Making Money From Home as a Military Spouse

[00:00:00] Christine: So you wanna make money from home as a military spouse? I mean, you might not, but I think most of us, if given the opportunity to choose our own schedule and make money from home, we would at least be interested in the opportunity. So why don’t more of us do it? Maybe you’ve tried, you joined that MLM company because you thought that was going to be your ticket to.

[00:00:27] and it wasn’t. Or maybe your schedule is so full that you’re not sure where you would even find the time to begin. Or maybe you have an idea but you’re not sure how to make it a real business, or maybe you’re not even sure what that business would be. Whether you think starting a business from home is for you or not, I would encourage you to at least give this episode a listen, because today we are talking about five steps to start, a purpose fueled work from home business in 2023. So what do you say? Let’s dive into the show.

The 2023 AFI Military Spouse of the Year Award

[00:02:07] Before we get started today, I have some really exciting news to share with you. I am so thrilled to announce that I have been nominated for the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year Award, also known as the A F I M. So this award was founded in 2008. To recognize military spouses contributions and commitment to the military community and to our country, and anyone can nominate someone for this award.

[00:02:36] I was personally nominated by Bree Carroll, who was the 2020 A f I Air Force Spouse of the Year. She appeared on the podcast last year, and I’ll link that episode below in the show notes. But honestly, you guys, I was so honored and I’m so thankful for this opportunity, not because I think I’ve done something so amazing, but because I truly believe that this message.

[00:03:05] Of learning to thrive and find fulfillment as a military spouse is something that we need more of and, and it is an opportunity to help spread this message to others in the military community. So what does this mean for you? Well, number one, it means I need your help. There are four rounds of. And voting for the first round starts today.

[00:03:32] If you are listening on the day that the podcast comes out February 6th, all you have to do is go visit m soy.afi.org and create an account. I will link that below in the show notes, so it’s easy to find, but all you have to do is go create an account there and then you can. Once a day for the next four days.

[00:03:56] I really hope that you will take some time to go onto the site because there are so many amazing military spouses doing great work that have been nominated. So go on there. Go share. Go vote. Share my profile if we are friends on Facebook or Instagram. If you could just share my profile, that would also help just spread this message, help vote, and really vote for this community and for growing it and for helping more military spouses to thrive in their current season of life.

[00:04:30] So let me just say in advance, thank you. Thank you for your support. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for voting, and thank you for being a part of this community, of doing the work to help yourself thrive. Because when you are thriving, it is making a difference in the lives of everyone around you. So voting is open today through February 9th. Please go, register, vote each day, and I can’t wait to see what happens and where we go from here.

5 steps to starting a purpose-fueled work from home business

[00:04:55] Today we are talking about five steps to starting a purpose fueled business, and I really wanted to have this conversation today because I know that there is so much information out there about starting a business.

[00:05:19] In fact, so much information that it can get a little overwhelming and leave us paralyzed. We are not sure how to get. how to begin. And more than anything, we don’t have people saying, how does this work for our lives as military spouses who live in a place where life is unpredictable and we don’t necessarily have the same family support, support systems in place to help us on this journey.

[00:05:49] Most of the information. Starting a business out there is going to tell you to do a few things. They’re going to tell you, Hey, go figure out why you wanna be your own boss, and then figure out what you can do to make money and then go figure out how to do that thing. , which sounds pretty straightforward, right?

[00:06:12] But if it were really that simple, then everyone would do it. But the reality is that owning your own business is hard. It takes commitment and dedication and a willingness to keep going when the going. Hard and on top of just all the normal challenges of running a business. We have military life, which is unpredictable and ever-changing, and as soon as you seem to find your rhythm, then something happens to change that rhythm.

[00:06:50] Your spouse goes on a trip, or you move, or you can’t find childcare. Your kid gets supplanted at the C D C because someone of higher priority needed that spot. So the first problem with most of the business advice out there is that it makes it sound easy when it’s actually not. But the second problem with that advice is that most of the time the focus is on money.

[00:07:25] Making the money what you can. To earn money and building a business with money as the focus will help you make money. , but it will not necessarily lead you to feeling fulfilled. So the foundation for how we really build a sustainable business as military spouses. I’m gonna show you a different approach and it really starts with this question of why do you want to.

Start with WHY you want to build a business

[00:08:00] The business. This is Kind of similar to the question of why you wanna be your own boss, but I think most of us would say, Hey, We have a lot of unpredictability in our life, and we want that time freedom, that flexibility to make our own schedule. We want something that can move with us from one location to another, so that’s kind of straightforward.

[00:08:23] But really when it gets down to why do we want the business, it’s an important question to ask because I think sometimes we wanna start a business because we think it’s going to solve all of our problems. It’s going to give us our own things so we don’t feel lost in life. So we don’t feel like life is meaningless.

