Instant Teams

Hi, I’m Diana. I have almost a decade of experience in digital marketing, website design,  and product management. I co-founded Wise Advise + Assist Team, a team of military spouse virtual assistants all over the world who help clients outsource any aspect of their business that they need help. From web design, bookkeeping, event planning, to digital marketing, we have a military spouse who can do it. When not working on Wise Advise, I enjoy working on my e-commerce shops, The Bizy Bunny and Lime Dot Shop. Before Wise Advise, I worked as a product manager for a software company. When not working, I like to volunteer around my military community and exercising with her husband, puppy, and son Henry! My favorite thing to do is go on a long hike and then drink a jumbo Slurpee.

What was your first move towards working in a remote capacity and/or becoming a military spouse entrepreneur?

Once I married my husband I started working remotely for a software service company. They were fantastic and incredibly flexible until about a year ago. I had to make the decision to move away from my family to continue working for them or find another flexible career. I had already started an online store, so working for myself was not foreign to me.

What is your definition of military spouses as an ‘untapped resource’?

I work with many military spouses. They are amazing. Each one has so much experience from their moving, their organizational skills, and their volunteering experience. When we hire for Wise Advise + Assist Team, we will get 60 to 70 resumes that are SHOCKINGLY ROBUST, with all of the applicants stating they can’t find consistent work in their local community, or that no one will hire them for the six months that they are at transitory locations. Having a team of military spouses who are eager to work, going above and beyond on each client has shown me how untapped and underutilized military spouses can be.

What would you tell other military spouses looking to start a professional career?

Don’t give up. Determine what you are good at and leverage it. Good at merchandise marketing? Pitch yourself to retail brands looking for brand ambassadors in the military community? Like bookkeeping? Take a course and go around to local businesses, getting to know them and setting up relationships that can go virtual.  Use resources like Madskills to get your resume out there!

If you were put on a panel involved in an initiative to improve military spouse employment opportunities and corporate awareness of the MadSkills that professional spouses bring to the workforce, what suggestions would you make?

Understanding military life is often the biggest challenge addressing military spouses. As the spouse, we are the primary parent. When dad is away in the field for three weeks, TDY for three months, or deployed, the burden of the household rides on us. When the kids get sick, or the A/C breaks, we have to be there for it. There is no one else in the background to shoulder the work because generally, we are in a location that is nowhere near family. My suggestion would be to work with military spouses to find them virtual positions that can provide your company value. What position of yours could someone accomplish no matter the location? It is a virtual world now. It is time to embrace it. That’s what I do as an employer, and military spouses have yet to let me down.

You can connect with Diana at linkedin@dianajaquith.