Instant Teams

My very first employment experience as a new military spouse and 6 weeks after college graduation was less than motivating. It pretty much aligns with every cliche mention of “I can’t find a job” lamented daily throughout the community. I was eager, fresh diploma, and 20K of debt in hand, ready to make my mark on the world. I still had no idea what I was doing as a military spouse. I was still not sure if I was suppose to return the salute at the gate or not and had missed the entrance to the “more store” for my first 6-7 trips to commissary leaving our pantry bare of chips and bottled water. This was before Facebook groups or non-profits or companies geared to assisting spouses (whoa, I know, like circa 2003 old school going on here), so I marched myself eager self into the ACS office, bound and determined to walk out with a career launching job. But instead left with an offer to pick up and drive around children who needed transportation to a local psychologists office. I was a 22 year old child development specialist with no experience so I must be good with kids…and driving? It was literally the ONLY job on the job board other than people looking for house cleaning or baby sitting services. Guess what? I scheduled the interview. If that was my outlet, I was going to be the best overqualified taxi driver for troubled kids there was. Interviewed for my first big, world changing job next to Anthony’s Pizza in the PX food court in Fort Rucker, AL. I was dressed to impressed while being interviewed by a lady in jeans and bedazzled tank top. They didn’t offer me the job. They were concerned with my over qualifications and short term commitment. I never even said anything about our timeline in the area but my husband was a flight school student and that said enough. The psychologist did call me back a week later to see if I’d like to come file paperwork as his office assistant had just quit. I politely declined.

When entrepreneurialism just runs through your veins…

I have had an entrepreneurial vein in my body for a long time. Perhaps my whole life. Looking back at every job I’ve held since I was 15, I always imagined taking it to a new level, being my own boss, improving the broken systems or horrific customer service I’d see around me. Dreaming of someday being that boss who actually cared and listened to the people on the front lines. Leading and inspiring, not just managing and dictating. This is hard to do anywhere. But in the stream of movement, deployments, unpredictable schedules, and stints of unplanned separations, this was a REALLY goal hard to build towards.

We moved to Germany in the fall of 2003 and I thought I had found my lifelong, happy military spouse career outlet in Army Child, Youth, and School Services. Perfect set up, right? There is one at every post. They have military spouse preferences. They are a part of the community and understand the lifestyle. There are opportunities for upward mobility, position advancements, and salary ranges. I could do this and I was going to work my way up to the top over the next 25 years. My goal was to be a part of the CYS Directorate team in DC (now located in San Antonio) by the time my husband retired. I was qualified, had sparkling references, and a wide open schedule. Sure thing, right? Nope. I had to drive 45 minutes one way and apply FIVE different times before I was even “on the list.” The response was always this, “The system did not recognize enough keywords in your resume to qualify for you for the candidate list.” WTF does that mean?!? (Sorry. Composure. Breath. That’s my 35 year reaction to the course of events. My 22 year old reaction was confusion, introverted panic attacks, and hives.) How was I ever suppose to get into this system? Get a job? A career? Make my own income to help support not only our future goals and dreams but just the financial demands of newlyweds drowning in school debt? I asked for help. Advice. Counsel. Nada. No one would tell me anything other than to try again. So I got crafty. I started to call the CPAC office and ask questions several times of day. I researched what I could on the internet. Someone tipped me off to a resume workshop on post, so I went. Want to know what I learned and what finally landed me the lowest job in the system JUST to get my foot in the door? This is what the academic counselor said, “Oh, you are trying to get into the NAF system? Just copy and paste all the paragraphs from the job description into your resume under the titles of the jobs you’ve held. That’ll get you in.” Yep. There you have it folks. Opportunity.