[00:08:49] So it gives us this sense of self. But making money is just making money. And don’t get me wrong, making money is great. Having the ability to make money from anywhere is great.  but it money in and of itself will not necessarily lead you to a meaningful life or lead you to doing something that you enjoy doing and that will lead you to love your life.

[00:09:20] There are plenty of successful people out there who realize that what they’re doing doesn’t light them up. It’s unfulfilling and it doesn’t lead them to create a life. They actually. So the missing element in all of this is tying what you do to a sense of purpose, the to the feeling that what you do matters and makes a difference because you are tapping into who you were created to be.

[00:09:53] You are using your uniqueness to make a difference in the lives of others. Now, that is purpose and so, I’m bringing you through a framework of how to start a business that is fueled by that sense of purpose. As I mentioned earlier, growing a bus business business isn’t easy and. The unpredictability of life only makes that more challenging because you have to be committed to this thing.

[00:10:27] You have to care about what you’re doing if you are going to stay the course, and that is so much easier to do when it is something. You are truly passionate about when it uses your unique skills and giftings and life experiences. When you are able to build something that helps other people, this is where you truly are able to do the things that light you up and make a difference.

Building a Brand and Business Fueled by Purpose

[00:10:58] That is. Fueled by purpose, and that has the potential to lead us to a fulfilling life. It’s not just entrepreneurship, working from home for entrepreneurship sake. It’s tying the money to something that actually matters. So essentially what we’re going to be diving into today is building your purpose fueled brand.

[00:11:26] And a lot of people would call this branding or personal branding, but I really like this term purpose-fueled brand because it takes the emphasis. Off of us and really puts it on what really matters. And that is tying that business to a sense of purpose. So we need to talk about what these five elements of your purpose-fueled brand are and how we can get started doing this.

[00:11:57] And this is something that you can start today, even. If you truly believe you do not have time to start a business today, and I hope by now it’s a little straightforward. What the number one thing you need to do is what? The first thing you need to do is get clarity on your purpose. Purpose is this big idea that gets thrown around.

1. Clarity of Purpose

[00:12:22] A lot, but at its core, it’s about using your uniqueness in service of others. And so you have to first say, okay, who is it that I want to be? What is my sweet spot? Which I define as three concentric circles. Your essence, which is made up of your skills, your gifts, your passions, your experiences. Your intention which are your core values, how you want to show up in the world and your contribution, which is the problems you want to solve, the causes that you care about.

[00:12:58] And when you start to look at. These three circles and see where they overlap. You have these themes that typically emerged. That’s your sweet spot, and so you have to get clear on what’s that sweet spot in my life, and then tie that into what’s my vision for the future? What do I want my life to look and feel like in the.

2. Your Purpose in Action Statement

[00:13:24] And I have the MilSpouse Purpose Playbook, which is an entire course that walks you through this process, how you get clarity on this in great detail, and after you are able to work through all of these questions, figure out how all of these pieces fit together, then you create your. in action statement, which basically covers who you wanna serve, what problem you wanna help solve, how you’re going to help solve that problem, and why this really matters.

[00:13:57] And when you can get clarity, and you can define this piece, this is what keeps you grounded. This is what gives you direction. This is what keeps you going when the going gets tough because you understand that this is. Then just about making money. This is more than just how you spend your time. This is something that truly matters and keeps you motivated.

3. Your Financial Model

[00:14:25] So the first piece is just getting clarity on your purpose. The second piece is crafting your purpose in action statement. The third piece is really getting clear on what you’re going to offer and what your financial model is going to be. And this is a piece that I don’t hear people talk a lot about, but I think it is so important for military spouses because.

[00:14:51] When it comes to your financial model, a lot of times what will happen is some, somebody says, okay, you wanna start a business? You need to immediately figure out what you’re going to do to make money. But what you might be able to do to make money today may not be the thing that you care about long-term.

[00:15:10] And so it’s really important to look at this financial piece of the puzzle. And number one, Do I need to make money today? And what are all the ways that I could make money today? And then the second piece of that is, what is it that I’m really wanting to build long-term? So you may need to bring in the, the income today and the thing that you might want to build that big dream on your heart is not going to.

[00:15:37] Money today. And so you need another source of income today. Or you may say, Hey, we can live off of one income today, and I can be working towards the thing that I want to build for the future, even if it doesn’t make me money in the short term. So that’s why I say, Get clear on your financial model.

[00:16:00] Number one, do I need to make money today? And then what are all the ways that I can make money today? So maybe you have a. part-time job that you have that is bringing in income while you’re building this thing that you’re passionate about, your purpose fueled business on the side. Maybe you are able to partner with an MLM to bring in some extra money in the short term.

[00:16:27] Maybe you can do some freelancing. That may not be exactly what you wanna do long term, but it is a way to bring in some. right now. Or maybe you can say, Hey, I don’t need to monetize this today. I’m just going to start building my brand that I’m building towards the thing that I care about long term, and I’m doing that today.

