on military installa-
tions,” Conner Hammett, a AAFES spokesman, said
in a statement. “The Exchange sets its policies in
accordance with DoD regulations; as a result, the
Exchange will align with any future policy changes
enacted by DoD regarding non-federal entity busi-
nesses or any other matter.”
Navy spouse and veteran Christina Landry has
experienced firsthand the problems operating a busi-
ness on base can bring. Although she had previously
received permission to operate her small business,
DumBell Fitness, in the housing common areas on Joint
Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, officials changed
their minds in early 2014. Instead, they demanded that
she either shut down operations or compete for an
official contract to continue, while giving MWR a cut of
the profits.
Landry, however, couldn’t afford to give MWR the
20 percent of her gross income that they required as
part of the bid process. And instead of winning the
contract, she was outbid by a different, non-military
spouse-owned local company. A protest is ongoing, and
in the meantime her company has moved the majority
of its fitness classes, which include babysitting for par-
ticipants’ children, to off-base locations, Landry said.
Landry, who said she is encouraged to hear about
the working group, believes the rules that keep spouses
from operating successful business on base amount to
DoD doubletalk.
“There’s this underlying tone that ‘we support mil-
itary spouse employment so long as you keep it under
the radar and it doesn’t draw attention to yourself and
it doesn’t get that successful,’” she said. “Don’t give us lip
service that you support us -- really support us,” she said.
–Amy Bushatz can be reached at [email protected].
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/01/06/dod-examines-rules-for-on-base-military-spouse-businesses.html
“In this age of Etsy and Pinterest,
now more than ever, we need to remove barriers to the American
spirit called entrepreneurship.”
24
Integrity, technical competency, leadership skills,
and the ability to get a job done under pressure.
Companies across the country place a high value on
the comprehensive skillset that veterans offer.
One corporation, in particular, appreciates
the value of a veteran and military spouse,
and continues to grow its commitment to the
military community through employment and
entrepreneurship opportunities.
“Veterans are problems solvers. And we’re a
solutions company,” said Frank Bisignano, Chairman
and CEO of First Data.
First Data, a global leader in the technology and
financial services industry, has developed a company-
wide strategy called First Data Salutes. Through First
Data Salutes, the company provides the military
community with access to career opportunities and
best-in-class education resources, while offering
premier business solutions to veteran-owned
businesses. On the employment front, First Data
now has more than 1,200 military-affiliated owner-
associates, and is actively seeking to hire more.
“In 2014, we established the Military and Veteran
Affairs team to further hone our focus on engaging the
military community through education, employment,
and entrepreneurship opportunities,” said Vivian
First Data Salutes Military Community
Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship
25
Greentree, Ph.D., SVP of the department. “What
we are doing is about so much more than jobs.
We’re doing well by doing good and staking out a
position to be an employer of choice for the military
community and the premier provider of business
solutions to military-owned businesses.”
First Data offers special pricing, promotions
and services to veteran entrepreneurs already in
business or trying to start. The company provides
a variety of solutions for small-to-medium-sized
businesses, including Clover® Station, Clover
Mobile and Clover Mini, next-generation business
management systems.
First Data’s commitment to the military
community continues to impress. In 2015, First
Data debuted at #18 on Military Times’ list of best
places to work for veterans and military spouses.
The company also is ranked #39 on G.I. Jobs
Magazine’s 2016 list of Top 100 Military Friendly
Employers and #9 on the Military Spouse Friendly
Employers List.
First Data partners with and participates in a
variety of national veteran-focused organizations
such as the Employer Support for the Guard and
Reserve (ESGR), winning its coveted Freedom
Award, and is a founding member of the Coalition
for Veteran Owned Business (CVOB). The company
also offers best-in-class education for veterans by
partnering with several major universities such as
the Institute for Veteran and Military Families at
Syracuse University.
Maybe most notable, the initiatives have
become a part of the company’s everyday culture.
First Data’s Military Affinity Group boasts more
than 500 members at eight active sites across the
country, participating in more than 50 events
in 2015. And, for the second year in a row, First
Data participated in Operation Honor Cards, a
Joining Forces initiative, sending over 18,000
handwritten letters of appreciation to our country’s
servicemembers, veterans and their families in an
effort to create greater connections between the
American public and our military population.
For more information about the First Data Salutes
program, or to match your skills with available
jobs, visit www.firstdatasalutes.com.
PROVIDING JOBS FOR VETERANS AND SPOUSES“My favorite part about being the ‘boss’ is being able
to provide jobs for military veterans and their spous-
es,” Rocky said. “Right now, our team is 100 percent
military spouses and veterans. Our first employee
was pregnant when her husband received orders to
another duty station. She still works for us remotely
and she’s able to work from home and also contribute
to their family’s income. That’s pretty cool for us and
we’re excited by it.”
Setting your own schedule is pretty cool too.
ADVICE FOR OTHER MILSPOUSE ENTREPRENEURSRocky encourages milspouses to seek out a net-
work of friends with positive attitudes and produc-
tive goals. She believes it is important to have a re-
source in life from which you can receive insight and
wisdom. Equally important, according to Rocky, is to
give back to others who can learn from their success
and failures.
