Military Spouse
Entrepreneurship
2020 Impact Report
Presented by
PUBLISHED JAN 2021
03 AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 02
CONTENTS FOUNDERS NOTE
03
04
07
A note from AMSE Founder
OUR STORY SO FAR AMSE's mission and purpose
Key media features in 2020
Masterclass partners and curriculum breakdown COMMUNITY CHAPTERS
12
14
AMSE's localized community chapters and expansion plans SOCIAL IMPACT AND REPRESENTATION 2020: a year of impact and representation THE DATA
21
Breakdown of our key data findings HOW AMSE STACKS UP
27
29
Comparison of AMSE programs against other resources
What members say about AMSE
GOALS FOR 2021
30
MEDIA
EDUCATION
08
TESTIMONIALS
There is no slowing down at AMSE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
31
A heartfelt thank you to many who made 2020 extraordinary
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 03
FOUNDERS NOTE
When I started AMSE, we had one goal: to
-all. In fact, we are just getting started.
advocate on behalf of the military spouse
We hope that you will take this information
entrepreneur. Everything we do here at AMSE
and let it show what military spouse
is rooted in this along with our core principles-
entrepreneurs can do when we set out to solve a problem. We believe that this information will
Transparency, Collaboration, Commitment,
shed a light on the needs of our fellow military
Integrity, Community and Advocacy.
spouse entrepreneurs coming to us for support.
In just a little over a year, we have achieved a
Our community needs us. They need more
great number of successes for our community,
support, education, funding, resources, and
many beyond our wildest dreams, because of
programming built specifically for the military
the incredible outpouring of support from our
spouse entrepreneur.
team, our partners, and our community. But there is still much more to do.
Join us as we continue the fight. Because we believe we are stronger together.
This impact report is an overview of the culmination of our first year's worth of work
And our time is now.
here at AMSE, but definitely not the end-all-be
Moni Jefferson
our story
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 04
SO FAR Our Mission
Our Purpose
The Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs (AMSE) aims to provide economic impact to military families through entrepreneurial support and programming for military spouses.
By empowering military spouses to take their careers into their own hands, they gain the skills needed to successfully employ themselves on their own terms and pay scale.
AMSE provides education, curriculum, resources, tools, masterclasses, group coaching, and virtual coworking to help military spouses start, scale, and sustain a business.
This leads not only to financial stability but overall happiness and self-confidence, creating a lasting impact in our military families and further bettering our mission readiness as a nation.
There are several things you will find within this Impact Report: An overview of the impact AMSE has had within its first year of serving the Military Spouse Community The initiatives brought forth by AMSE in 2020 The partners who have joined AMSE's mission to support Military Spouse Entrepreneurs The data collected by AMSE on its members showcasing the needs of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs Data collected by AMSE from its members showcasing how AMSE measures up compared to other programs This Impact Report is to help you better understand the work that AMSE does as an organization as well as the needs of the community we serve.
82%
OF MEMBERS RATE AMSE
BETTER THAN OTHER
PROGRAMS AT SERVING THE
MILSPOUSE
ENTREPRENEUR
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 05
2020 HIGHLIGHTS TOTAL AMSE MEMBERS:
1,502 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS:
1M TEAM MEMBERS
37
AMSE experienced tremendous organic growth in 2020. We had 1502 members sign up to our program for support and services, showing a steady growth rate of nearly 650% in 2020. We also made quite an impact on social media, using our voice for good and leading at the frontline about military spouse entrepreneurship. In 2020 alone, AMSE had over 1M organic social media impressions across its platforms. With a global reach from 27 countries and all 50 US states, AMSE is making its mission heard. AMSE was also able to make an economic impact internally. AMSE brought on 37 team members as both employees and independent contractors to support AMSE's operations. AMSE was able to pay out over 6 figures in income to the military spouse community in its first year of operation, staying true to its mission of true economic impact for our community.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 06
AMSE NEW MEMBER GROWTH RATE 2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Community is one of our core pillars at AMSE, and we experienced massive growth in 2020. We welcomed new members from around the world and in many career fields, helping us to diversify and offer even more to our members! AMSE has continued its upward growth rate month over month since its launch in November of 2019. On average, AMSE gains 75-150 new members per month organically without any paid advertisements or digital ad spending.
