2

When you use veteran and military spouse companies, or hire them, everyone

wins. Because they’re looking to build their future with you, and you’re looking

for top talent with integrity, leadership experience, advanced education and

technical know-how.

That’s why USAA has teamed up with some of America’s leading corporations to

we encourage organizations of all sizes to become a part of our mission by:

• Using veteran-owned companies

• Hiring veterans and military spouses

• Supporting local veteran organizations

• Encouraging others to do the same

Join us today and start creating success for your business and America’s

military families.

To learn more, contact supplier.diversity@usaa.com

Military Family Supplier Diversity

WHERE BUSINESS AND SERVICECREATE SUCCESS

To learn more, contact supplier.diversity@usaa.com

3

Message from our

FounderMilitary Spouses Serve Too!

Most service members will tell you that their spouses serve too. My mother was one of those spouses who gave up her career to follow my father and raise four children in the mil-itary. I remember her volunteering at my father’s command and in our community. She never complained, but as mili-tary spouse myself, I now recognize the sacrifice she made alongside my father for our country.

This issue highlights some pretty amazing military spouses from around the country. One went to medical school, but once married realized the challenge of a husband that de-ployed up to eight months out of the year and raising small children, did not bode well for a career in medicine. Her story is not unique.

Highlight:

a80% of military spouses ‘want or need’ to work

aCompared to their civilian counterparts, military spouses:

4 Hold higher levels of education

4 Are paid 28% less for the same job

4 Unemployment rate is 3x higher

*2015 Military Family Survey

Entrepreneurship is changing lives for our nation’s military spouses and more are gravitating towards this option than ever before. From lawyers to landscapers, architects to artists, the opportunities have never been greater. What’s really exciting is that more government agencies and private organizations are paying attention. The Department of Defense now hosts a monthly webinar for military spouses on the subject. The Small Business Administration’s Office of Veteran Business Development (OVBD), led by Barbara Carson – a military spouse herself – helped stand up the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Alliance. While the Coalition for Veteran Owned Business (CVOB) is working with The Ros-ie Network and USAA to establish a nationally recognized certification for businesses owned by military spouses.

These are all steps in the right direction and we are proud to be an integral part of these efforts.

We hope you enjoy the stories of just a few of the amazing military spouse entrepreneurs highlighted in this issue. We continue to be inspired by them every day.

Stephanie Brown Proud Military Spouse CEO & Founder, The Rosie Network

4

Featured Stories

10

16 14

12

8

5 18

Rocky’s Road

Carrying OnOne Busy Momma

One Stop Shop

Brew BossRepurposedServing Talent

5

One Busy ‘Momma’

Sunday meal prepping was Flossie Hall’s

answer to balance a busy life with a healthy

lifestyle. What started off as ritual to stock

up on nutritious meals for her family quickly

flourished into a successful entrepreneurial venture.

A Navy spouse and 33-year-old mother of four,

Flossie is the “Momma” in Healthy Momma, a meal

preparation service to help families with a busy

schedule continue to eat healthy.

Like many moms, Flossie struggled to lose the

pregnancy weight she had gained with four kids. At

one point, this petite mom weighed 215 pounds. She

decided to ease her family into healthy eating and

staying active. On Sundays, she would prepare her

families meals for the entire week.

Mother of Four Turns

Meal Prep Into Thriving

Small Business

6

training exercises or deployments.”

Managing to wear all the hats in the family as well

as a company can be very challenging and stressful.

Flossie says you have to depend on a strong network of

friends and fellow military spouses to help carry you

through the long days. Her advice?

“Lean on your community for support and

resources,” Flossie recommends. “Resources like the

Rosie Network were created to help us be successful.

Reach out to fellow entrepreneurs for information and

guidance and always be willing to lend a hand and

expertise when needed.”

Flossie believes that being a military spouse

has prepared her for entrepreneurship because

the military lifestyle creates a strong sense of self

and resilience. Spouses are continuously having to

adapt to new jobs, schools, deployment and training

schedules. Two to three years later, Rinse and Repeat.

Just like being a military spouse, every day presents

“By preparing the week’s meals on Sunday,” Flossie

explains, “whether it was breakfast, lunch and dinner,

my family was able to reach into the frig and just grab

and go. They had no excuse not to stay on track.”

Flossie decided to start a Facebook page to help

motivate herself, friends & family to take similar

steps. The page grew to reach over 100k per week!

She soon had friends asking her to help them meal

prep and before she knew it, people were paying her

for her services. Within nine months, Flossie went

from a side job in her kitchen on Sundays for friends,

to preparing several thousand meals a week in a

commercial kitchen.

TURNING A PASSION INTO PROFITSFlossie quickly realized the need for quality home

cooked food for busy families wanting to eat healthy

at a reasonable price. Healthy Momma was founded to

provide that solution. Her passion and commitment to

helping families by providing great tasting, affordable

and healthy meals is what makes her truly successful.

Healthy Momma meals are offered at $3 to $7 per meal,

making them similar in cost to purchasing groceries

yourself and cooking at home.

“When you make healthy food affordable accessible,

you open up the possibilities for people to enjoy a

healthy lifestyle, feed themselves and their families

without breaking the bank,” said Flossie.

JUGGLING FAMILY, DEPLOYMENTS & A BUSINESSEntrepreneurship was not always Flossie’s goal, in

fact, she has a BA in psychology and a BS in Biology

(with honors) and spent ten years working toward

medical school to become a doctor. Life has a funny

way of throwing you a curve-ball and hers came in the

form of a handsome man in uniform (sound familiar?).

Like most military spouses, her greatest challenge

has been juggling the schedules of her four kids – one

in high school, middle, elementary and preschool –

with the demands of frequent deployments, while

managing a rapidly growing company.

“Any working mom knows how hard it is to juggle

our kids schedule,” she said, “but being a military

spouse also means having do it alone at times due to

Healthy Momma (cont’d)

7

new challenges. Her approach is to view each

challenge in a logical way and say, “okay, now how

do we fix this?”

“Life will always throw you curveballs,” Flossie said.

“How well you learn to swerve is the key to success.”

