The military lifestyle builds strengths military spouses may not even know they have. Picking up and moving every three years, navigating single parenting during deployments, adjusting to different locales, people and duty stations are tasks military spouses take on every day.
These challenges may not reward a military spouse with certificates or degrees, but they teach skills. These are skills military spouses can leverage to build a career that travels with them.
Creative Business Ideas for the Military Spouse
Identifying and leveraging unique strengths and weaknesses can guide military spouses toward fulfilling and successful business ventures. Military spouses can explore building businesses that align with their personal attributes, interests and strengths.
Taking stock of personal strengths can inspire military spouse entrepreneurs to build businesses that travel with them. Take a career from place to place with these ideas featuring real-life MilSpouse businesses.
Fashion
Crane and Co Boutique is a military-spouse-founded online clothing shop. The founder, Amber Crane, knew fashion was her interest and a strength. She built her business by encouraging military spouses to recognize their individual beauty.
This boutique transfers to each new duty station with her. Amber does not have to set aside her career because of living the military spouse lifestyle.
Writing
Military spouse authors and writers just need laptops to harness their skills. By focusing on their passions, whether writing as a children’s book author, like Jessica Stremer, or diving into the self-published world like Katie Bonecutter, being a military spouse author is a job that can be done anywhere.
This is not limited to traditional authors either. From blogging to freelance writing, military spouse writers can move their careers wherever they go.
Handmade Goods
Handmade crafters and artisans can create no matter where the military takes them. Whether by hosting wine and paint nights to teach the neighbors to make beautiful creations or selling custom gifts on Spouse-ly, creative crafting MilSpouses put their talents on display by leaning into their interests. By selling their goods in the online marketplace, a brick-and-mortar store is not needed.
Digital Design
Spouses thrive in the digital publication realms. Whether they work in building websites, work as Virtual Assistants, or thrive in Human Resources, military spouses with technical backgrounds and expertise are not hindered by following their servicemembers around the world.
Real Estate and Home Organization
Selling real estate, offering personal organizing services, home daycare, babysitting and pet sitting are all needs military spouses can fill. These positions move with them to their next base or community.
It just takes recognizing strengths and weaknesses, leaning into talents and filling a need. There are many business ideas that utilize unique skills and transfer from place to place.
Steps to Find a Career as A Military Spouse
The first step for military spouses wanting to build a portable career is to assess their strengths and weaknesses. Next, they should take stock of their interests and pinpoint what they enjoy doing or making.
There are many resources like Military OneSource, the Small Business Administration and Career OneStop for business startup or employment options in that field of expertise. LinkedIn offers a free year of premium membership to military spouses. It is an active search database for jobs in a desired career. The platform is also a great spot to connect with other professionals who have built a business in the same niche.
Military Spouses Have Unique Career Opportunities
MilSpouse entrepreneurs use the strengths of being a military spouse to create careers that move with them. They take their creativity and give it direction. By following the desire to serve in their own ways, military spouse entrepreneurs allow the instability of military life to inspire creativity to achieve personal goals.
While the constant temporary cycle of military life may prevent traditional office-based careers from being realistic for military spouses, it provides the exact climate to bring out unique business and career opportunities that do mesh well with the often-chaotic military lifestyle.
Within the trials of military life, military spouses can find their career happy place. They can build businesses that not only thrive but also bring personal satisfaction and balance to their lives.