CAREER PURSUIT 2021

RESOURCES 66 THE MILSPO BUSINESS NETWORK o you want to have your own business? Then look no further… Military life can sometimes be a bit lonely, can’t it? Add running your own business and a pandemic to the equation, and there’s a chance that you will be feeling even more isolated than ever! Thankfully, there’s a growing online community stuffed full of amazing business owners who will always have your back. Milspo is a global network that supports all UK Military SPOs (Spouses, Partners, and Other-halves), to build successful and resilient businesses that can endure and thrive in the nomadic Armed Forces life. The Milspo Network is special in that, whilst its roots are in business support, it also connects our isolated and dispersed community and inspires us to achieve something greater for ourselves. Over the last three years, Milspo has expanded to become a family of over 1,100 members and counting! The secret to our success is that our group is 100%run by SPOs for SPOs. The life of an SPO is a truly unique life which cannot be replicated nor truly empathised with until you live that life – essentially, at Milspo, we get it! If you’re a current SPO, or a widowed, separated or divorcedMilitary SPO and are self-employed or own a business, come join us . "TheMilspoBusinessNetwork is genuinely empowering and a community I am so proud to be part of. It encourages military spouses and their businesses to flourish and provides invaluable support to a talented, passionate, resilient, and courageous group of people, who themselves are inspiring." Emma Randell − Scrumptious Bakes By Emma As you know, more than anyone, Military SPOs face unique challenges not encountered by our civilian counterparts. Armed Forces life means that our families are regularly moved, often with little notice, to different parts of the UK and the world. This makes partner employment and continuity of career almost impossible. Such a transient way of life means that we, as SPOs, often find ourselves separated from our support networks. Because of this, we may find it challenging to find work, which in turn isolates us further and has a detrimental effect on our mental health. Many in our community have found a solution in self-employment. But it is difficult to build a client or customer base when you are forced to move every few years. Valuable business contacts and networks are lost with each posting. If a business fails, it just reinforces feelings of isolation and low self-worth. That is where The Milspo Network comes in. It provides vital support to Military SPO-run businesses, and more than that, it provides a place to belong. The Milspo Network is not your usual business network; it gives the partners of our brave personnel the means to live a better version of our military lives, with greater support, so that, in turn, we can support our serving personnel and the UK’s Defencemission. D “You cannot be who you cannot see.”