“Service to this country is the reason that we and
those around us have the opportunity and privilege
to participate in and benefit from commerce,” Rocky
reasoned. “The same element of selflessness and ser-
vice that applies to being in the Armed Forces applies
to participating in commerce. Business is about the
bottom line, but the bottom line never comes before
doing the right thing, no matter the cost.”
That means doing right by vendors, clients, and
employees, at all times, regardless of the consequences.
Rocky and Patrick don’t view their business to be just
about them:
“Commerce must be viewed as a delicate, symbiotic
relationship whereby through mutual interaction we
all benefit,” said Rocky. “Go out and make a million dol-
lars. It’s not that hard, and if you start now you could
be there by next year with any business. But don’t
think you did it all on your own, and don’t keep it all
to yourself—take care of those who have taken care of
you, and mentor others to walk principled paths.”
The world would be a much better place if entre-
preneurs strove to do that more often.
“Never lose the lesson of selfless service,” says
Rocky. We couldn’t agree more.
Rocky’s Road (cont’d)
26
Besides the great weather and beautiful
beaches, San Diego is home to the nation’s
largest post 9/11 military population.
During the next 12 months, over 25,000
active-duty servicemen and women in San Diego
will transition out of the military; of those, approx-
imately 20% will seek to start their own business; a
population that The Rosie Network is well positioned
to assist in becoming successful entrepreneurs.
In the effort to shape San Diego’s next generation
of veteran and military spouse business owners and
leaders, two nonprofit organizations have joined
forces to provide the
first of its kind
entrepreneurial
mentorship and
training program
open to transitioning
veterans, wounded
warriors and military
spouses in Southern
California (SOCAL).
“Service2CEO takes veterans and military
spouses in the early stages of small business de-
velopment, provides them an office to work from,
onsite counseling, training and mentorship. All
the components needed to launch and grow these
small businesses right here in San Diego,” says
retired Rear Admiral Tom Brown (SEAL), The Rosie
Network, Board of Advsors.
Service2CEO is a collaborative effort between The Rosie
Network and San Diego Financial Literacy Center. Partici-
pants receive office space in the Military Entrepreneur
Development Center, financial counseling, training in busi-
ness plan development, IT and web support, legal assistance
and more help over a twelve-month period. The Military
Entrepreneur Development Center opened its doors in
January 2016 to veteran and military spouse business
owners and budding entrepreneurs in the San Diego area.
To learn more about Service2CEO and the Military En-
trepreneur Development Center, visit www.TheRosieNetwork.org/Service2CEO.
Service2CEO
27
Totally stoked! You finally got those orders
you’ve been waiting on and guess what?
You’re headed to beautiful San Diego. Great
weather, good schools, what is not to love!?
Oh right. Your CPA license! You just got it in Massa-
chusetts ($324 biennial) and now you’ve got to start the
costly, time consuming process all over again. Grrr…
why can’t more states just do the right thing by
military spouses and recognize that We
Serve Too!
Licensing and certification
challenges for military spouses
is gaining traction
at the DoD,
federal and
state level and
while changes
never happen
as quickly as we
might like – they
are happening.
Removing Licensure Hurdles for Military Spouses
For example, according to USA4 Military Families: 35
states have supporting endorsement policy or have
modified their license by endorsement, which allows
a state board or regulator to recognize active creden-
tials from another state to permit options that ac-
commodate gaps in employment for military spouses
with active licenses from another state.
43 states provide temporary licenses to allow a mil-
itary spouse with a current license to secure employ-
ment while completing state requirements that may be
substantially different from what was required by the
previous licensing state or while awaiting verification
of current license, certification or employment history
for an endorsement.
34 states have expedited procedures for regula-
tory department or board approval to provide the
opportunity for spouses to obtain an endorsed or
temporary license.
States can modify licensing requirements and
processes that impede military spouse’s employment
following a military move. To learn what your state is
doing to remove these and other barriers for veterans
and their families, visit www.USA4MilitaryFamilies.dod.mil. This site provides a very basic snapshot of each state
and its progress on 10 issues affecting
today’s military families from
licensure & legal representation
to family and child advocacy.
Other organizations are
pushing this issue on a state by
state basis – check out
www.MSJDN.org if you are a
military spouse attorney.
Service2CEO
28
https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/Portal https://www.sba.gov/ovbd
• Jan. 6 Series Kickoff and Overview of Programs and Services
• Feb. 3 Is Entrepreneurship for You? – Questions to Ask Yourself
• March 2 Business Plan Basics
• April 6 How to Finance Your Business
• May 4 Legal Structure and Legal and Tax Issues
• June 1
Success Stories – Tips From Successful Military Business Owners
• July 6 Marketing and Social Media for Small Businesses
• Aug. 3 Relocation of Your Business and Overseas Assistance
• Sept. 7 Government Contracting
• Oct. 5 Series Finale and Next Steps
Register here for the next webinar.
