AMSE Partner Highlight: How Wise Advise + Assist Team is Bridging the Gap Between Milspouse Unemployment and Business Needs

When I sat down to talk to Laura Early, Chief Experience Officer and Co-founder of WISE Advise + Assist Team, I thought I knew all about this great organization and person. I have seen Laura at virtual events multiple times; I have heard about the WISE team for years now; the company is established in the virtual milspouse career world.

And yet...I learned even more.

WISE Advise + Assist Team is “a virtual team of military spouses, veteran spouses, and veterans who help small businesses fulfill their needs in public relations, business strategy, bookkeeping, digital marketing, web design, and more.” They have been helping these men and women bridge the gap between military life and employment for over 5 years.

Their approach is supportive to both their clients and their team members. 

They work with small businesses by analyzing their business needs, determining what skills or tasks can be outsourced, and pairing them with team members who can support those needs. By hiring a WISE team member, the business gains more time to work on their business.

WISE also benefits the military spouse or veteran spouse by offering him or her a flexible, remote position that matches their skill sets. Team members are contractors or traditional W-2 employees; they are able to work in an environment that supports them financially and in their careers.

Here are a few new and fun facts I learned from Laura about WISE, the partnership with AMSE, and more:

New Fact #1: WISE Advise + Assist Team was started in a Panera Bread restaurant.

Laura met Diana Jaquith, the other Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, 7 years ago when they both served as volunteers for a non-profit board. They sparked up a friendship and clicked immediately. The duo were both at crossroads in their careers, too. They went from having a weekly brunch to talking about this business venture where they could grow their specific skill sets into one business and opportunity for their community.  

And thus, WISE was born in a Panera bread over a soup and sandwich. 

The company has continued to grow every year, from 2 employees the first year to a company of contractors and employees of 33 (and recruiting!). Every person is a part of the team, regardless of their role or tax status. It is what works best for the employee and military spouse.

New Fact #2: They were remote before “remote was cool.” 

This business has always been virtual, one of the many benefits of employment here! Because of this, they were able to continue to grow and work during the pandemic. Laura did not that they found some challenges within their team. Members were now thrust into multiple roles of employee, teacher, mother, etc. WISE learned to be even more empathetic with the team and flexible to their needs. They only wished they could do more to help! 

New Fact #3: Moni, our CEO, once worked for WISE!

It’s true. Moni’s first career is in PR, and she did some PR work for clients at WISE. That is how she and Laura grew to know each other. She has also worked with Moni in various capacities over the years.

So when AMSE was launching and looking for partners, Laura knew that WISE Advise + Assist wanted to be one of those partners. Both organizations share the same mission to help milspouses in their careers. What better way than through collaboration together? 

As so many other milspouse entrepreneurs have pointed out, Laura wishes that AMSE had been around when she started her business. Diana had previous experience with launching a business, but it was all new to Laura. “AMSE is such a great benefit...to not have to start from zero, to have people to help and support and someone who knows what they are doing.”

New Fact #4: Take a closer look at their company name.

The “WISE” part of their name seems obvious. But what about “Advise + Assist?” This is a nod to the S Fab (Security Force Assistance Brigade) teams from the military. These are specialized teams formed to train, advise, assist, enable, and accompany operations. 

Check closely at their logo! There is more than meets the eye. The owl is indicative of something or someone wise. But there are hidden meanings in the owl that their graphic designer purposefully implemented. For example, the diamond is placed in the logo because “we are the diamonds in the rough.” Look for more and see what you find!

Final Fact: This team will continue to bridge the gap for military spouses.

No matter if WISE Advise + Assist Team is new to you or a name you recognize, we know that we will continue to hear about their great work in the military community for years to come. Whether you are a small business owner looking for some assistance or project management or a military spouse looking to build your remote career, there is a place for you at WISE.

For more information about WISE Advise + Assist Team, click here.

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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 Lead Editor at AMSE and a freelance writer. She has been featured on We 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.

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Creating Opportunities Collaboratively with Freedom Makers

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.