BIG PLANS FOR HEALTHY MOMMADon’t be surprised to see a Healthy Momma

location near you some day soon. Plans are in place to

expand nationwide. A welcoming place where people

can stop in for fresh, healthy and affordable food or

order a week’s worth of meals to be delivered to their

front door. Meals like turkey meatloaf, broccoli and

quinoa or stuffed sweet potatoes (a customer favorite).

Flossie changes the menu frequently and pays special

attention to meals just for kids.

This doesn’t happen if you don’t have a product

or service that people love and a strategic plan to get

there. And if Healthy Momma’s growth over the last

year is any indication, she has clearly created a recipe

for success. (www.RosiesList.org/Healthy-Momma)Flossie Hall turned her personal call to action into a profitable venture by making healthy food accessible.

Giving back to the military, veterans, and hiring them is important to Bottle

Breacher as a business. Bottle Breacher is veteran owned and operated, with a

25% veteran hire rate. We feel strongly about giving back to those who have

sacrificed by supporting nonprofits that give back to veterans and active duty

soldiers, including Wishes for Warriors and Eagle Fund.

Wishes for Warriors goal is to make Veterans dreams a REALITY. They are dedicated to returning the good vibrations back into the lives of our

combat wounded heroes. They do this through therapeutic outdoor retreats, af-

ter experiencing a life altering injury. Their mission is to show

veterans that whether wounded of body or mind,

they are still able to live out their

dreams and passions.

The Eagle Fund is a program developed as a partnership with the Andrews Research &

Education Foundation (AREF) and EXOS, world

leaders in sports medicine and human perfor-

mance. This program exists for the purpose

of supporting active duty wounded/injured members of the

Special Operations community. The primary goal of Eagle Fund is to get

participants back to the fight, and at the very least, improve their

overall quality of life.

The Eagle Fund Breacher and Wishes for Warriors Breacher

are available for purchase at www.bottlebreacher.com.

When you purchase a

Wishes for Warriors or

Eagle Fund Bottle Breacher,

we give 100% of the

proceeds back to the

nonprofits.

Bottle Breacher

8

Growing a start-up busi-

ness while working

full time is no

easy feat.

Military spouse

Steve Craig has to

give up weekends

with his family and

work long nights, but it’s

worth the effort to meld his

passion for online commerce

and entrepreneurial drive

with a favorite hobby of his—home brewing.

In 2014 Craig founded Hop Goblin (www.RosiesList.org/Hop-Goblin), a small home brewing

supply business that provides quality ingredients

and equipment for the home brewing enthusiast

including both beer and wine making products.

He was introduced to home brewing in 2011 and

worked for one of the top home brewing suppliers. In

late 2012 and early 2013, he worked on the merger of

the top two homebrew supply companies, and his ex-

perience with this created his foundation in the brew-

ing space that he would unknowingly leverage a little

over a year later.

Craig had always wanted to own his own business.

When he became unemployed in 2014, he figured with

his education and background in Information Technol-

PROFILESteve Craig, Hop Goblin

Stationed in Warren, Michigan where his wife, Karen,

serves as a Major Logistics Officer in the Army National

Guard. Karen originally joined the Navy back in mid 80’s

and then joined the National Guard in 2001. She has had one

deployment to Iraq and they have an 11-year-old daughter.

Brew BossMilspouse Taps Into Passion for Craft Beer

ogy it was a good time to leverage his web commerce

background and combine it with his interest in home

brewing. The home brewing market was on the rise

and after being mentored by some keen venture capi-

talists and entrepreneurs, he felt the timing was right

to give it a go and created Hop Goblin.

Craig’s greatest challenge has been managing his

startup while maintaining a full-time job. As Hop Gob-

lin does not bring in enough income to quit a full time

job, he often has to dedicate many weekend and late

9

Awards will be given in the following categories:

Military Spouse-Owned Small Business

Veteran-Owned Small Business

Military Family-Owned Small Business

evening hours to keep Hop Goblin growing. His goal is

to hire staff to meet the expanding needs of Hop Goblin

as soon as revenue allows, but in the meantime it’s a

difficult balance and requires creativity to take care of

his customers – even when he’s not available. He can’t

typically take customer calls on his toll-free phone line

during normal business hours, so he uses a voicemail

service to take messages and assure his customers that

he’ll respond.

But it seems to be worth it.

“There is honestly something

therapeutic in knowing the

products you have curated, sold,

picked, packed and shipping for

customers with your own two

hands,” Craig said.

Craig believes that you reap

what you sow. He enjoys spend-

ing long hours writing web copy

and researching best practices to stay relevant to online

consumers. When asked about advice he would give to

his fellow military entrepreneurs Craig shared:

“There are a lot of services for military entrepre-

neurs, seek these out and use them. SCORE and The

Rosie Network are two services that have really helped

me get things rolling.”

“Do your research, bounce ideas off your friends

and loved ones – they often have the more honest and

unfiltered feedback you should listen too,” Craig added.

“Make sure you have the capitol to

launch such an endeavor. Business

loans should not be the first lever

you pull to launch your business.

There are far more people and com-

panies willing to spend your hard

earned capitol then there are people/

companies willing to partner and

help convert customers with sales.”

Recognizing our nation’s outstanding military

entrepreneurs is just one way to raise awareness and put our Veterans and Spouses in the Spotlight!

The Rosie Network’s mission is to promote our nation’s military small business owners. With that in mind we are proud to announce the launch of the Military

Entrepreneurs of Year Awards.

These awards are our way of recognizing the men and women “behind the counter” who have served our country and continue to contribute to our nation as small business owners and employers. Join Team Rosie as we celebrate our fearless military spouse, veteran and military family small business entrepreneurs as they pave the way!

Awardees will be featured on the cover of M.E. MAG Winter 2016 special edition, receive a financial grant and be recognized as Military Entrepreneurs of the Year on The Rosie Network website and social media.

To nominate a business (your own or your favorite military entrepreneur) visit our website at www.TheRosieNetwork.org/MEOY and simply complete the application, VOTE and SHARE! It’s free and you can nominate more than one business!

Each nominee must be a registered and verified member business on Rosie’s List http://therosienetwork.org/register. There is no cost to join or create a profile on Rosie’s List. Winners will be announced by October 15, 2016.

