Jenny Boyles knows the struggle to find employment after a career gap. She found herself with a huge hole in her resume after a 15-year hiatus from the workforce. As a military spouse and mother, she took the time to take care of her family and home; yet when she was ready to re-enter the workforce, that resume hole became a sticking point for employers.
So like many of us here at AMSE, Jenny started working for herself.
She signed up at Freedom Makers, a virtual organization that pairs military spouses and organizations for a variety of remote services and positions. Every person is a Freedom Maker and an independent contractor who can set his or her own hours and the type of work he or she prefers.
Freedom Makers benefits both the employee and the client.
A Freedom Maker is only limited by his or her time and commitment. Freedom Makers can turn down job opportunities and work as little or as much as they choose. This is a job that can be moved around the world or put on hold for life events (think a PCS, family changes, etc.). “As much as they want to work, we will find the opportunity for them,” Jenny stated. “Freedom Makers have freedom.”
A client is offered multiple candidates, chosen by the Freedom Makers team, and can select a candidate that is the right fit for their organization. Since these individuals are not W2 employees, the client is not required to pay for employee benefits like insurance or paid days off. Clients receive the assistance they need to offload tasks to a Freedom Maker who can focus solely on those tasks, allowing the client to work on bigger projects and tasks in their organization.
I was impressed that the organization does not look at resumes when hiring a Freedom Maker! As she pointed out, many military spouses have large gaps in theirs and have to find ways to explain them. No explanation necessary; Freedom Makers gets it. Instead, a candidate fills out an online profile to better assess their skills and qualifications. No dreaded resume submission!
Jenny started off as Freedom Maker herself in 2016 - she knows the benefit of working in this position personally.
Now, she fills the Marketing Manager and Sales position. She is also the Freedom Maker Success Manager, enabling her to assist military spouses just like her in achieving their career goals. AND she is an entrepreneur! Jenny owns her own VA business and credits her success to Freedom Makers. They gave her the tools and support to grow as much as she wanted as she built her business.
As an entrepreneur and Marketing Manager, Jenny was drawn to AMSE.
Both organizations share the same mission of supporting military spouses. Laura Renner, the founder of Freedom Makers, heard about AMSE through Flossie Hall, our COO, and through her own network of professionals. She asked Jenny to reach out, as this partnership was a natural fit to help military spouses on both ends - to start and to excel in their own businesses.
The best part of the partnership is that each organization compliments the other. Freedom Makers helps military spouses start on a career that is flexible to their lifestyle; AMSE helps military spouses build and sustain their business as budding entrepreneurs. There are so many resources from each organization to help you on your entrepreneurial journey!
What is in the future for Freedom Makers?
They were virtual already, but the pandemic caused a demand for virtual and remote workers. They currently have 140+ Freedom Makers right now and are always looking for more! Jenny pointed out that once a client sees the benefits of a remote, contracted virtual assistant, they are likely to continue hiring these workers. Freedom Makers wants to stay ahead of the demand and ensure that they can connect military spouses with clients with ease and efficiency.
If you are interested in Freedom Makers and their mission, visit their website to learn more. You can watch our full interview here as well!
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Rachel is the co-owner and editor of The Military Mom Collective. She has been an Air Force spouse for 17 years and is a mother of four children. She holds a BA in English and a MA in Management. When not busy with work or her family, she enjoys reading as many books as possible and drinking all the coffee.
Rachel is also the Copy Editor at AMSE and a freelance writer. She has been featured onWe Are The Mighty, Her View From Home, AMSE, The Beautifull Project,Hand-in-Hand QC, and other publications. She has been blogging for herself and other organizations for over 10 years. She is always trying to stay on top of SEO practices and loves using the power of experiences and storytelling to empower businesses and individuals.
