In previous LinkedIn articles, Employment Challenges as a Military Spouse Abroad: My Experience in Belgium and Flexible Work for Military Spouses, I shared my employment challenges with you. I want to take a step back and share a different part of my journey: my experience as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship has been both challenging and yet an alternative career path.

My entrepreneurial journey began in 2004 after our family moved from Jacksonville, FL to Hawaii, my sailor’s first assignment as a naval aviator. While searching for a job, I pursued a dream by registering a business–a dance studio. I have loved dancing since I started lessons at the age of three, training at studios across multiple states. A studio felt like the perfect way to feed my passion, with plans to teach in the evenings. But military life has other demands. Our first deployment shifted my focus, and sadly, that dream never moved beyond the registration paperwork from the state of Hawaii.

In 2007, we moved back to the mainland, settling in Virginia. Tired of the exhausting job search process, I decided to try entrepreneurship again. This time, I launched an S-Corporation e-commerce business from home, selling an all-in-one PC. I set up dropshipping agreements with two companies and offered a “PC 101” course for senior citizens at retirement communities, bringing demo units to spark interest. In 2008, I discovered the Military Spouse Business Association (MSBA) through an article in the Navy Times. I joined as a member to connect with other military spouse entrepreneurs in the area. I hoped to learn or share experiences. To my surprise, a co-founder invited me to join the board. I initially doubted myself, telling her I wasn’t the right fit, but she convinced me otherwise, and I began attending weekly meetings.

From 2008 to 2009, along with the MSBA board, I advocated for the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA), a bill that supported the entire military spouse community, not just entrepreneurs, by addressing residency challenges for voting and taxes. I did something I never thought I could: I called Senators and State Representatives nationwide to gain support. Thanks to the MSBA co-founders’ determination and a Facebook Coalition, the bill was signed into law. Between 2009 and 2010, I was voted in as Operations Director for MSBA, a role I loved. Connecting with and assisting military spouse entrepreneurs on their journey was fulfilling, and our motivated team expanded services to support their dreams.

During this time, our family moved to California, where we bought a foreclosed home that needed work. I became a “domestic engineer,” focusing on the house, and decided to close down the e-commerce business. In 2013, while job searching, I created a profile on Elance.com (now Upwork). That July, I applied for a gig and, after an introductory phone call, partnered with a service member to launch a Limited Liability Company (LLC) as co-members.  We signed an agreement outlining our roles, but by 2015, as he moved on to the next step in his career, he offered to turn the business over to me. I didn’t feel it was the right fit and closed the LLC. Meanwhile, MSBA was evolving, resulting in the birth of a second nonprofit, the Military Spouse Business Academy.

By 2019, before another move, I made the tough decision to close both MSBA and the Academy. I felt guilty. I contacted the original co-founders and let them know of the situation, and I apologized for my failure. I was burning out the board and the volunteers. I was also working full time and couldn’t devote the energy needed to maintain momentum. It was hard.

If you read my article, Referrals Lead to Business at Home, you know why and how I ended up an entrepreneur today.

Have you tried entrepreneurship as a military spouse? What challenges have you faced? What information or resources would or have helped you?

Originally published on LinkedIn on April 28, 2025. [Read it here]