Less than 4% of AMSE's overall budget was spent on marketing in 2020. AMSE opted to allocate its budget on the growth and expansion of its programming and increased hiring of military spouses over paid marketing or promotions to provide direct impact and benefit to its members and the military spouse community.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 07
MEDIA
HIGHLIGHTS
FACEBOOK IMPRESSIONS 700K
INSTAGRAM IMPRESSIONS 200K
AMSE was highlighted in 2020 on a national scale for its efforts in the media in some pretty big ways. Our founders were featured on the covers of various magazines in 2020. AMSE was also featured in INC., Forbes, and
LINKEDIN IMPRESSIONS 106K
Entrepreneur among many others. The biggest highlight of the year was AMSE being featured on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square twice in November for Global Entrepreneurship Day.
03 AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 08
EDUCATION
MASTERCLASSES TAUGHT BY NATIONAL INDUSTRY-LEADING EXPERTS AMSE is proud to have partnered with some of the world's largest industry-leading organizations to come in and teach our Masterclasses for our military spouse community. With content catered specifically for the military spouse and 1:1 support, our community received only the best in 2020.
110
NUMBER OF DIGITAL EVENTS IN 2020
4K
HOURS OF REPLAYS WATCHED
3K
# OF ATTENDEES LIVE
AMSE will continue to partner with the best organizations to bring the best tools, experts, discounts, and resources to our military spouse community. We have more organizations already lined up in 2021: ADP, Yahoo Small Business, Dubsado, Monday.com, Wix, Dale Carnegie, Startup Grind, and so many more. Our core pillar is collaboration. We are stronger together.
06
MORE TO COME IN 2021
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 09
BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS THE AMSE WAY
7
65
4K
Units of Pre-Recorded Online Curriculum
Mini Video Modules with accompanying homework and downloads
Hours of Curriculum Watched in 2020
When AMSE was built, we knew that our members needed custom education and curriculum. No more getting lost in a sea of search engines, right? So we built "Building your Business the AMSE Way, a custom curriculum built for the military spouse entrepreneur that guides them from
ideation to launch. The AMSE way uses the idea of building a remote and portable business in mind (aka PCS proof) and also utilizing TODAY's tools and technology. We are not your traditional brick and mortar business, and milspouse entrepreneurs need guidance for their businesses.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 10
Our team of military spouse entrepreneurs have built successful businesses and helped build the curriculum they wished they had when they started: resources to create an online network with multiple streams of revenue, tools for scaling a business up and down (for deployments and PCS), and more. We know their life and needs
because we live them, every day. We want them to know how to turn your career, license, or passions into a business sturdy enough to withstand this crazy military lifestyle. All supplemented with a community to support you and doing it at the same time.
70
28K
Custom AMSE Worksheets available to print
Downloads of Worksheets and Curriculum Resources
03 AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 11
MILITARY SPOUSE ENTREPRENEUR GUIDE When AMSE began, we set out with the mission to make entrepreneurship an option for every military spouse. To make that happen, we needed to be on military bases as a resource. Enter the Stars and Stripes Military Spouse Entrepreneur Guide. This was written exclusively by AMSE writers and military spouse entrepreneurs while featuring AMSE milspouses you should know, a directory with hundreds of military spouse owned businesses, and the tools and resources on WHY and HOW to start your own business. This was one of AMSE's biggest achievements in 2020. And the MSEG will continue its legacy and arrive on bases with its second edition on March 4, 2021.
