AMSE provides countless resources to entrepreneurs at any stage of their business journey. My perspective on entrepreneurship, especially as a woman, has been greatly influenced by AMSE founders Flossie and Moni Jefferson and the business they have created together.
Why should milspouse entrepreneurs hop on the AMSE train? AMSE provides countless resources to build their business the AMSE way!
Inspiring. Innovative. Resourceful.
My entrepreneur journey began with an idea, but I greatly needed other people to learn from and to help my idea grow and evolve. A military spouse referred me to AMSE and after joining, I knew I had found a community that supports military spouses and their entrepreneurial dreams.
One of the life-changing resources included is the private AMSE slack channel. This workspace allows military entrepreneurs to share and collaborate. In the #events channel within Slack, I learned about an amazing program called: Demystifying the Entrepreneurial Journey through Northeastern University directly from the co-founder Flossie Hall.
“This new Lifelong Learning: On Demand program will inspire you to take the next step on your path to entrepreneurship and empower you to become the business owner and innovator you want to be, in a way that’s right for you and your family.”
This course is one of the many resources AMSE recommends and is a must. As a new woman in business, it gave me insight into the business world; throughout the class, my confidence and knowledge base grew. My business mindset and know-how had already been growing with AMSE as my go-to for all my entrepreneurial needs. The course helped even more!
Walkthrough with me on how to apply both the AMSE way and knowledge learned in these modules to further develop as an entrepreneur.
Module One: Entrepreneurship is for Everyone: Ideation and Imposter Syndrome
The first module had me at the title. Entrepreneurship is for everyone. Totally the AMSE mindset! This module defines entrepreneurship and shares life lessons from real business owners. The lesson also addresses the common barriers women entrepreneurs face in the business world, and most importantly, how to overcome these obstacles. Yes!
The lesson not only discusses the issues but guides the entrepreneur to better develop a strong entrepreneur mindset, build confidence in oneself, and how to fake it till you make it. AMSE continuously promotes these ideals and lessons. My favorite way to practice this is during Group Coaching sessions and Master Classes, available as a premium member at AMSE. The best way to teach and learn is with others.
Module Two: Demystifying New Venture Creation and Raising Capital
How many entrepreneurs struggle with building the foundation of their business? How many people want to avoid the hard facts about the importance of managing finance? We have all been there.
This lesson focuses on preparing a business plan, marketing, and finance. At the same time, it addresses the struggles women face with raising capital.
As a new entrepreneur, I am always overwhelmed when discussing money. I tend to move on to a more interesting and less threatening topic. Not this time. After many months of utilizing the #advice channel in AMSE’s Slack workspace, I already felt more confident because I have asked the hard questions already to fellow milspouse entrepreneurs.
AMSE membership provides business templates to members to help develop their business. Some of my favorites are the templates that give entrepreneurs the framework to develop their mission, vision, and values. Combining the AMSE templates along with the resources from this course set my business up for success.
This module is crucial to anyone in business, especially female entrepreneurs. Understanding finance is vital for business success because women commonly face challenges due to difficulties accessing capital. This module prepares female entrepreneurs to tackle this obstacle and grow stronger. Knowledge is power!
Module Three: Building a Network for Success
A business plan is a very important part of establishing the foundation of a business, but the plan has no significance if a network does not exist or is not substantial. In this module, the lesson discussed three different types of networks: personal, operational, and strategic. I was captivated, especially with the many articles discussing how networking is different for women.
Building connections and relationships are my favorite part of entrepreneurship. This is why I am always so active on the AMSE Slack Channel, where I have already expanded my network exponentially. I enjoy reaching out to other entrepreneurs, to learn about each other, and from each other to better each of our business objectives. My favorite place to chat with fellow entrepreneurs is the #watercoolertalk channel. How fun is that?!
And fortunately, AMSE provides that networking, community, and support system. Most inspiring to me is the fact that women thrive even more when networking together. I have learned this by observing how well AMSE co-founders and other AMSE members collaborate and build each other up.
Definitely the AMSE way!
AMSE never ceases to amaze me with all the quality resources they provide their military spouse entrepreneurs. The Northeastern University course they shared was incredibly worthwhile, and I highly recommend attending this course for anyone that is an entrepreneur.
AMSE graciously introduced me to this program and I would never have known about this extremely beneficial course. The resources included in my AMSE membership, in addition to what I learned from Demystifying the Entrepreneurial Journey, have been a game-changer for me as an entrepreneur. Just another reason to become an AMSE member - the potential for education and resources is limitless!
Sign up for AMSE’s Free membership and learn more about Premium membership here. We cannot wait to meet you!
My name is Christina – Army wife, boy mom x 2, former full-time educator turned homeschooling teacher, lifestyle blogger, and military spouse entrepreneur. It’s a Military Life is a lifestyle blog for everyday military life – sharing lifestyle content, personal stories, collaboration opportunities, and military child resources. We are a supportive milso and vet networking community! My passion is writing about and for the military community, and it is such an amazing opportunity and a great honor to be an AMSE writer! Find me on Facebook (@itsamilitarylife & @christinaetchberger), Instagram (@itsamilitarylife, @itsamilitarychildlife & @christina_etchberger), and Twitter(@itsamil_life).
Websites: www.christinaetchberger.com & www.itsamilitarylife.com
