September 11, 2025 • 27 mins
Military spouses often face challenges when seeking jobs. They raise their military families while one parent is frequently deployed for months or years at a time. Military members regularly PCS to a different duty station, making it difficult for a spouse to remain employed. Entrepreneurship is a good way for a military spouse to earn some extra money.
Monica Fullerton created Spouse-ly, an online business that spotlights and supports businesses owned by military spouses, transitioning service members and veterans.
Meet this successful entrepreneur and learn more about her business, path to a rewarding career and more in the fourth and final episode of Veteran Entrepreneurs, a special four-part podcast series from The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
Special Guest: Monica Bassett.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Spotlight Veterans Entrepreneurship, a special
series from the American LegionsTal podcast.
I'm your host, Ashley Gorbulcha.In each episode, we sit down
with a veteran or military spouse entrepreneur who is
leading the charge across different industries.
We will explore the challenges, breakthroughs and real stories
(00:21):
behind building a business during and after military
service. In this episode, we explore the
power of community driven commerce.
From side hustles to national product lines, online
marketplaces offer veterans and military spouses a flexible
gateway to entrepreneurship. Our guest, Monica Fullerton,
founder of Spousely, shares how she transformed her personal
(00:43):
need into a powerful e-commerce platform and how the military
connected entrepreneurs came to do the same.
Monica, welcome to the Tanguafilima podcast.
Hey Ashley, thanks so much for having me.
Pleasure. I'm so, so excited.
I've been watching your journey for a very long time now, it
(01:04):
feels like, but I know it's onlybeen a few years that you've
been at it with spousely. And I will go ahead and kick off
the first question if you're ready.
I'm ready all. Right.
So the first question is about origin and identity.
What was the initial spark that led to spousely and was it a
(01:24):
market gap that you would experience first hand or a
deeper drive to build something bigger for yourself?
Yeah, absolutely. So Spously really stemmed from
my own personal frustration and inspiration as a military
spouse. You know, often times we are
faced with the unknown. We're trying to really piece the
(01:45):
puzzle together with frequent cross country moves, really
trying to see, you know, what job might align.
And at the end of the day, it can become very frustrating as
well as feeling like we have to take the backseat on this
journey. And so I was actually headed to
dinner one night with a few fellow military spouses.
And I remember thinking in that car ride alone, there was so
(02:05):
much talent. There was a photographer, a
private investigator, a spouse that made coffee, me that loves
everything business. I've always been the one that's
helping people start and scale businesses.
And I was just thinking, Oh my gosh, if there's that much
talent just in one car ride alone, what does it look like in
our entire community? So I started doing my market
(02:26):
research and I found that there are millions of businesses owned
by our nation's heroes. And I thought that was really,
really incredible. And the biggest piece was
military spouses. Many military spouses were
turning to entrepreneurship to be able to bridge the gap
between doing what you love and living a life on the go.
(02:46):
So that's kind of really what powered me to think, OK, how can
I bring all of these businesses together on one easy platform
for people to shop small and make a big impact?
And that's really when the idea of Spouse Lee was born.
And fun fact, the name Spouse Lee is because I used to always
say to all of my military spousefriends, that's so spousally of
(03:07):
you because they always had a way of really lighting up
somebody's, you know, day and bringing like, you know, a
custom gift or baking something and really just making you feel
like you were just so welcomed and loved.
I love that. That is super cute and I didn't
know the origin story. So now I feel I feel very
special now that I know because I've I'm going to use that.
(03:30):
If you don't mind when I'm like,of course, I've got plenty of
friends who are military spousesthat are still in the service
who have that Dr. entrepreneurship wise and they
want to do something, whether it's their side hustle or be
creative or explore, build upon those talents.
I think you really had a profound moment in a car.
(03:50):
That's amazing. And it sounds like you've have
been around a very talented individuals.
You stated that you've been helping people build businesses
and you've been doing this type of work.
So, you know, when it comes to community commerce, e-commerce
is competitive. Yes, I, let's just, let's just
(04:11):
say it, it's competitive. A lot of people don't
necessarily where to start, but with spousely, you've blended
community and commerce, which I love.