80K
PRINT COPIES DISTRIBUTED ON BASES GLOBALLY
06 1M+
DIGITAL IMPRESSIONS IN 2020
COVID SUPPORT When COVID hit, AMSE was lucky to be ahead of the curve and to already be an all-digital and virtual organization. We came to the aid of many other organizations to help them pivot their programming and businesses to an online environment. We supported our members with a series of Masterclasses tailored to help them get their businesses online and healthy. We also distributed a digital COVID-19 guide specifically geared toward the Milspouse Entrepreneur community that was downloaded over 4K times.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 12
AMSE
COMMUNITY
CHAPTERS
Kitsap
Travis AFB
JBMDL
NBVC Ventura Luke AFB Kirtland Fort Hood
"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much" ~Helen Keller
Prior to COVID, AMSE Members were meeting virtually and then locally. We had planned to roll out in-person community chapters that were halted. Instead, we rolled out Virtual Chapters.
We currently have 7 chapters nationally with 8 chapter leaders. Since its launch in August, these leaders have hosted 17 Chapter events.
In 2021, we plan to launch 25 additional Global Chapters, including our first Chapter in Our Virtual Chapters help to foster local partnership with the Women's Business connections. Our military spouses can get to Centers. know not only other spouses in their area who are also building businesses but the amazing resources and support programs right in their own backyard.
03 AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 13
EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY + PLATFORM With the launch of AMSE, we knew the only way to truly reach all spouses globally was to have a virtual organization. When we launched in 2019, we made sure we launched an exclusive digital platform for our members. This platform houses our education and curriculum, as well as our member discounts, resources, and downloads. Military spouses have heavy demands on their time and schedules, and often do not have the bandwidth nor resources to attend in-person training. "At the time" programs were mostly held in large cities and installations only, leaving out small towns, bases, or overseas spouses. Our program allowed spouses to access the education, curriculum, and masterclasses from anywhere - the comfort of their home, wherever the military sends them, at any time of the day, while their children are in school, or after bedtime.
AMSE was ahead of its time, seeing the true value and reach of digital education in 2020 even before the world was thrust into it by the global pandemic.
ECONOMIC IMPACT Continuing our mission of economic impact, AMSE acquired contracts with national brands and corporations to hire military spouses in 2020. These contracts resulted in contract work and paid out over six figures of income to the military spouse community and AMSE's official induction into Military Spouse Employment Partnership. AMSE will continue to connect and advocate for companies to utilize military spouse entrepreneurs and freelancers to fill roles needed within their companies as they grow and expand.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 14
SOCIAL
IMPACT
&
REPRESENTATION
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" ~Dr. Martin Luther King
2020 was a year of social injustices in many ways. AMSE took part in many campaigns for impact and representation to help achieve social justice, reform, and support of various communities. We rolled out the Black Military Spouse Owned Business Guide in June to support 50 AMSE members and highlight the work of our Black Community. This report has had the highest traffic on our AMSE website to date with 11K views. In addition, we supported Hispanic Heritage month by releasing a Hispanic Military
Spouse Owned Business Guide in September that was viewed over 10K times. AMSE Team members and the community also took part in the pledge "Each for Equal" on International Women's Day to support Equal Pay for Women, displaying social media displays of support. AMSE registered as an official member of Time to Vote to offer and encourage our staff to take the time to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election.
03 AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 15
LENDING OUR PLATFORM TO OUR MEMBERS AMSE's core mission revolves around economic impact to the military spouse. That means lending a voice to our members including our platform and social media to elevate their brands, businesses, and voices. Our members took over our social media this year for "PopUp" Lives to help our audience who were "Safe at Home" and also to promote the amazing work they were doing within their own businesses.
19
37K
NUMBER OF AMSE MEMBER POP UP LIVES IN 2020
FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENT
06
MENTORSHIP MATTERS AMSE is proud to partner with Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center in 2020 and beyond for their new Mentor Makers Movement. Mentorship is key to every small business and entrepreneurial journey, and the #mentormakers goal is to achieve 1 million mentoring hours through free high-level mentorship. AMSE members have not only this service but all of Nasdaq's workshops and services at their disposal to help them on their journey to success.