To learn more and view Military Entrepreneurs of the Year Awards Rules & Regulations, please visit www.TheRosieNetwork.org/MEOY

10

Meet Dave and Sharon Gran, a Marine

Corps veteran and spouse with more

than 20 years of service. To say they are

familiar with the joys and frustrations

of PCS moves would be an understatement. After one

particularly challenging move from Stuttgart, Germany

to Northern Virginia in 2000, the Gran’s decided to

build an online resource for military families to assist

in the daunting task of frequent moves. So they

launched MilitaryByOwner — a “one stop shop” for all

things military move related.

“The goal was (and still is) to connect military

families moving base to base,” said Sharon Gran. “When

a military family is faced with a PCS move, all the

resources that are available to them are in one place.”

Homeowners, real estate agents and property

MILITARY BY OWNER

One Stop Shop for Military Moving

“We have been using MBO since 2006

and have ALWAYS had immediate

responses and have been extremely

happy and grateful for MBO. We have

been overseas and have had virtually

no issues with this service. We have

been back stateside and continue

to use it because there is nothing

better! Truly fantastic! Thanks MBO!”

“Searching for Apartments in our

price range on the open Internet

left us disgruntled and frustrated.

We tried MilitaryByOwner and found

an apartment in a price point and

location that we wanted - veteran

to veteran. The search parameters

made it easy to find exactly what we

needed.” (RosiesList.org/MilitaryByOwner)

Here’s what some happy customers have to say about MilitaryByOwner:

11

managers advertise homes located near military

bases on MilitaryByOwner. When a military family

is faced with a PCS, being able to view homes (land,

new construction, existing) whether it is a for sale by

owner, listed with a real estate agent or a property

manager, is enormously helpful. Knowing you

are getting it from a trusted source is pretty much

priceless.

Listing available properties is only one part

of what MilitaryByOwner provides to help ease

the stress of moving. The site offers a wealth of

knowledge about the area, schools, and what other

military families have to say. Check out their blog

posts to get help with everything from starting a

business on base, to resources available for military

spouses seeking employment.

“What makes MilitaryByOwner unique is that

we know the target market because we are the

target market,” said Sharon. “Over 80 percent of our

employees are either active duty spouses, dependents

or retired from the military.”

Developing an online resource is not easy. Not if

you want to stay relevant. Keeping abreast with the

fast moving world of technology is their greatest

challenge, according to Sharon, and since the

majority of us today use our smart phones or other

mobile devices to shop, learn and socialize on the

internet, having a mobile friendly website is critical.

It helps if you offer an easy to use mobile app too

— something that MilitaryByOwner does, making

it a cinch to use while checking out homes and

neighborhoods.

“The military prepares you with a variety of

skills that can easily translate to owning your own

business,” said Sharon. “Start with a set of goals, listen

to your audience and always be prepared to tweak

the plan to achieve those goals.”

Successful businesses begin by solving a problem,

and while frequent PCS moves during your military

service is not likely to be solved any time soon, it is

nice to know that MilitaryByOwner understands

the challenge and has created a value-added service.

Keeping your customers is equally important and

having a staff that has ‘walked in PCS shoes and

works with military bases’ sets MilitaryByOwner

apart from its competitors.

Strengthen your outcome

-Strategy & Operations -Education & Development -Research & Analysis -Turnaround & Reorganization

(312)709-4990 Strong-oak.com

Operating with high-level stake holders to solve complex business

problems and improve performance.

How can we help you?

https://streetshares.com/

12

Taking the Principled

Path Pays off for Gun Gurus

Rocky’s Road

13

The business has come a very long way since open-

ing in 2011, selling firearms from our kitchen table to

friends, family, and co-workers in Fairbanks, Alaska.

“We sold all sorts of firearms at that time, only focus-

ing on the AR-15 after moving to North Carolina in 2013,

responding to local demand,” Rocky reminisced. “When

our website launched in January 2015, it propelled us

to a new level of exposure, though we were not at all

focused on the wholesale market.”

In March 2015, a friend who was the purchasing

officer for a large OEM reached out to Rocky and Patrick,

asking them to help fill a gap in their production. They

did, and the rest is history.

“I joke about the potential that ‘could have been’ if I

had stayed in Corporate America, but now I truly un-

derstand that my success is not dependent on circum-

stance,” said Rocky. “I believe that you will either be

happy or you won’t. Life is about decisions and the same

is true for success.”

ROCKY’S GOALS “One of my short term goals is to get our company

on the Inc. 5000 List of growing businesses,” Rocky said.

“Our business is constantly innovating/changing to

meet the needs of our clients, so it is tough to nail down

exactly where we will be a year from now. However,

we have built a warehouse about 20 minutes from Fort

Bragg, and will operate from there through at least the

rest of 2016.”

THE CHALLENGE OF FUNDINGMost banks are prohibited from

lending to firearms companies, which

didn’t make it easy for this entrepre-

neurial couple in the early days

“My husband and I really had to

believe in our business plan, forsake

a quality of life enjoyed by our peers,

and invest EVERYTHING we had

toward the business” Rocky explained.

“Running a cash business has slowed

our growth, but it also has rewarding

benefits, and we’ve never looked back.”

About Critical Capabilities

Critical Capabilities’ core business is AR-15 parts

provision for large, original-equipment manufacturers

(OEMs) in the firearms industry. What that means is

that when you walk into any gun shop across this

country, the AR15s that you see on the wall probably

have one, two, or maybe a half-dozen of our parts on

them. Critical Capabilities manufactures these parts

via contract manufacturing through a network of about

three dozen machine shops and sell these parts unmarked

and without a brand, allowing any manufacturer in the

industry to use their parts.

When most people meet Rocky Harri-

son, their first thought is probably not

firearms. But this former Ms. Alaska

knows her guns and how to operate

one like a pro.

She and her husband Patrick, a U.S. Military Acade-

my grad and Army special operations officer, own Criti-

cal Capabilities, an AR-15 parts manufacturing company

and e-commerce website (www.unbrandedAR.com), which

sells firearm parts to original equipment manufacturers

(OEM), dealers and retail clients.

Rocky’s career began like many other military spous-

es: in the corporate world. When she met her husband,

she was managing employees through a Leadership De-

velopment Program at AT&T Corporate and was under-

standably nervous about sacrificing what she considered

her dream job for the unknown military lifestyle.