So how do you balance platform growth with nurturing meaningful
vendor relationships? Yes.
Well, at the end of the day, honestly, we are building and
growing from the ground up with our community, with our people.
(04:34):
And I think that that is really powerful because we are building
something that we all want to bea part of.
And when you have that same passion and that same drive to
really help one another grow on this journey, really anything is
possible. And so for us, what we quickly
learned is that our vendors are our customers and our customers
(04:54):
are our vendors. It's the same thing that other
big market places learned early on.
And that's something that you really have to embrace and tap
into and be able to see that when you have an amazing
community of, you know, makers, creators and entrepreneurs, they
really want to share and spread the word with their family, with
their friends, with their neighbors, whoever it might be.
(05:17):
And that is really what powers atype of community based
marketplace. It's truly the power of us, what
we're building together and wordof mouth, honestly, over the
past five years, we've grown by all just word of mouth.
And I think that that's really, really powerful because it goes
to show that it is so much more than just a place to shop.
(05:39):
It has turned into a true entrepreneurial hub.
It's turned into that place where we can really, you know,
come together, come out of our shell, feel empowered, feel feel
like we can be there for one another even though we've never
met each other maybe in person. Or, you know, maybe it's
somebody that's in the Air Forceand somebody that's in the Navy.
And, you know, those two worlds never really collided and now
(06:00):
they do. And now it's a way for just us
to come together and really create that impact driven
marketplace. Outstanding I I commend you I I
I love to hear that word of mouth has been your your number
one marketing tool and I feel that that is very fair
throughout the military connected community.
(06:22):
We love to support one another and you've made it very, you
know, user friendly to go do so.And that I just I absolutely
adore because as we look at how the marketplace is changing, how
AI is coming into the mix, how we're, you know, even inundated
with with ads and things that are constantly marketing to us
(06:46):
to hear that like the, you know,the sage age-old truth is that
like people trust other people. And so the military community
tends to always kind of find itsway through with that.
So with that being said, how hasyour identity as a military
spouse influenced your structureand priorities of your business?
(07:09):
And what would you say to otherswho are feeling maybe stuck or
unsupported and launching their own ventures?
Yeah, I think it all stems back to, you know, my first early
days of becoming a military spouse.
You know, I've always been a very career driven person.
I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I wanted to
build something that was much bigger than myself, something
(07:29):
that made an actual impact. And it really goes back to those
early days where I remember I was going into interview after
interview. I had just finished my master's
in broadcasting and communications, which Ashley,
I'm sure you can totally relate to that piece of everything.
And then, you know, it was really challenging because I
remember thinking there's no wayI can hold a career in
(07:50):
broadcasting or anything with communications because usually
you have to live somewhere for acertain amount of time in order
to build up your career. And really, that's just what it
was like. And so I would go into
interviews and I'm like, do I tell them I'm a military spouse
or do I not tell them I'm a military spouse because I never
wanted it to, you know, get put a wedge in in between my dreams
(08:12):
and my goals. And, you know, at the end of the
day, what I learned is that the more that you continue to put
yourself out there in a way thatalso is very vulnerable, but yet
authentic, the right people willcontinue to come to you.
The right doors will continue toopen.
And so that really is the foundation of what Spousley is
built upon. It's never dim your light.
(08:33):
It's never, you know, feel like you can't do something, which is
part of the reason why our podcast is called I'm Possible.
And it really is about how our community is turning what might
seem impossible into I'm possible because my story is
just one of them. There are so many other stories
where many can relate to where they felt that same feeling of
(08:54):
the unknown. How am I going to continue to
advance? What, how am I going to build
something? How am I going to be able to get
to where I want to go? So at the end of the day,
Spousley has really built on that foundation of we can turn
what might seem impossible into I'm possible.