Make 2016 the year you start your own business. Join us the first Wednesday of each month to learn what it takes.
and have it move with you
HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESSAS A MILITARY SPOUSE
Web
inar
s in
201
6HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESSAS A MILITARY SPOUSE
29
Spring Forward
Earlier this year, Constant Contact and
SCORE San Diego presented a small business
marketing event that was jam packed with
learning, networking and resources at the
Scottish Rite Center in San Diego, California. San
Diego Small Business Administration District
Director, Ruben Garcia kicked off the event with a
welcome address emphasizing the importance of
marketing and staying relevant in the ever-changing
age of social media.
Attendees had the opportunity to choose from 6
fantastic seminar topics and network with 100’s of
area professionals to help grow their business. The
micro workshops featured Best Practices in Content
Marketing, Facebook Campaigns, How to Create Email
Newsletters, Managing Your Online Reputation, and
special topics on Financing Your Business.
As a resource partner, The Rosie Network
participated in the exhibitor pavilion where business
owners had the opportunity to talk one-on-one and
learn more about the services and programs TRN
provides to veteran and military spouse owned
businesses including: San Diego’s first Military
Entrepreneur Development Center, Service2CEO
and Rosie’s List. Learn more at www.therosienetwork.org,
#milbizrox, #RosiesList
The event concluded with a speaker panel “Q&A”
where marketing experts shared great tips and
techniques about how to leverage social media and
create impactful marketing campaigns and small
business owners had the opportunity to ask questions
related to their specific needs and challenges.
Israel Serna, Regional Development Director, Constant Contact manages all partner programs in the Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas regions. For future event information or to connect with an authorized local expert who can provide training and skills email: [email protected].
Move Your Business Ahead!
Stephanie Brown, Founder, and CEO of The Rosie Network, pictured with San Diego SBA District Director, Ruben Garcia.
30
Next Issue!Veterans and Milspouses in Agriculture“From the Battlefield to Plowing the Field”
Learn how an Air Force veteran went from an Iraq war surgery nurse to growing fruit, vegetables and raising chickens.
2014 Farm Bill is helping veterans buy farm animals and equipment through low-interest loans.
Read about a milspouse who raises goats for her all-natural skincare products.
Today’s Military Spouses
*2015 Military Family Lifestyle Survey (BSF)
Employment
Entrepreneurship
Education
Mental Health
40% vew employment as the top obstacle to financial stability
1 in 4are currently or have been self-employed
58% who are not employed, would like to be
48% are open to exploring entrepreneurship
55% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher
49% Military spouses experience mental health issues
75% felt military status had a negative impact on ability to pursue a career
Some of these stats won’t come as a surprise
to most military spouses out there who live
it every day. However, to understand why it
is so important that we as a nation not only
recognize the sacrifices to self and family that our
military spouses make, but take action to provide REAL
solutions, it helps to understand some facts behind our
“silent warriors.”
MILSPOUSE UN/UNDER EMPLOYMENT estimated
$1.2 BILLION
Societal Cost
* “Social Cost Analysis of the Unemployment and Underemployment of Military Spouses”.
31
Find thousands of veteran and military spouse-owned businesses on Rosie’s List (www.RosiesList.org).
Get your business in front of the 70 percent of Americans who prefer to patronize a Veteran-
Owned company today! Register your business on the nation’s largest nonprofit database of
‘verified’ veteran and military spouse-owned businesses in the countr. Free complete profile page.
Add a shopping cart feature at no cost. What are you waiting for?
32
Grow your business withFREE Clover® Mini or Clover MobileAs a veteran, you have drive, tenacity and discipline—traits that will make your business successful. First Data is proud to offer veterans and military spouses a variety of small business solutions designed to support your success.
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Learn more about First Data solutions for small business and our special offers for veterans and military spouses at firstdatapartners.com/veterans/?partner=rosie-network or by calling (855) 346-7107.
Limit one (1) Clover Station, Clover Mobile or Clover Mini option per client.
*With a current payment processing agreement. Offers available through participating processors only.
**Offers good for veterans and military spouses whose status has been validated by ID.me
***Free processing offer applies only to transactions processed on the Federal holiday of Veterans Day, 11/11/2016, between 12:01 AM Eastern Time and 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Rebate will appear on the merchant statement up to 60 days after it is applied, and will be given for qualifying transaction processing fees. Monthly processing fees, chargebacks, billbacks, fines, and disputed transactions are expressly excluded from rebate eligibility. Minimum processing fees may apply to this offer.
Clover, Perka and Payeezy offers begin on 12:01 AM Eastern Time 6/4/2016 and expire 11:59 PM Eastern Time 12/31/2016, and are subject to change without notice. Promotion may be not retroactively applied.
Clover, Perka and Payeezy offers cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Processing rate must be within Clover guideline. Matching of competitive rates that are below the Clover guideline will not be considered for this promotion.
© 2016 First Data Corporation. All trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. 219964 2016-06
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