No sooner had they tied the knot when the new-

lyweds received PCS orders to Alaska and spent their

honeymoon on the drive up the Alcan Highway.

Fast forward to January of this year. Rocky returned

to an empty home in Fayetteville, NC from SHOT Show

in Las Vegas, the largest firearms and outdoor trade

show in the world with more than 1,600 exhibitors and

62,000 industry professionals in attendance. Her hus-

band was finishing up a six-month deployment in Af-

ghanistan. While he was overseas, she was overseeing

the production, assembly and distribution of more than

12,000 backordered AR-15 lower parts kits.

(cont’d on page 25)

14

Crafted by Kim started out as a furniture

repurposing business founded by military

spouse Kim Spaulding to balance saving

money with having nice things for her home.

It quickly evolved into a reclaimed wood sign and art

business after she sent her National Guard husband a

“Kentucky” sign so that he would have a little piece of

home during his second deployment.

Crafted by Kim has now found her niche in orders

Milspouse Discovers Her Dreams Amid Reclaimed Remnants

REPURPOSED

Crafted By Kimfor weddings and families. Her products are all made

with a commitment to the environment and utilize

only reclaimed wood found in places such as old tobac-

co barns and farms.

Kim is a military spouse who found herself in the

all-too-familiar position of having a hard time keeping

her career going through the multiple moves required

for her husband. She was working full-time, but not in

the field she had studied for.

15

“After receiving my master’s degree in health

education and not using it in my current job,” said

Kim, “there was a sense of identity loss. Starting

my business and becoming an entrepreneur with a

cause became my identity.”

A new mom, Kim says she hopes to show her

daughter that she can also follow her dreams.

Her greatest challenge was managing the

growing demand while working full time. But

despite the hardship, it helped demonstrate her

dedication. Another challenge she faced was

loneliness while her husband was deployed. She

found comfort in networking with other military

spouses, as well as getting a dog (who became her

Crafted by Kim mascot).

Being her own boss has its perks, but it also

takes a lot of discipline. It allows her to set her own

goals, work a flexible schedule while raising her

family, and give back to military spouses, which she

does through the Rosie Network.

“During both deployments I found it hard to

find resources and support for spouses,” Kim said.

“I want to do something to change that. Milspous-

es serve just as much as the servicemen but are

often overlooked.”

Her advice to other military spouses is to figure

out what you love to do and decide what direction

that will take your business. For Kim, it was art, and

she used all available resources such as The Rosie

Network, local small business offices and other

entrepreneurs in her field.

“Start small, test out the market and most defi-

nitely find a mentor!” Kim said. She also emphasized

the importance of taking care of you first and all the

rest will fall

into place.

“The future is

bright for Crafted

by Kim and I hope

to have income

regardless of

where we end up

and continue to

give back to military

spouses,” said Kim. www.RosiesList.org/CraftedbyKim

visitwww.ledbetterphotographysd.com

or www.facebook.com/ledbetterphotography

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Military Special

16

Military Spouse StyleS

erving Talent is a full-service recruiting

agency focused on actively placing

professional military and government spouses

with employers who appreciate their unique

talents and abilities.

Maggie Varona co-founded the company in 2015

with Marcelle Yeager, a State Department spouse who

had experienced many of the same challenges that

military spouses face. They both knew that military

and government spouses represent an incredible talent

pool that is overlooked by many employers. Togeth-

er, they decided that not only could they help these

immensely qualified spouses, but could also provide

incredible value to employers.

“We are on a mission to put one of our nation’s

greatest and most underutilized resources – our mili-

tary and government spouses - to work,” Maggie said.

Maggie is a mom of three young boys, a CPA, a

business owner and a Navy spouse. They have moved

SERVING TALENT

“We are on a mission to put one of our nation’s greatest and most underutilized resources – our military and government spouses - to work.”

Maggie VaronaCo-founder, Serving Talent

17

six times and endured countless deployments over

the past 13 years. Her biggest challenge has been, and

continues to be, explaining the transient military and

government life to employers and communicating just

how incredibly talented and educated our military

spouses are!

“To be sure, military spouses do not have tra-

ditional resumes,” Maggie stated. “However,

every single one knows how to solve

problems, think outside the box, get along

with others and, generally speaking,

make it work.”

She believes that many outside the

military community just don’t understand

the lives of military spouses and that, “it doesn’t nec-

essarily occur to employers just how valuable these

individuals can be to their companies.”

MILITARY SPOUSES ARE A SOLUTION TO EMPLOYERSMaggie loves helping employers understand that

spouses are not a problem to be solved but the solution

to all of their employment problems:

“We help employers make the connection that mil-

itary spouses encompass the skills that they value so

highly and are hard to teach – loyalty, empathy, cre-

ativity, motivation.”

To overcome this communication challenge, Serving

Talent connects with as many employers and military

focused organizations as possible, such as the Na-

tional Military Family Association and the Mili-

tary Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP).

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS ABOUT SOLVING PROBLEMSMaggie isn’t sure anyone ever really feels

fully equipped to be an entrepreneur - at

least she didn’t! However, after over a decade of

seeing super-qualified and educated military

spouses struggle to find a stable career amidst a

sea of crazy life changes, she decided that something

needed to be done to help.

Managing all of the chaos that comes with military

life made Maggie feel like she could handle anything

her new business might throw her way.

“In the end, entrepreneurship is all about solving

problems and goodness knows military spouses can do

that with their eyes closed!” Maggie emphasized.

To reach Maggie at Serving Talent, visit

www.RosiesList.org/servingtalent.

18

If you are like most entrepreneurs, you love Shark

Tank! If you are a military spouse entrepreneur,

you really loved watching Lisa & Cameron,

founders of R. Riveter walk away with the money

on Shark Tank this season! We hope you enjoy our

interview with Lisa, spouse of an Army Ranger and co-

founder of R. Riveter – Bags with a Mission.

M.E. MAG: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF & YOUR LIFE AS A MILSPOUSE As military spouses, we both have moved

several times throughout our marriages. Watching

your husband serve is a humbling and inspirational

experience, and made us realize we needed to create a

company that would allow us to serve in our own way. 