03 AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 16
MILITARY SPOUSE ENTREPRENEUR ALLIANCE Continuing our mission of economic impact, AMSE joined forces with several other organizations and military spouses to form a new nonprofit organization -the AMSE Alliance. The AMSE Alliance unites businesses, organizations, and individuals dedicated to advancing the entrepreneurial goals of military spouses. Together we advocate for change, draw awareness to barriers, and create opportunities for all military spouse business owners. The AMSE Alliance will host events and raise and distribute grants to support the military spouse entrepreneur.
06
INDUCTION INTO MSEP CLASS OF 2020 In 2020 AMSE was honored as one of the DOD Military Spouse Employment Partnerships 86 new partners on December 9th. This brings the number of companies and organizations that have committed to offering career opportunities to military spouses to 500. Each of the employers who make up the partnership has pledged to recruit, hire, promote, and retain military spouses. MSEP employers have hired more than 175,000 military spouses since the program launched in 2011.
03 AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 17
ELEVATING THE MILITARY SPOUSE VOICE With the addition of a blog to our website, we were able to elevate the milspouse entrepreneur voice and provide real-life advice and strategies to our community. This is written exclusively by military spouse entrepreneurs, for the military spouse entrepreneur.
44
1800+
17K
BLOGS PUBLISHED
VIEWS ON OUR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENT: +20%
OWNING UP PODCAST Another vital component of our advocacy for the milspouse entrepreneur is our podcast, Owning Up. Co-hosted by AMSE founders Moni Jefferson and Flossie Hall, Owning Up features insights and interviews with AMSE members and associates who share their best lessons with you. With two full seasons and twenty-four episodes, the podcast is aimed to discuss topics and issues to continue to open up conversations and doors for the military spouse entrepreneur.
06
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 18
LEGISLATIVE ACTION In November 2020, the Center for American Entrepreneurship took AMSE's Military Spouse data and published it in a report with a call to action for legislative change. This called on government leaders to reduce barriers for military spouses to start and transfer businesses as well as granting access to capital to start and scale business ventures.
SERVING THE UNDERSERVED AMSE continues to support Hello Alice as its Military Spouse arm, helping to provide supplementary data on a much larger scale of the underserved entrepreneur by contributing to the Hello Alice Impact Report: What Military-Connected Owners Need Right Now, released in November 2020.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 19
DIALOGUES WITH TOP LEADERS
Through AMSE's core pillar of Advocacy, our founders were invited to have conversations with both 2nd Lady Karen Pence's office to bring awareness of AMSE's program, its mission and the struggles facing the military spouse community.
"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized, I am somebody." ~Lily Tomlin
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 20
AMSE'S IMPACT DRIVEN MISSION AMSE was built with the core pillars of impact and advocacy. We knew we could not do that without data. From day one, we have worked with our members, our community, and our partners to show that programs for military spouse entrepreneurs were a necessity. AMSE could not raise the bar alone. In Dec 2019, we released our very first Impact Report with only 288 data points. It was not a lot, but it was a glimpse to show we were heading in the right direction. Our military spouses needed exclusive programming, mentorship, and resources, and they needed it now.
AMSE continues working with global partners such as Global Entrepreneurship Network, Hello Alice, the Center for American Entrepreneurship, and Northeastern University to compile, analyze, and distribute the data on our community to the right people, ensuring that our funding, programs, and resources were being built with this data in mind. Now with the 2020 data containing over 1500+ Military Spouse members with almost 900 complete profiles, we have a much better look at the needs of military spouses turning to AMSE for support.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 21
AMSE
Member
Data
BREAKDOWN OF 839 AMSE MEMBER PROFILES ETHNICITY AMES's members show an ethnically and racially diverse community that mirrors that of America. AMSE stays true to its core values of equality and elevating the underserved and underrepresented by being a voice for all military spouse entrepreneurs.