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Wellness for Successful Entrepreneurs: An Interview with Evie King of InDependent

There are many reasons why being a military Spouse entrepreneur has its perks. One of them is to be amongst other like-minded and like-hearted people. The other is having opportunities to collaborate in ways that can make huge impacts.  

Evie King of Independent is one of the many amazing partners that AMSE has had the opportunity to collaborate with. Not only does she wear multiple hats, but she is also a person who has a passion to build up military spouses with their abilities and inspire them to make change for themselves. 

She believes that is not always about what you have done, but what else you can do. 

She started with Independent as a community ambassador and has since taken on the roles of executive director and board vice president. She is passionate about military spouse wellness. She is also very passionate about making sure the leaders of the organization are taking care of their own health and wellness. 

She began her journey in finance working for a glass manufacturer. She absolutely enjoyed seeing the process of how glass was made. Although she did not continue in this career path once she became a military spouse, she sought out other opportunities to bring joy to her life. 

One of these ways was through her current employer and with Independent, gaining skills that she was able to market from her past experiences as a volunteer. 

Evie states that she enjoyed volunteering with organizations that truly believed in helping military spouses. She loves finding ways and feels it is critical to integrate self-care while becoming successful. 

When asked why Independent partnered with AMSE, Evie said it is because they understand the importance of wellness in being successful entrepreneurs. Although Independent approaches wellness from many different branches, two branches important to entrepreneurs focus on occupational and personal growth. 

“From an entrepreneurial standpoint, that is investing in your occupational and personal growth wellness...we want to be able to support all the areas of wellness.”

Evie says that she sees how AMSE truly wants to collaborate with organizations that may have strengths that are not in their wheelhouse. They are not afraid to ask for help. This is a true testament to how the members of the AMSE are as people. They believe in the value of building a community. 

“It made sense to partner together since we are both able to add value to military spouses.” 

When it comes to partnership and this type of community, it made sense to Evie to work with people who truly believe in serving military spouses while using the resources available and working together. That is what truly makes a partnership successful.

Building a business and becoming an entrepreneur can often be lonely and frustrating, especially when starting from scratch. One of the things that Evie wished she would have had was a group that already existed to provide a roadmap on how to start an organization. She wished that there was a support system from an organization like AMSE that valued the sharing of knowledge information. 

As a full volunteer organization dispersed globally, it can often be difficult to keep the camaraderie and foster relationships. Evie has made great use of online platforms like Slack to keep the flow of conversations consistent. They use separate channels for work conversations and non-work conversations.  She has implemented video meetings for a more personal connection and encourages the celebration of achievements. She feels it is very important to celebrate the small things in order to continue building each other up. Group efforts to promote and encourage each other's wellness are very impactful in this type of community. 

She works tirelessly on finding opportunities for individuals on the team to work together. She encourages her leadership to connect and work together.

One of the things that Eve would like to emphasize about Independent is that they love working with others who are passionate about serving military spouse wellness. They are always looking for others who want to volunteer. 

‘We want to create a space on the internet where spouses can come and know that we can speak to their needs.” 

Evie did give a piece of advice for those milspouse entrepreneurs looking to start a nonprofit: look to see if there is one already created that is similar to the one you want to start. Start-up nonprofits have a bigger barrier than small businesses do. Make sure you are not recreating the wheel. If it does exist, share your gift with them. Not many realize that you may be putting all of your efforts into running the business instead of your mission. Make sure that your mission is not being served elsewhere. 

For more info on Evie and InDependent, visit their website and learn more about how they can help you! You can also view the entire interview below.

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Annette is a military spouse of over 21 years, mother to two teenagers, and a veteran who served in the Army for over seventeen years as a Chemical officer including a deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. She retired and decided to trade in her boots for Converse sneakers to be able to make up for lost time with her children. Since her retirement, she has PCSd from Fort Polk, LA to Fairfax, VA to support her husband's military career. Her blog A Wild Ride Called Life™, LLC. incorporates stories from her post-military life. She shares how she lives life as being a mom and military spouse living with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Along with writing, she also hosts a podcast titled “The Truths We Hide” where she shares her story and also hosts guests who share theirs and offer advice to others to help them know that they are not alone.  