So that's really been our our main driver and our core
foundation is helping one another continue to get to where
(09:17):
we want to go. And you know, we've just got so
many inspiring military spouse owned businesses, veterans,
service members, Gold Star families, first responder
families. And like I mentioned before,
it's really bringing everybody together to help one another
take that leap. Gives me all the warm and
(09:39):
fuzzies because it's true. It's, it's, it's absolutely true
what you've just said. And the, the priorities are
they're simple at its root, right?
Like you take care of people andpeople will take care of you.
And I really appreciate you making this happen for a
(10:00):
community that doesn't always see the possible, the
possibilities. And so I love that your podcast
is called I'm possible. There's something very powerful
about positive language. I know I'm AI can I will watch
me kind of gal. So I understand completely.
So this is this is this is such a treat to to interview you,
(10:24):
particularly because I have, like I said, I've been watching
even this journey for for five plus years and I can't believe
it's been five years by the. Way I know I can't believe it
either. It's one of those things where
it's like just that roller coaster and you're just kind of
on on board for the ride and youdon't really know what's next,
but you just keep putting your arms and your hands up in the
air just and waving them around like you're just gonna keep
(10:44):
going kind of thing. I, I understand it's the ebb and
flows, the unknowns. It can be very, very scary.
And I know that scaling can alsobe very scary too.
And that was just going to lean into my next question here, But
what was one of the hardest lessons that you learned while
(11:05):
you were scaling spousally, whether that was tech
development, funding, marketing or, you know, I guess we'll just
we'll leave it open to the things you weren't expecting,
but how did you push through those?
Well, there are so many of them,so I don't really know which one
to pick. But I will say really, honestly,
(11:27):
the biggest one is to always go with your gut.
And I think that that sounds so simple and is one of those
things where we overlook it so much.
But at the end of the day, you know, you started this company
for a reason. You have a drive and a mission
that you want to continue fulfilling.
And often times not everybody that comes in your path is going
(11:48):
to fully align with where you are trying to take the company
or the ways that you want to continue to, to really, you
know, advance your values and help other people grow.
And I think the biggest thing is, is we always are seeking
other people's not necessarily approval, but other people to
help us say yes to this or oh, Idefinitely need this in order to
(12:13):
get here. And at the end of the day, when
you really look back to your foundation and to why you
started in the 1st place, that is your guiding light and that
will forever be your guiding light.
And it is tied directly to your gut because you took the leap in
the 1st place. And I, so I, I really think that
the biggest lesson that I've learned is trust yourself.
(12:35):
Stop always seeking approval or support from other people at
different times because you willfall into place on the journey
of what is supposed to be if youalways go with your gut.
And it kind of leads to one of the biggest quotes that I've
been like living by on this journey.
And its growth begins when comfort ends.
(12:57):
And I talk about that all the time because it is so, so true.
We do have to make those scary leaps.
We do have to pivot. We have to, you know, challenge
ourself in new ways. But at the end of the day,
honestly, those challenges and those mistakes that we've made
and maybe we brought the wrong person in or, you know, we
height, we hired something we, you know, we're looking for more
(13:18):
that we wanted out of it. We didn't get the best result at
the end of the day. Those were all learning moments
that allow you to continue pushing forward.
Absolutely. I, I think far too often we, we
share a lot of the good stuff that happens, but a lot of
people really don't know how it's made in the background.
And I think what you've just said is that like every
(13:42):
entrepreneur out there has made mistakes or they have failed
forward, right? They were like, oh, OK, I'm
going to take this Pearl of wisdom that I didn't otherwise
think I needed, but now I have. And I could again, realign back
to that North Star, that guidinglight on what you need to do in
order to ensure that when you'rescaling right or whether that's
(14:04):
the tech piece, you hire the wrong person or the person
doesn't, you know, see eye to eye with you.
To. You know, funding, not everyone
wants to fund without maybe a ulterior motive, right?
Like you got to kind of sniff some of that out, which can be
taxing. And I, I think sometimes we, we
forget like how much is happening on the background
(14:25):
because usually that's years of work behind the scenes before
people really see all of a sudden you kind of hit the
stage. People like, whoa, how did you
do it? And it's like if you knew how
many hours spent trying to figure it out the weekends, you
know, having to having to make sacrifices for family.