African American/Black 13.8%
Asian 3.7% Biracial 5.1% Other 4%
White/Caucasion 60.7%
Hispanic/Latinx 12.1%
Coast Guard 3.2%
Navy 22.8% Army
BY BRANCH
38.1%
AMSE's largest demographic comes from the Army (38.1%) followed by Air Force (25.5%), Navy (22.8%), and Marines (9.8%). The Coast Guard (3.2%) and Reserves (0.6%) make up the smallest demographic population.
Reserves 0.6%
Marines 9.8%
Air Force 25.5%
12%
81%
23%
Of members are also U.S. Veterans
Of members operate their business from home
Of companies have employees
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 22
PAY GRADE The largest number of AMSE members appear to fall within the paygrades of E5 (11.6%) and E6 (13.6%) on the enlisted side as well as O3 (18.1%) and O4 (14.1%) on the Officer side. This assumes that spouses traditionally venture into entrepreneurship once they have had their bearings as a military spouse or become a little more "seasoned" in military life.
O5 10.5%
E3 E4 O6 4.9% 1.8% 5.6% E5 11.6%
O4 14.1%
E6 13.6%
O3 18.1%
O2 O1 3.8% 2.7%
E8 6%
E7 4.9%
35%
27%
81%
Of members operated their business during a deployment
Of members hire other military spouses, and another 66% intend to once they start hiring
Of AMSE Member's live OFF of a military installation (non military housing)
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 23
CHILDREN AT HOME
No 19.8%
Prefer Not to Answer 2%
2020 was the year that nearly everyone began working and educating from home. But for AMSE members, this was nothing new. An overwhelming majority of our community operates its business with children living at home. We offer them viable resources and solutions to assist them as entrepreneurs and parents.
Yes 78.2%
TOP NEEDS 500
400
300
200
100
0
tn e m p o le v e D
d e tr a tS
.s u B
g n it te G
g n it e k ra M
g n iw o rG
Our members are in varying states of ideation and we aim to serve them in all stages. In identifying how best to serve our members, we can see that growth is the top need for the milspouse entrepreneur. Marketing and how to get started are also priorities among other needs.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 24
OTHER RESOURCES USED
Other 34%
When asking our members what other resources they had used to support them on their business journey other than AMSE, the results varied. While miscellaneous others came in highest (34%), Hello Alice (24%), and the SBA (8%) were next. The answers showed a wide range of resources: iFundwomen, Women's Business Centers, VBOC, SBDC, SCORE, and more all scoring <2%.
ENTITY OF COMPANIES
Bunker Labs 4% SBA 8%
SCORE 2% Founder Institute 2%
IVMF 4% Global Entrep. Netw. 4%
400
300
200
100
0
B
C / S
ti fo rp n o N
p ro C
p ro C
C L L
ro t e ir p o rP
n o it a e d I
More than half of AMSE's businesses are still in ideation or Sole Proprietorship. The number one question within our community is the question of formation or transfer of formation as a military spouse owned business.