 I met my husband, Jason, while in college; we

dated long distance from North Dakota to New

York (surprisingly a great way to prep for a future

deployments). After graduating college, we had a fairy

tale military wedding and then moved to our first

duty station at Ft. Benning, Georgia. I didn’t know

much about the military lifestyle, so it was an eye

opener when I made four cross country moves by

the time I was 24. In 2010, we moved to Dahlonega,

Georgia where my husband was a Ranger Instructor

R. Riveter was born in an attic with a few scraps of material and a vintage sewing machine

Bags on a Mission“ Th e first step is to discover

what really inspires you.”

19

at 5th RTB. I experienced first-hand the difficulty of

finding employment in the local area as a military

spouse. That’s when I met Cameron and the idea for

R. Riveter began.

M.E. MAG: WHAT ABOUT YOUR SERVICE DO YOU FEEL EQUIPPED YOU TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR

Nothing can prepare you to become a military

spouse but eventually… you adapt. From the

outside,this lifestyle appears difficult but, it has also

bred some of the strongest and most resilient women

our generation has ever seen. The passion, creativity,

drive and sense of purpose that is learned as a military

spouse is, in our opinions, the secret recipe for a

successful entrepreneur. 

M.E. MAG: TELL US ABOUT R. RIVETER, HOW YOU STARTED AND WHERE YOU’RE HEADED

 R. Riveter was born in an attic with a few

scraps of material and a vintage sewing machine.

Together, we were going to achieve something

unique; something no company had ever done

before. We were going to provide military spouses

with the opportunity to work from home and take

their job with them wherever they go. We chose

a product that embodied our ideals. Handbags

were not only an accessory that women could

support and identify with, on a personal level, but

handbags also had many parts and pieces that the

creation could be outsourced to military spouses

across the country. It was an opportunity to

embrace our lives in the military and build

an empowering community from the

ground up. What better cultural icon is

there to name a company like this than

after Rosie the Riveter.

M.E. MAG: WE COOULDN’T AGREE MORE! WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGES & HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME THEM?

 Owning a business isn’t easy. We face challenges

and obstacles each and every single day. However, we

choose not to let the challenges define us. They are

not what is important; it’s how we tackled obstacles

that makes R. Riveter so unique. Many of the aspects of

military life have proven to be a challenge as well as an

opportunity.  The moves that once prevented us from

having a sustainable career have now opened up the

doors to our business venture.  

M.E. MAG: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING YOUR OWN BOSS? The way our manufacturing process works is that

each Riveter has a role to play. One Riveter in Colorado

may be cutting and hand-stamping leather, while

another Riveter in Tennessee may be hand-stitching

liners. When a Riveter has completed a batch of their

handbag pieces, they ship them all to our flagship

location in Southern Pines, NC where our local Riveters

use them to assemble the final bags for sale online or in

our retail location. 

 This business model means that we (Lisa and

Cameron) are not the only business owners involved. R.

Riveter is not only providing mobile income to military

spouses coast to coast but we are empowering them

to be their own bosses – own their own businesses.

Why do our Riveters love being their own bosses? The

answer is different for every woman. You can read

more about our Riveters and their thoughts on being

a Riveter and business owner, in their own words, by

visiting http://www.rriveter.com/pages/meet-the-riveters.

M.E. MAG: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS?

 Being a military spouse and living this lifestyle has

provided you with skills and experiences that

will arm and prepare you in the world of

business. Embrace your life as a military

spouse. Get creative! It’s easier to build a

career around your passions, than to try

and fit your passions into an existing job. 

 The first step is to discover what really

inspires you.  If you do what you love you

won’t work a day in your life. Put together

a plan around that idea, and go for it. We both

agree the hardest part was taking the leap of faith.

Everyone will have advice and opinions, listen and take

it all in — but in the end it’s your idea — your dream.

You have to follow your own instincts. 

20

MILITARY SPOUSE ENTREPRENEUR ALL IANCE

Some of the challenges military spouses face

while seeking traditional employment in-

clude multiple moves to new duty stations,

living overseas, supporting military members’

lengthy deployments, lack of childcare, under-em-

ployment or lack of employment opportunities, etc.

Feelings of career discouragement and frustration

are understandable.

While there is no easy solution to the challenges

military spouses face, there are options to increase job

satisfaction through self-employment and small busi-

ness ownership. More military spouses are starting

their own small businesses than ever before! Entre-

preneurship offers spouses flexibility of time, owner-

GREAT things happen

when GREAT organizations

come together for a GREAT reason.ship, increased tax incentives, portability, e-commerce

potential, and more.

Starting a small business is often intimidating, but

that doesn’t have to be the case. Initiating and growing

a business is not a solo mission. There are an abundance

of free resources available on and off post to veterans

and military spouses interested in starting or growing a

business venture.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of

Veteran Business Development (OVBD) wants military

spouses to know that the services provided to veterans

are also available to spouses. This is one of the reasons

Barb Carson, OVBD Associate Administrator, is dedicat-

ed to the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Alliance (MSEA).

21

Founding MSEA Organizations Include: SBA’s Office of Veteran Business Development

(http://www.sba.gov/milspouse) OSD, Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities

(https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/Portal/Content/View/1494) Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)

(www.moaa.org) Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF)

(http://vets.syr.edu) The Rosie Network

(www.TheRosieNetwork.org)MSB New Media

(http://msbnewmedia.com) Military One Click

(www.militaryoneclick.com) Blue Star Families

(www.bluestarfam.org) U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hiring Our Heroes

(https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/hiring-our-heroes) Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC)

(www.vboc.org) The Milspo Project

(www.milspoproject.org) Sandboxx

(www.sandboxx.us) National Military Family Association

(www.militaryfamily.org)

GREAT things happen

when GREAT organizations

come together for a GREAT reason.

How to get involved? Access to Military Spouse

Entrepreneur Alliance (MSEA) resources is FREE and

membership not required. Still in the early stages of

development, a dedicated MSEA website can be found at

www.MSEA.us. Let us know what you’d like to see on

the site and how the MSEA can help you! Contact us at

contact@TheRosieNetwork.org and make sure we keep you

IN THE KNOW.