(14:45):
I know you have children, you have husband, right?
Like it's, there's a lot that goes into being an entrepreneur,
particularly with this type of e-commerce work that you're
doing. Yeah, I know it's been
bootstrapping since launch and Ithink it goes back to one of
those things where you just kindof keep learning sometimes hard
lessons. But at the end of the day, like,
(15:07):
you know, going fast is not always the best way to get to
where you want to go. And for us, honestly, the impact
has been way more than I ever could have expected when I first
launched Spouse Lee. So it is really just, you know,
showing that you don't necessarily need to follow this
like checklist type item, you know, an entrepreneurship where
(15:29):
you're like, oh, I have to raisecapital in order to get here or
I must, you know, bring in a CTOor I have to have a Co founder
or whatever it might be. There's a lot, a lot of noise
out there when it comes to entrepreneurship.
Just always go with your gut. And that's part of the reason
why, you know, bootstrapping hasgotten us so far is because it
has allowed me to make sure thatI'm taking the time to make sure
(15:51):
we're doing everything in a thoughtful way to, to take those
steps forward. Even though it might be a slow
turtle forward, you know, it's still forward and it's still
making the impact. So.
I, I, honestly, I think bootstrapping is, is a great way
to go because you're right, you get to hold on, have that
autonomy and freedom to make decisions.
(16:12):
Because I, I'm sure you, you know, folks who are in the space
who have, you know, Angel investors or they, they grew too
fast. I see that often.
That is a very real problem, going out too fast.
Yes, and it's and it's always fascinating to me because I'll
I'll see these companies that grow very, very fast.
(16:33):
I'm just like you grow that fast.
Some things break, it's just that's going to happen.
And so, you know, even in like the contracting space, yeah,
certain industries are a lot more prone to it.
And so you're right, there's a lot of noise.
And so the hope with this seriesis to kind of cut through some
(16:55):
of that noise that like, you don't necessarily have to follow
that checklist. There's a lot of, you know,
boots to business there. Again, these are all different
classes that are out there and you can take them and they give
you the road map. But like you've stated, like
sometimes there's just you got to go in a different order in
the order that works for you. Yeah.
(17:16):
And always find like, you know, if you admire someone else's
journey that you know is is already maybe a few years ahead
of you, like really try to reachout to that person, see if
they'll become a mentor because there's no greater advantage on
on this journey then being able to have a really good mentor or
really good support system in that way.
(17:37):
And it all stems from just finding someone that you feel
connected to from their journey.And that's something that was
really important to me is day one of entrepreneurship.
I said I will. I'm always going to share the
real. There's never going to be any
fluff. Yes, we might see, you know, the
features and all the exciting things that we have.
But at the end of the day, I do try to balance it with showing a
(17:57):
lot of the real the behind the scenes because it is not always
sunshine and rainbows. Absolutely there there's a lot
of hours that go in. Like I said, I, I know you know,
so we talked a little bit about like mentors, advising, finding
(18:17):
someone who is a good fit for you.
I'm interested to learn a littlebit about the legacy and vision
component of this. So how would you define success
at this stage of Spously? And what would make you feel
like Spously has left a lasting mark on the military connected
community entrepreneurship ecosystem?
(18:38):
A loaded one. There's a lot of words there,
yeah. So the best part about Spousley
is it's such a beautiful business model because the more
the platform grows, the more it's directly putting funds back
in the pockets of our nation's heroes.
The more our vendors grow, the more the platform grows, the
more that we're able to truly grow together, which is amazing
because oftentimes, you know, you kind of feel like you're
(19:00):
growing on your own or you're not growing fast enough.
And it really gives us the opportunity to help one another
on this journey. And so, so, you know, I would
say the biggest thing with up and coming is we've really
continued to expand in so many different ways.
Like I said before, it's so muchmore than just an online
marketplace. It's an entrepreneurial hub.
(19:22):
We have a ton of resources. We're helping our vendors.
We have vendors that never even thought they were going to
launch a business. And then they heard about
Spousley and they'll share stories with us where they feel
so comfortable now to finally take that leap into maybe, you
know, turning up passion into anactual online business.