Hello Alice 24%
e lo S
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 25
AMSE MEMBER ANNUAL REVENUES 600
400
200
0
re w s n A
+ k 0 0 5
o t
k 0 0 5 0 5 2
k 0 5 2 0 5 1
k 0 5 10 0 1
K 0 0 15 7
k 5 7 0 5
k 0 5 5 2
k 5 2 0 1
k 0 10
to N r e fe rP
"Don't ever underestimate the impact you can have on someone else's life." -Anonymous
When we started collecting revenue data on our members, we were blown away. We found that 62% of our members were making <$10K in revenue per year. This shocking figure showed that our program was needed now more than ever. Military spouses were highly unemployed and underemployed and were turning to entrepreneurship as a way to make money,
ANY kind of money. But unfortunately, they were lacking the basic business principles to have a solid business model past a "side hustle." This is where AMSE comes in. Our niche is to serve the milspouse by walking them from ideation to launch and helping them to achieve a solid foundation to build business success, leading to economic impact and stability.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 26
AMSE MEMBER TOP BUSINESSES BY CATEGORY 250
200
150
100
50
0
et at sE
la eR
tif o rp no N
tn at s is sA l a ut ss riV e ni su B oN /n de o s i ta aB ed t c I ud or yh P pa rg o to hP er aC ni kS /y t ua se ci eB v r eS no i ta n g cu is dE eD be W /c e c i hp re m ar m G oC -E ro ht uA / re tir W n o ita er C tn et ss no e C nt iF / h tla eH e t ae rC /t fa rC
re ht O
gn i te kr aM gn itl u sn oC
"What good are likes if they don't contribute to our
business’ bottom line? Measuring our ROI allows us to When AMSE first set out, we knew we government contracting/consulting roles. know if our campaign iswere effective or not." the first of our kind. We knew that our military spouses were building mobile, None of these fit our traditional military remote careers in fields that were not spouse demographic. Now we have the being served or addressed by "at the time" data to prove it. programs. Our spouses need resources to build digital Our spouses are 94% female and are online businesses with passive revenue working in fields such as Consulting, streams and an online global presence. Marketing, Crafting, Health & Wellness, Fitness, Writing, and Education Services. They are the creatives and the freelancers; the designers and the bookkeepers; the Other programs were servicing brick and social media gurus and the PR geniuses. mortar small businesses, VC tech founder, And we need to have resources that cater or the traditional Veteran to those industries.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 27
HOW
AMSE
STACKS
UP
COMPARED TO OTHER RESOURCES OTHER RESOURCES USED According to AMSE members, AMSE ranked between 76-86% higher across the board compared to other programs used. This approval covers everything from serving the Military Spouse entrepreneur, our education and resources, and our programming and community.
76%
79%
Rank AMSE better than other programs in Community
Rank AMSE better than other programs in serving the Military Spouse Entrepreneur
86% Rank AMSE better than other programs in Military Spouse Entrepreneur Education + Resources
ECONOMIC IMPACT Despite a global pandemic, 48% of AMSE members reported that their revenues have increased since joining in 2020. 41% also reported a stronger sense of financial stability.
GOAL SETTING AMSE utilizes community to help our members set tangible goals and achieve them. Since joining AMSE, 41% of members report achieving their goals has been easier.
48%
41%
41%
of members report that their revenues have increased since joining AMSE.
of members report that their achieving their business goals has been easier.
of members report that their financial stability has increased since joining AMSE.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 28
SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SELF-WORTH Military Spouses often suffer from low efficacy due to the trials, tribulations, and stressors of military life. They are struggling to find a meaningful and rewarding career as well as being able to financially contribute to their family. 66% of AMSE members reported that since joining, their self-worth has increased. 83% of members reported that their confidence in their future careers has also increased.
66%
83%
Report that their selfworth has increased
Report that their confidence in their future career has increased
Entrepreneurship allows military spouses the freedom to control the career path they follow, to demand and dictate their own pay and worth, and to work around their family's schedules and needs. This allows for the flexibility that the military family needs, all while giving way for a career full of passion, purpose, and financial rewards. AMSE steps in to help with the foundations of education, resources, support, but most of all, community. We are a global community of military spouse entrepreneurs, building businesses and
and living this lifestyle alongside each other. That is the true value in AMSE. We are by military spouse entrepreneurs, for military spouse entrepreneurs.
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 29
I am so glad I found AMSE! I love it so
TESTIMONIALS AMSE is like a breath of fresh air in our Military Spouse Community. From the very first time I joined the group, I felt welcomed, seen, honored, and respected. You ladies have motivated me to do better, be better, and help others to do the same. I am grateful for the connection, resources, and education. Thank you AMSE for Shining and allowing so many of us to do the same -Kennita Williams
much, I share and tell everyone about it! The amazing connections, the place to ask questions - the knowledge of the Spouse community is unparalleled ANNNND having someone walk you through all the BUSINESS stuff (like the real nitty-gritty stuff you should have in your business has been awesome)... having someone to bounce ideas off of - a totally NO judgement zone where everyone is willing to help you is amazing! If you are not part of this group and you are a Milspouse Entrepreneur, join!! You will not regret it!!