Dear Rosie:

‘My husband and I are on orders in North Carolina, where I worked as an independent contractor part time. Do I have to pay North Carolina taxes on my income or do I file with my domicile state?’

Tripping over Taxes

Dear Tripping over Taxes,

Fear not, while the tax code is anything but simple, there have been some advancements made by the IRS in recognition of military spouse employment. For example, the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA), Public Law 111-97, addresses this issue and others. This act allows military spouses to file and pay income tax to the domiciliary state (your legal state of residence, even if it is different than your service member), rather than the state in which you are living on official military orders.

Just REMEMBER, I’m a Riveter – not an attorney – so, learn more here:

http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Misc%20Files/MilSpouseResReliefAct.pdf

ASK ROSIE!

“I am delighted to work with MSEA to create new

opportunities for professional development and

military family resilience through military spouse

entrepreneurship,” said Carson, who’s also a veteran

and military spouse. The MSEA demonstrates the

commitment of the U.S. Interagency, commercial, and

non-profit organizations to providing military spouses

with the tools and resources required to successfully

launch and grow small businesses.

22

DoD Examines Rules to Ease Restrictions

Defense Department officials are holding

a weekly working group to examine ways

to make it easier for military spouses to

operate small businesses out of their

on-base homes.

“We have to figure out how to enable military

spouses to be the entrepreneurs we know they are. In

this age of Etsy and Pinterest, now more than ever, we

need to remove barriers to the American spirit called

entrepreneurship,” Rosemary Williams, who oversees

military community and family policy for the DoD, told

Military.com in a statement.

Williams, who is assisting the working group, is

worried that while the DoD encourages military spous-

es to be creative and pursue employment and entrepre-

neurship, current rules tie the hands of those who live

ON-BASE MIL ITARY SPOUSE BUSINESSES

by Amy Bushatz

(reprinted with permission from Military.com)

23

on base by placing strict restrictions on what business-

es they can operate out of their housing.

Currently, military spouses who run any kind of

money-making business out of their on-base home are

required to register their business on base. Additional-

ly, the types of businesses allowed on each base vary

by location. For example, Fort Campbell, Kentucky,

specifically prohibits only animal breeding businesses,

while Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prohibits a variety of

businesses, including hair salons and personal training.

But the biggest barrier to operating a small busi-

ness in on-base housing, spouses say, comes from the

base Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) and local

exchange offices. Both MWR and the exchange are

permitted “first right of refusal” for any business look-

ing to run in government-owned buildings, including

on-base housing.

If a business causes a conflict with anything either

of those entities may operate, the application is likely

to be denied. For example, the exchange, by regulation,

is permitted to refuse any business that falls under 18

specific categories including “retail stores,” “mail order,

catalog and ecommerce services,” “photo studios” and

“barber and beauty shops.”

That means any spouse who operates a small busi-

ness selling hair bows online;

participates in one of the

wildly popular multi-level

marketing companies, such

as Scentsy; or runs a photo

business out of their home

could be denied their request

to operate. And that, Wil-

liams worries, could squash

spouses’ ability to start their own businesses.

Officials with the Army and Air Force Exchange

Service (AAFES) said they are participating in the

working group and will work with whatever new reg-

ulations may result from it.

“The Exchange is participating in a Department

of Defense working group that pertains to non-fed-

eral entity business operating on military installa-

tions,” Conner Hammett, a AAFES spokesman, said

in a statement. “The Exchange sets its policies in

accordance with DoD regulations; as a result, the

Exchange will align with any future policy changes

enacted by DoD regarding non-federal entity busi-

nesses or any other matter.”

Navy spouse and veteran Christina Landry has

experienced firsthand the problems operating a busi-

ness on base can bring. Although she had previously

received permission to operate her small business,

DumBell Fitness, in the housing common areas on Joint

Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, officials changed

their minds in early 2014. Instead, they demanded that

she either shut down operations or compete for an

official contract to continue, while giving MWR a cut of

the profits.

Landry, however, couldn’t afford to give MWR the

20 percent of her gross income that they required as

part of the bid process. And instead of winning the

contract, she was outbid by a different, non-military

spouse-owned local company. A protest is ongoing, and

in the meantime her company has moved the majority

of its fitness classes, which include babysitting for par-

ticipants’ children, to off-base locations, Landry said.

Landry, who said she is encouraged to hear about

the working group, believes the rules that keep spouses

from operating successful business on base amount to

DoD doubletalk.

“There’s this underlying tone that ‘we support mil-

itary spouse employment so long as you keep it under

the radar and it doesn’t draw attention to yourself and

it doesn’t get that successful,’” she said. “Don’t give us lip

service that you support us -- really support us,” she said.

–Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/01/06/dod-examines-rules-for-on-base-military-spouse-businesses.html

“In this age of Etsy and Pinterest,

now more than ever, we need to remove barriers to the American

spirit called entrepreneurship.”

24

Integrity, technical competency, leadership skills,

and the ability to get a job done under pressure.

Companies across the country place a high value on

the comprehensive skillset that veterans offer.

One corporation, in particular, appreciates

the value of a veteran and military spouse,

and continues to grow its commitment to the

military community through employment and

entrepreneurship opportunities.

“Veterans are problems solvers. And we’re a

solutions company,” said Frank Bisignano, Chairman

and CEO of First Data.

First Data, a global leader in the technology and

financial services industry, has developed a company-

wide strategy called First Data Salutes. Through First

Data Salutes, the company provides the military

community with access to career opportunities and

best-in-class education resources, while offering

premier business solutions to veteran-owned

businesses. On the employment front, First Data

now has more than 1,200 military-affiliated owner-

associates, and is actively seeking to hire more.

“In 2014, we established the Military and Veteran

Affairs team to further hone our focus on engaging the

military community through education, employment,

and entrepreneurship opportunities,” said Vivian

First Data Salutes Military Community

Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship

25

Greentree, Ph.D., SVP of the department. “What

we are doing is about so much more than jobs.

We’re doing well by doing good and staking out a

position to be an employer of choice for the military

community and the premier provider of business

solutions to military-owned businesses.”

