Resources for Military Spouse Entrepreneurs
These Resources Can Help You As a Military Spouse Entrepreneur
As a military spouse, you may have had to put your initial career plans on hold due to military life. However, that doesn’t mean you have had to give up your goals altogether. Becoming an entrepreneur can be a way to take your job with you from location to location or allow for you and your spouse to have a plan for after military life. Whatever the reasons, becoming a military spouse entrepreneur can have many benefits.
By becoming an entrepreneur, you can be your own boss, have the potential for unlimited income, and make a living doing what you love. You can positively impact the world, take your work with you wherever you go, and choose who you will be working with.
The Rosie Network
The Rosie Network offers entrepreneurial programs and support services for active duty, veterans, and military spouses to help them realize the American dream of owning a small business. Their program, Service2CEO, is free and offers individualized small business training and a mentoring program. They also have Rosie Chapters for military spouses and Warrior Chapters for active duty and veterans.
DAV/Patriot Boot Camp
Patriot Boot Camp offers mentors, educational programming, and a community of experts and peers to help active duty service members, veterans, and military spouses innovate and build impactful businesses. They have both in-person and virtual events.
Bunker Labs
Bunker Labs provides community, programs, and courses to help military veterans and military spouses start as well as grow successful businesses and startups. They offer programs such business incubators for early-stage startups and growth-oriented small businesses for veterans, military spouses, and military family members.
The official site notes that this program changed in 2024, the year Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) acquired Bunker Labs. Together,” the site says, “we are more dedicated than ever to our shared mission of helping veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs alike launch and grow their own businesses.”
Small Business Administration Boots to Business Program
Boots to Business is a program offered by the SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration) as part of the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program. It offers entrepreneurial education and training for transitioning service members and their spouses and provides an overview of business ownership.
AMSE
AMSE, (the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs) is a global network for military spouse entrepreneurs. With AMSE, you can sign up as a member and have access to the AMSE Slack channel with over 1,700 members. They also have 15+ monthly digital and live events. The community works together to build ideas, brand collaborations, and to help you work on your businesses.
Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce
The Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce wants to ensure that all active duty, veteran, and military spouse business owners have the tools and resources that they need to strengthen their families, communities, and our economy.
Their membership is free and you can obtain Milspouse-Owned Enterprise Certification through it. You can also find a mentor, find a job board, and find tools, resources, and advocacy. The membership is for those considering starting a business, are already a business owner, work in the gig economy, are freelancers, are self-employed, have a side hustle, or consider themselves entrepreneurial.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning offers a collection of “expert-led” courses, and you can earn a certificate when you complete them. You will need LinkedIn Premium to access the courses, which you can get for free as a military spouse.
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About the author
Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.