Annette is a mentor for veterans on Veterati and for military spouses on Ementor. She has a passion for volunteering and volunteers as a mentor for TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for children survivors, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Trauma Survivors Network. She has also been offered a volunteer position with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in which she will be teaching and speaking to college campuses across Northern Virginia and the DC area. 

You can check out more about Annette at the following: linktr.ee/a_wild_ride_called_life

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Support For Entrepreneurs - an Interview with Elizabeth Gore From Hello Alice

One important way to grow as a military spouse entrepreneur is to learn from other successful entrepreneurs. We’re especially lucky to hear from Elizabeth Gore, the Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice because she is in the business of supporting entrepreneurs. 

Hello Alice helps business owners launch and grow. They are a free resource that connects entrepreneurs to capital, resources, and networks. Their goal is to ensure all entrepreneurs, especially those in the military-connected community, have an opportunity to meet their visions.

Elizabeth worked with the United Nations for a decade before jumping into tech. She saw that when individuals had the ability to start their own businesses, no matter how small, they were able to change their lives and impact their communities. That observation inspired her to help as many people, especially women, start their own businesses through Hello Alice. 

Looking back at when she first started as an entrepreneur, Elizabeth wishes that she would have trusted herself to make decisions faster. From a technical standpoint, she wishes that she would have understood more about finance and accounting. 

Many entrepreneurs reach a point when it’s difficult to keep going due to burnout or setbacks. We have to find the one thing that keeps us going. For Elizabeth, that spark comes from Hello Alice’s community of business owners. Those entrepreneurs work hard in their companies, and their work inspires Elizabeth to work even harder. She shares, “My long-term career goal is to ensure my family is financially sound while making an impact. The two stinkers that are my kids motivate me to push forward.” 

The Hello Alice team and community believe that communication is more critical than ever in a virtual world. To foster connection, Elizabeth encourages a mashup of older practices and new technology. She says, “I push our team to go old school and pick up the phone more. We are big fans of Slack instead of email.”

Hello Alice partners with AMSE because Elizabeth is the proud daughter of a U.S. Air Force veteran turned entrepreneur.

“Military families are near and dear to my heart,” she states. Hello Alice has a special interest in supporting military-connected entrepreneurs, so partnering with AMSE was a natural fit. She further explains, “Developing a partnership with AMSE seemed like a great opportunity to broaden our reach with the military spouse community and provide the tools and resources for these founders to succeed.” Hello Alice values this partnership because AMSE “provides valuable insight on the needs of veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs.”

Elizabeth’s advice for military spouse entrepreneurs is, “Go for it! No matter where you are in the world because we live in a digitally connected time, launch and grow your business!” She also encourages entrepreneurs struggling during COVID-19 to find support at www.covid19businesscenter.com. 

If you’re looking to cut down on the noise so you can focus on what’s important to your business, be sure to set up your free account with Hello Alice. You’ll answer a few questions about yourself and your business to set up a personalized experience. Then you can plug into informative guides, location-based ecosystems, or supportive communities where you can find your people. You’ll even have opportunities to apply for grants. 

What do you wish you would have known when you started your business? What inspires you to keep going?

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As an AMSE member, you receive support not only from Moni and Flossie - there is an entire community of milspouse entrepreneurs here to cheer you on, offer advice, and collaborate with you to build your business. To learn more about membership and how to get started, please follow this link!

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For over 20 years, Kimberly Bacso has driven organizational success by leading educational and wellness initiatives. Highly skilled in creating digital content strategies, she’s grown communities with word-of-mouth, grassroots approach. She is a proud U.S. military spouse who has founded thriving brands, transformed struggling outreach efforts, and catalyzed a group of 150+ writers from the ground up within the health and wellness space. She is the managing editor of Legacy Magazine and an experienced registered yoga teacher. When she’s not working, you can find her trying new plant-based recipes or traveling off the beaten path with her husband and teenage daughter. 

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