So I got in and worked myself from flex/temp staff to part time assistant to full time preschool lead to training and curriculum specialist to assistant director to director over the course of the next 10 years and 4 duty stations. I loved the mission of the job. I love the hundreds of children and families I was blessed to get to know. I loved the staff and colleagues who made each day worth showing up for but I DID NOT like the cap out. The looming cloud that blocked true opportunity and change. Once you get to a place where you COULD make a real difference, you see the chains binding the creativity, innovation, and humanity. That sounds harsh but it’s true. Not every post was so dismal in possibility, some were quite inspiring but that vein of “more”, that drive to create and inspire and innovate just wasn’t going to happen where I was. So I decided after baby #2 I wasn’t going to go back. We missed the double income. I missed the self-identity and hustle and bustle of daily challenges. I had NO idea when and where I’d re-enter the workforce but I just prayed and believed in what was ahead for me.

Where it all began….

We spent 18 glorious months in Monterey, CA (After 2.5 years at Fort Polk, I am sure most any place would have been impressive but Monterey Bay is truly a beautiful place!) and got to spend that time as neighbors again with dear friends from our assignment in Germany 10 years earlier. They invited us for dinner one night and asked me help a friend who was a veteran, former DustOff pilot, who had left active service, got his degree from Cornell, and move to San Francisco to start his own company. They needed a military spouse to lead a grassroots movement for marketing and community management.

Flash Bang, the Entrepreneurial Spark Was Strong

I immediately felt that little spark of entrepreneurial opportunity ignite and knew this was the space I was meant to be in. I didn’t know what shape this experience would continue to take or the long path it provided but I was all in. So for the past 4 years, I have continued to be a part of this company – now GuideOn. Watching something hatch, grow, and evolve is a career experience like no other. Knowing you’ve had a hand in something created from the ground up and being part of a team that believes in their purpose, product, and community is heart song material.

Last fall, I got an email from a veteran accelerator group and was introduced to another startup looking for a military community consultant. My husband was deployed. I was already working for GuideOn and my personal wellness business. I lost my mind and decided to train for a half marathon and I just didn’t think I could add this opportunity to my plate. But once again, it tugged at my heart strings. I loved the company value and mission and so I accepted! So once again, I’ve been in the ditches helping dig, mold, and carve out something for the military community that has been missing. I’ve helped them create a team of military spouse ambassadors from across the globe who lead local grassroots communities to build and spread the message of a sharing economy website that allows neighbors to buy, sell, and borrow from each other.

 A Business Is Born

After 4 years of working and consulting in the start up scene out in Silicon Valley, immersing myself in the new space of innovative technologies and ideas for the military community from a community partially removed from the active lifestyle – it was time to bring it all together. My career path up to this point meanders. There are gaps in employment due to babies, school, deployments. How did I end up here? I never stopped. I may have not been bringing in a paycheck at times. I may have spent days happily loving on sticky toddlers covered in mushed banana and sporting a top knot of 5 day old unwashed hair. But I never stopped knowing I wanted a place to give back, inspire, and succeed on a level that directly benefitted those around me. So early 2016, I couldn’t keep this idea in my head anymore. As I joined more and more military focused career groups, community meet ups, and met spouses through my business ventures the same phrase kept popping up over and over again, “There’s just no EASY way.”  I prayed. I stewed. I prayed some more. Amy and Liza kept popping up in the forefront as I imagined a team to help make this dream possible. I messaged them both one afternoon, very casually on Facebook, pitched the idea, and we set up a Zoom call to chat. Within 55 minutes into that call, we had a value proposition, a timeline for execution, and a marketing plan all drafted. No messing around. Military spouses know how to get IT DONE.

This summer has been a flurry of hustle, development, research, and travel. We just got back from a week long trip in Silicon Valley to firm up some business relationships, gather in some important customer development, and work with our start up accelerator, VetTech. We launch this coming Friday, August 26th, and I personally invite you into the MadSkills community by creating your profile and sharing your MadSkills with the world! It’s just the first step. The remote job opportunities and waves in norms of military spouse employment are about to launch too! We are a community built on trust, exceeding expectations, and success, so let’s show the world what we really can offer!!

Stay Humble. Hustle Hard.

Our Story