We did it! 2nd place at our pitch event!
-Sara Copp
Because of you all, and this incredible group-Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs, I felt prepared and proud to share 18 LOI’s of fellow military spouses ready to help grow our military family/local business resource! Thank you for creating this supportive space. -Ana Lewis
I recently discovered AMSE and watched a live and just felt sooo encouraged. I just started my small shop, and I have so much to learn. I've focused so much of years on my family that I forgot that I needed and wanted to have and so something for myself. So here I am, ready to learn, ready to grow, ready to help and encourage others to go for it too.
The mentorship and guidance I've
-Crystal Cardenas
received from AMSE has been invaluable.
They have truly created an innovative space for military spouses to flourish as individuals and business owners. -Amy Schweizer
This platform provides tons of valuable information to take your business to the next level. I plan to use the resources learned to build a sustainable brand to assist others in the area of financial managament and education. -Sonya Akintonde
"AMSE has been one of the best resources for me as a military spouse and an "accidental" entrepreneur. They've created an extremely healthy community giving you that "no question is a stupid question" environment and
AMSE is a breath of fresh air for all spouses who deserve more and need to be SEEN. We have worked so hard to help others that spouses need an opportunity
encouragement to collaborate and support
to shine. The guide has been a blessing
one another in growing. Their success is
and as an overseas representative, we
our success, and I'm so thankful for navigating my business with them on my side" -Selena Conmackie
need this and more. I will always advocate for spouses and be a sounding board for those that may need some assistance getting resources -Candra Burns
AMSE IMPACT REPORT 2020 | 30
OUR GOALS FOR 2021 Expand our AMSE Community Chapters with an additional 25 Global Chapters. Launch MSEG 2 in March 2021, and the 3rd edition by EOY 2021. Continue our work with the AMSE Alliance to distribute grants for military spouses to start and scale their own businesses. Launch Season 3 of the Owning Up Podcast Continue to hire military spouses and further our mission of economic impact Continue to obtain mass media exposure for our members to elevate their businesses, products, and services
Continue our Advocacy work towards Legislative Change Launch our new Membership Technology Platform in Q1 2021 Continue to add and expand our education and curriculum Continue to add and expand Partners and Resources Continue to connect our Military Spouse Entrepreneurs with opportunities to sell their products and services Continue to work with our partners to elevate opportunities and exposure for Military Spouse Entrepreneurs
JUST GETTING STARTED AMSE is a team made up of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs. That gives us an edge, meaning we are quick, nimble, and can execute. We have been able to achieve massive feats for such a small organization in just under a year, but we were not able to do it alone. We did it as a community. Luckily, now with some time and proven work under our belt, we have the momentum to pick up real speed and expansion in year two with even more partners and opportunities. We hope we have shown you the power of what a team of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs can do and that you will join us in the fight to continue our work. We are stronger together.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AMSE is a community, and we could not do any of this without our corporate and community partners, our incredible team, and all of our members. We would like to give special thanks to the following: Our Internal Team who make AMSE run on a day to day basis, the literal lifeblood of our organization. Our Writing Team, who contributes incredible content day in and day out, leading as the voice for a nation of military spouse entrepreneurs.
To our Members and Our Fellow Military Spouse Entrepreneurs: thank you for entrusting us as your leaders. We promise to continue to bring you only the best and most trusted resources, programming, education, and community that we wish we had when we first began. We will not let you down. We will continue to fight for you, with you, and alongside you, day in and day out.
Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs, Inc. www.amseagency.com hello@amseagency.com
Our Community Chapter Leaders, being boots on the ground and leading from the front. Our Partners, who support us in everything that we do, without whom we could not possibly be as supportive or powerful for our community.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT IN OUR PROGRAMS
Sponsored By Our Partners at