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MSBA in the media 2013

MSBA in the media 2012

Operations Director, Rikki Winters, interviews with Chris Pape of Macho Spouse to explain what MSBA is and does for military spouses. The video is .

Article written by Chief Marketing Office, Laura St.John, of Imagine Tomorrow. Laura mentions MSBA and MSBA members Shelly Geist and Tashia Webber.

MSBA's partnership with U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes, Military Spouse Business Alliance.

Joanna explaining some of MSBA's resources at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes event:

MSBA in the media 2009

Co-founder, Joanna Williamson, is voted CinCHouse 2009 "Movers and Shakers Awards". The article mentions Joanna's work with MSBA and with the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act.

MSBA in the media 2008

America Supports You: Group Offers Military Spouses Small Business Help

Cinchouse Article appearing 9/23/2008

One resource tailored specifically to women in the military community is the Military Spouse Business Association. Lanette Lepper, one of the association founders, is a Navy wife of seven years and a self-described “stay-at-home mom.” She also owns and operates her own small business from her home, creating, selling and marketing hand-crafted cards. Several years ago, she teamed up with Army wife Rebecca Poynter and Navy wife Joanna Williamson, both of whom are entrepreneurs. Together, they created the MSBA.

“We recognized we needed to pool our experience and create an organization with a two-fold mission,” Lepper said. “We provide support to other military spouse business owners, a lot of whom are at home and unable to interact and network, which is really important to be successful.”

They also created the Red, White and Blue pages, a list of military spouse business owners.

“Spouses and the general public can use it to support military spouse owned businesses,” she said.

In addition to providing business resources, the association offers a member’s forum for discussing start-up questions and lessons learned.

“They can ask each other how to get new customers or what to do in a certain situation,” Lepper said. “We serve as a virtual water cooler.”

The MSBA is now some 300 members strong and growing. Member and Army wife Stacey Abler joined the organization to network as she grew her business, MarriedtotheArmy.com, an online mall of services, shopping and information for Army wives. She knows it can be tough for military spouses to chase their own dreams when so much focus is on their husbands’.

“We get so wrapped up in the fact that our soldiers have little control over their military career that we forget that we do, in fact, have control over our own,” Abler said. “Working for myself has been one of the hardest and most rewarding things I have ever done.”

She encourages other entrepreneurs to persevere.

“There are many resources available, including MSBA,” she said. “Take the chance, be persistent and remember that any failures are only opportunities to learn.”