4. Your Action Plan

[00:16:51] So you gotta figure out what your financial model is and what you are going to do. to help people today and if you, if you need to make money or if you were able to just help support others without bringing an income in the short term. The fourth piece of this puzzle is creating your plan. Now that you have an idea of this vision, this dream that you.

[00:17:19] Working towards this purpose fueled business that you want to build. What is your, your specific goal? What steps do you need to take? What systems do you need and what does that timeline look like? So you’re gonna spend a lot of time here just researching and, and figuring out what all these pieces that need to go into place so that you can.

[00:17:44] Towards this purpose fueled business, and it’s important for this timeline to be realistic and to say, okay, how much time do I actually have to devote to this on a weekly basis? Right now, maybe I only have two hours. Maybe I have. Five hours, maybe I have 10 or 15 hours that I can devote to this. And how fast and how far you go with this is going to depend on the amount of time that you have.

5. Your Platform

[00:18:14] And then the fifth piece to starting this is to really choose. Your platform to choose one place that is the primary place where you are building awareness of your new brand, and that can be on social, that can be through starting a blog. That can be through starting your YouTube channel. Or that can be through podcasting, but you gotta choose your primary platform that you’re going to build your brand around.

Purpose-Fueled Brand Examples

[00:18:49] And so let’s quickly kind of. Talk about what this would look like for a few different situations. So for example, you are in the direct marketing space and you are with a company that offers activewear. and you’re wondering, Hey, I wanna make money promoting this product. But I don’t want it to feel like this is the only thing that I’m talking about on social media.

[00:19:19] How do I turn this into a purpose fueled business? So number one, go back to start with your purpose. What’s your sweet spot? What lights you up? What causes do you care about? And really, how can you do more of the things that really light your heart on fire and use your uniqueness to serve others? And out of that, you’re gonna come up with your purpose in action statement, and you’re gonna get clear on who you’re serving and the different ways that you can serve them.

[00:19:52] Really create these pillars of your brand that are the three to five things that your brand is going to be built around. So it may be activewear is one of those pillars, but then you also have a pillar that focuses on health and nutrition. And you ha also have a pillar that talks about how to make this a su sustainable part of your life .

[00:20:21] So in the short term, you’re gonna make money by selling activewear for this company, but that may grow into a bigger business down the road that aligns with your unique purpose. Or let’s say you have been making and selling jewelry. From home and you’ve done some local craft fairs, but you’d really like to start selling on Etsy.

[00:20:48] So again, go back to what’s my purpose? What are the things that I care about? Who do I care about helping? And then how can I build this into a brand and how can I take this and make it more than about just. or perhaps you want to make money from home and you have no idea what, how you wanna make money or where to begin.

[00:21:16] Just start with figuring out these core things. Hey, what is it that I am passionate about? What’s my purpose? How do I create this purpose and action statement that helps me identify who I wanna help, what problem I wanna help? Solve and the ways that I can support that cause that person the ways that really align with what lights me up and do more of that.

[00:21:44] And then maybe you go in and you say, okay, I’m gonna start a podcast and I don’t know how it. I’m gonna monetize this, but I’m gonna start building this podcast. Or maybe you go in and say, I’m gonna start just sharing on social media about the tips and tricks that I have learned in PCSing over the years.

[00:22:04] The possibilities are endless if we start from this place of what’s my purpose? Now, will this method work for you if you want to start this business? You have this idea, but you don’t feel like you have the time to do it? Absolutely, because it goes back to using the time. We do have to get clarity on what that thing is so that we can continue to work towards.

[00:22:35] even if we don’t have a lot of time in our schedule, because this is the way that we craft a life with purpose and make this a lifestyle that is both sustainable and is fulfilling today and for the future, even if it’s a very small contribution, when you use your uniqueness to serve others, that is what will give you that.

[00:23:04] Of purpose. So get clear on what that is and then start building that plan for both today and for the future. I hope this episode encourages and inspires you to say, this is something that I want to pursue a life with purpose, the potential of a future business based on my purpose, because that is what is going to lead us to a fulfilling life.

[00:23:32] So what you do to make money is only half the equation. Don’t start a business just because you think that it is going to solve all of your problems. Make it a purpose fueled Business. If you want to talk about this more, I wanna invite you to come hop over to our free Facebook community and let’s continue to dialogue about what it looks like to start and grow purpose fueled businesses as military spouses.

[00:24:07] And you can access that if you’re not already a part of a community just by going. Milspouse mastermind.com/community. All right, friends, I hope you have an amazing week. If you have not already voted, go register. Vote for me for the military Spouse of the Year award. Vote every day between now and February 9th and until next time.

[00:24:33] May you live filled fuel and full of joy.