First Data offers special pricing, promotions

and services to veteran entrepreneurs already in

business or trying to start. The company provides

a variety of solutions for small-to-medium-sized

businesses, including Clover® Station, Clover

Mobile and Clover Mini, next-generation business

management systems.

First Data’s commitment to the military

community continues to impress. In 2015, First

Data debuted at #18 on Military Times’ list of best

places to work for veterans and military spouses.

The company also is ranked #39 on G.I. Jobs

Magazine’s 2016 list of Top 100 Military Friendly

Employers and #9 on the Military Spouse Friendly

Employers List.

First Data partners with and participates in a

variety of national veteran-focused organizations

such as the Employer Support for the Guard and

Reserve (ESGR), winning its coveted Freedom

Award, and is a founding member of the Coalition

for Veteran Owned Business (CVOB). The company

also offers best-in-class education for veterans by

partnering with several major universities such as

the Institute for Veteran and Military Families at

Syracuse University.

Maybe most notable, the initiatives have

become a part of the company’s everyday culture.

First Data’s Military Affinity Group boasts more

than 500 members at eight active sites across the

country, participating in more than 50 events

in 2015. And, for the second year in a row, First

Data participated in Operation Honor Cards, a

Joining Forces initiative, sending over 18,000

handwritten letters of appreciation to our country’s

servicemembers, veterans and their families in an

effort to create greater connections between the

American public and our military population.

For more information about the First Data Salutes

program, or to match your skills with available

jobs, visit www.firstdatasalutes.com.

PROVIDING JOBS FOR VETERANS AND SPOUSES“My favorite part about being the ‘boss’ is being able

to provide jobs for military veterans and their spous-

es,” Rocky said. “Right now, our team is 100 percent

military spouses and veterans. Our first employee

was pregnant when her husband received orders to

another duty station. She still works for us remotely

and she’s able to work from home and also contribute

to their family’s income. That’s pretty cool for us and

we’re excited by it.”

Setting your own schedule is pretty cool too.

ADVICE FOR OTHER MILSPOUSE ENTREPRENEURSRocky encourages milspouses to seek out a net-

work of friends with positive attitudes and produc-

tive goals. She believes it is important to have a re-

source in life from which you can receive insight and

wisdom. Equally important, according to Rocky, is to

give back to others who can learn from their success

and failures.

“Service to this country is the reason that we and

those around us have the opportunity and privilege

to participate in and benefit from commerce,” Rocky

reasoned. “The same element of selflessness and ser-

vice that applies to being in the Armed Forces applies

to participating in commerce. Business is about the

bottom line, but the bottom line never comes before

doing the right thing, no matter the cost.”

That means doing right by vendors, clients, and

employees, at all times, regardless of the consequences.

Rocky and Patrick don’t view their business to be just

about them:

“Commerce must be viewed as a delicate, symbiotic

relationship whereby through mutual interaction we

all benefit,” said Rocky. “Go out and make a million dol-

lars. It’s not that hard, and if you start now you could

be there by next year with any business. But don’t

think you did it all on your own, and don’t keep it all

to yourself—take care of those who have taken care of

you, and mentor others to walk principled paths.”

The world would be a much better place if entre-

preneurs strove to do that more often.

“Never lose the lesson of selfless service,” says

Rocky. We couldn’t agree more.

Rocky’s Road (cont’d)

26

Besides the great weather and beautiful

beaches, San Diego is home to the nation’s

largest post 9/11 military population.

During the next 12 months, over 25,000

active-duty servicemen and women in San Diego

will transition out of the military; of those, approx-

imately 20% will seek to start their own business; a

population that The Rosie Network is well positioned

to assist in becoming successful entrepreneurs.

In the effort to shape San Diego’s next generation

of veteran and military spouse business owners and

leaders, two nonprofit organizations have joined

forces to provide the

first of its kind

entrepreneurial

mentorship and

training program

open to transitioning

veterans, wounded

warriors and military

spouses in Southern

California (SOCAL).

“Service2CEO takes veterans and military

spouses in the early stages of small business de-

velopment, provides them an office to work from,

onsite counseling, training and mentorship. All

the components needed to launch and grow these

small businesses right here in San Diego,” says

retired Rear Admiral Tom Brown (SEAL), The Rosie

Network, Board of Advsors.

Service2CEO is a collaborative effort between The Rosie

Network and San Diego Financial Literacy Center. Partici-

pants receive office space in the Military Entrepreneur

Development Center, financial counseling, training in busi-

ness plan development, IT and web support, legal assistance

and more help over a twelve-month period. The Military

Entrepreneur Development Center opened its doors in

January 2016 to veteran and military spouse business

owners and budding entrepreneurs in the San Diego area.

To learn more about Service2CEO and the Military En-

trepreneur Development Center, visit www.TheRosieNetwork.org/Service2CEO.

Service2CEO

27

Totally stoked! You finally got those orders

you’ve been waiting on and guess what?

You’re headed to beautiful San Diego. Great

weather, good schools, what is not to love!?

Oh right. Your CPA license! You just got it in Massa-

chusetts ($324 biennial) and now you’ve got to start the

costly, time consuming process all over again. Grrr…

why can’t more states just do the right thing by

military spouses and recognize that We

Serve Too!

Licensing and certification

challenges for military spouses

is gaining traction

at the DoD,

federal and

state level and

while changes

never happen

as quickly as we

might like – they

are happening.

Removing Licensure Hurdles for Military Spouses

For example, according to USA4 Military Families: 35

states have supporting endorsement policy or have

modified their license by endorsement, which allows

a state board or regulator to recognize active creden-

tials from another state to permit options that ac-

commodate gaps in employment for military spouses

with active licenses from another state.

43 states provide temporary licenses to allow a mil-

itary spouse with a current license to secure employ-

ment while completing state requirements that may be

substantially different from what was required by the

previous licensing state or while awaiting verification

of current license, certification or employment history

for an endorsement.

34 states have expedited procedures for regula-

tory department or board approval to provide the

opportunity for spouses to obtain an endorsed or

temporary license.

States can modify licensing requirements and

processes that impede military spouse’s employment

following a military move. To learn what your state is

doing to remove these and other barriers for veterans

and their families, visit www.USA4MilitaryFamilies.dod.mil. This site provides a very basic snapshot of each state

and its progress on 10 issues affecting

today’s military families from

licensure & legal representation

to family and child advocacy.