So I will say the biggest impactpiece is knowing that no matter
(19:46):
what we do, even if it's Spouslyor if it's us as individuals,
it's always helping and benefiting someone else.
Because if you think about it, if you are a shop owner on
Spously, like I said before, you're going and you're telling
your friends and your family. Well, the best part about that
is now you've got them coming tothe site looking at your
(20:07):
business, but now they're exploring.
Other businesses too. And that's really what continues
moving the needle forward. And a big area that we've
expanded in and we have some biglaunches coming up is really on
the B to B side of things too. We have a lot of wholesale and
corporate gifting opportunities that are happening, which is
amazing because now companies are coming to spousely and
(20:30):
they're working with us to source these really big orders
from our vendors. So now in instead of a vendor
getting a $50 order, they're getting a $5000 order.
And that's like, I mean, that isincredible.
That is something that I never really even thought of when I
was launching it. I was just thinking like, Oh my
gosh, you know, direct to consumer, this will be great.
(20:50):
So we have these like natural ways of expanding and while we
are expanding, our community is expanding with us.
So that's one of the biggest areas.
And then really being able to amplify our vendor stories, like
I said through our podcast, really talking about, you know,
the journey of entrepreneurship,because at the end of the day,
(21:13):
there's so many places to shop, there's so many products and
services out there. But if you really truly get to
know why someone started their business and what this business
means to them, that is where thepower is AT and that is where we
can make our hard earned dollarsgo so much further.
So I don't know if that fully answered your question, but feel
free to ask me like a little bitmore in depth of which one,
(21:37):
which area. You've hit a lot of really
important topics and I've encouraged listeners and viewers
to, to check out her website or Monica's website, excuse me, but
when you're there and I did see the corporate game and I'm so
glad that you you mentioned it because I was curious if we were
going to talk about that. And you're right like to go from
(22:00):
like a couple $100 or like $50.00 in orders to getting
that. That is life.
Changing, yes, that is. Life changing for somebody
because it's incredibly validating and the fact that we
know that there's a lot of corporate social responsibility
out there that values veterans in our communities.
Because I like I said, it was onthe website and I was like, Oh
(22:22):
my gosh, this would be so cute for like gift baskets or for
these like group gifts that are,that are accustomed to my
veteran employees. And I thought, you're right.
Like, as we're talking about vision and legacy, you're
leaning into an opportunity now to watch these folks
exponentially grow past what they ever thought they were
capable of. Absolutely.
(22:43):
And do what they love. And it's so, so important.
And I know you also had the spousal you, you went through
like it was sellers, podcasts, corporate giving.
But I know you have spousal you.So I wanted to at least let you
plug for that because I know this is something I'm really
proud of. Spousal U is so amazing.
It was an idea that we had a fewyears ago and thankfully USA
(23:07):
kind of helped us really bring it to life.
It's powered by them and really being able to put resources
together. So that way it's not only for
vendors that need help maybe setting up their shop or
learning about marketing or taxes or anything like that.
It's also available to those that are not vendors.
So it could be any, you know, small business owner that is
like, oh, I really need a resource for this.
(23:28):
It allows us to really continue to expand in a way that we love
most and that is empowering and supporting, you know, people
that are on the start of their their small business journey, or
maybe they've already been in business for a few years.
But knowing that they just have,you know, everything that that
they need on this journey easilyavailable, knowing that they can
(23:50):
reach out to us and we can help point them, you know, in the
right direction of resources. So Spously You has been a really
great addition to not only helping our vendors grow on
Spously, but also those outside too that are looking for
resources. Outstanding now standing No,
it's it's wonderful and I'm I'm happy to hear that USA came
(24:13):
through and was like yes. Yeah, it was, they've been an
amazing, you know, partner of ours.
And, and really at the end of the day, as you know, it's it's
really helping one another amplify, you know, our missions,
amplifying what we're doing because, you know, Spousley is
definitely proof that when everybody comes together like
this is what we can continue making an impact.