Other organizations are

pushing this issue on a state by

state basis – check out

www.MSJDN.org if you are a

military spouse attorney.

Service2CEO

28

https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/Portal https://www.sba.gov/ovbd

• Jan. 6 Series Kickoff and Overview of Programs and Services

• Feb. 3 Is Entrepreneurship for You? – Questions to Ask Yourself

• March 2 Business Plan Basics

• April 6 How to Finance Your Business

• May 4 Legal Structure and Legal and Tax Issues

• June 1

Success Stories – Tips From Successful Military Business Owners

• July 6 Marketing and Social Media for Small Businesses

• Aug. 3 Relocation of Your Business and Overseas Assistance

• Sept. 7 Government Contracting

• Oct. 5 Series Finale and Next Steps

Register here for the next webinar.

Make 2016 the year you start your own business. Join us the first Wednesday of each month to learn what it takes.

and have it move with you

HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESSAS A MILITARY SPOUSE

Web

inar

s in

201

6HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESSAS A MILITARY SPOUSE

29

Spring Forward

Earlier this year, Constant Contact and

SCORE San Diego presented a small business

marketing event that was jam packed with

learning, networking and resources at the

Scottish Rite Center in San Diego, California. San

Diego Small Business Administration District

Director, Ruben Garcia kicked off the event with a

welcome address emphasizing the importance of

marketing and staying relevant in the ever-changing

age of social media.

Attendees had the opportunity to choose from 6

fantastic seminar topics and network with 100’s of

area professionals to help grow their business. The

micro workshops featured Best Practices in Content

Marketing, Facebook Campaigns, How to Create Email

Newsletters, Managing Your Online Reputation, and

special topics on Financing Your Business.

As a resource partner, The Rosie Network

participated in the exhibitor pavilion where business

owners had the opportunity to talk one-on-one and

learn more about the services and programs TRN

provides to veteran and military spouse owned

businesses including: San Diego’s first Military

Entrepreneur Development Center, Service2CEO

and Rosie’s List. Learn more at www.therosienetwork.org,

#milbizrox, #RosiesList

The event concluded with a speaker panel “Q&A”

where marketing experts shared great tips and

techniques about how to leverage social media and

create impactful marketing campaigns and small

business owners had the opportunity to ask questions

related to their specific needs and challenges.

Israel Serna, Regional Development Director, Constant Contact manages all partner programs in the Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas regions. For future event information or to connect with an authorized local expert who can provide training and skills email: iserna@constantcontact.com.

Move Your Business Ahead!

Stephanie Brown, Founder, and CEO of The Rosie Network, pictured with San Diego SBA District Director, Ruben Garcia.

30

Next Issue!Veterans and Milspouses in Agriculture“From the Battlefield to Plowing the Field”

Learn how an Air Force veteran went from an Iraq war surgery nurse to growing fruit, vegetables and raising chickens.

2014 Farm Bill is helping veterans buy farm animals and equipment through low-interest loans.

Read about a milspouse who raises goats for her all-natural skincare products.

Today’s Military Spouses

*2015 Military Family Lifestyle Survey (BSF)

Employment

Entrepreneurship

Education

Mental Health

40% vew employment as the top obstacle to financial stability

1 in 4are currently or have been self-employed

58% who are not employed, would like to be

48% are open to exploring entrepreneurship

55% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher

49% Military spouses experience mental health issues

75% felt military status had a negative impact on ability to pursue a career

Some of these stats won’t come as a surprise

to most military spouses out there who live

it every day. However, to understand why it

is so important that we as a nation not only

recognize the sacrifices to self and family that our

military spouses make, but take action to provide REAL

solutions, it helps to understand some facts behind our

“silent warriors.”

MILSPOUSE UN/UNDER EMPLOYMENT estimated

$1.2 BILLION

Societal Cost

* “Social Cost Analysis of the Unemployment and Underemployment of Military Spouses”.  

31

Find thousands of veteran and military spouse-owned businesses on Rosie’s List (www.RosiesList.org).

Get your business in front of the 70 percent of Americans who prefer to patronize a Veteran-

Owned company today! Register your business on the nation’s largest nonprofit database of

‘verified’ veteran and military spouse-owned businesses in the countr. Free complete profile page.

Add a shopping cart feature at no cost. What are you waiting for?

32

Grow your business withFREE Clover® Mini or Clover MobileAs a veteran, you have drive, tenacity and discipline—traits that will make your business successful. First Data is proud to offer veterans and military spouses a variety of small business solutions designed to support your success.

Running your business is more than a full time job. First Data makes managing your business easier with innovative solutions for everything from tracking inventory and managing employees to building lasting customer relationships and securely accepting all types of payments.

If you are a veteran or a military spouse, come learn how Clover can help you grow your business.** With Clover, you can do more, know more, and sell more—more easily.

FREE processing on Veterans Day.***

Learn more about First Data solutions for small business and our special offers for veterans and military spouses at firstdatapartners.com/veterans/?partner=rosie-network or by calling (855) 346-7107.

Limit one (1) Clover Station, Clover Mobile or Clover Mini option per client.

*With a current payment processing agreement. Offers available through participating processors only.

**Offers good for veterans and military spouses whose status has been validated by ID.me

***Free processing offer applies only to transactions processed on the Federal holiday of Veterans Day, 11/11/2016, between 12:01 AM Eastern Time and 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Rebate will appear on the merchant statement up to 60 days after it is applied, and will be given for qualifying transaction processing fees. Monthly processing fees, chargebacks, billbacks, fines, and disputed transactions are expressly excluded from rebate eligibility. Minimum processing fees may apply to this offer.

Clover, Perka and Payeezy offers begin on 12:01 AM Eastern Time 6/4/2016 and expire 11:59 PM Eastern Time 12/31/2016, and are subject to change without notice. Promotion may be not retroactively applied.

Clover, Perka and Payeezy offers cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Processing rate must be within Clover guideline. Matching of competitive rates that are below the Clover guideline will not be considered for this promotion.

© 2016 First Data Corporation. All trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. 219964 2016-06

First Data SalutesVeterans With an Exclusive FREE Offer.