(24:33):
And you know, same with you guys.
There's just so much opportunityavailable when we align.
Absolutely. And I, you know, I couldn't
think of a more positive note toend on, particularly now that
we've talked about your vision, the legacy, the impact.
We know that entrepreneurship isnot for the faint of heart, but
(24:55):
for the strong hearted who want to continue and make a
difference. And I am very inspired by your
journey. It's like I said, it's hard to
believe it's only been five years.
I feel like you've been around alot longer with the level of
impact that you have made Monica.
So I just, I want to give you asmany kudos as possible today and
also for coming on to the Tangwafa Lima podcast and
(25:18):
sharing your story. I appreciate you having me and
it's been, it's been wonderful. And that's kind of, it's funny,
you kind of touched on somethingthat I love to throw in there
really fast. And it was, you know, people
that that was feedback I was getting.
The first year of launching Spousley was, Oh my gosh, I
thought, you know, Spousley looks like it's been around
forever. Like the branding is so great,
(25:38):
the site is wonderful. And I'll never forget.
I was like, no, no, no, we just launched.
We need all the support that we can get.
Please share and spread the word.
So that's a tip that I always tell entrepreneurs is don't try
to make it look perfect. Let people be a part of your
journey because that is one of the biggest things that I felt
(25:59):
like in the first year your business that I was trying to
make everything so perfect and you want it to really like, you
know, look and feel a certain way.
But people love being a part of the journey.
So thank you Ashley for being a part of the journey with us.
Thanks for being a supporter andjust I absolutely love
everything that you guys are doing.
We appreciate you very much, Monica.
(26:19):
We thank you for joining us today and we appreciate the
insight and for all of our alphas out there, thank you for
joining us for this episode as we spotlight veteran
entrepreneurship. If you found our conversation
today valuable, be sure to follow the American Legions
Tango off Lima podcast, share this episode and check out
additional resources at legion.org.
(26:42):
We will, of course, as always, have show notes and we'll be
providing Monica's information with spousely.
But please like, subscribe and drop us, of course, a rating on
the show, Apple podcast, Spotifyor wherever you're listening.
Until then, keep building boldly.
Welcome to Spotlight Veterans Entrepreneurship, a special
series from the American LegionsTal podcast.
I'm your host, Ashley Gorbulcha.In each episode, we sit down
with a veteran or military spouse entrepreneur who is
leading the charge across different industries.
We will explore the challenges, breakthroughs and real stories
(00:21):
behind building a business during and after military
service. In this episode, we explore the
power of community driven commerce.
From side hustles to national product lines, online
marketplaces offer veterans and military spouses a flexible
gateway to entrepreneurship. Our guest, Monica Fullerton,
founder of Spousely, shares how she transformed her personal
(00:43):
need into a powerful e-commerce platform and how the military
connected entrepreneurs came to do the same.
Monica, welcome to the Tanguafilima podcast.
Hey Ashley, thanks so much for having me.
Pleasure. I'm so, so excited.
I've been watching your journey for a very long time now, it
(01:04):
feels like, but I know it's onlybeen a few years that you've
been at it with spousely. And I will go ahead and kick off
the first question if you're ready.
I'm ready all. Right.
So the first question is about origin and identity.
What was the initial spark that led to spousely and was it a
(01:24):
market gap that you would experience first hand or a
deeper drive to build something bigger for yourself?
Yeah, absolutely. So Spously really stemmed from
my own personal frustration and inspiration as a military
spouse. You know, often times we are
faced with the unknown. We're trying to really piece the
(01:45):
puzzle together with frequent cross country moves, really
trying to see, you know, what job might align.
And at the end of the day, it can become very frustrating as
well as feeling like we have to take the backseat on this
journey. And so I was actually headed to
dinner one night with a few fellow military spouses.
And I remember thinking in that car ride alone, there was so
(02:05):
much talent. There was a photographer, a
private investigator, a spouse that made coffee, me that loves
everything business. I've always been the one that's
helping people start and scale businesses.
And I was just thinking, Oh my gosh, if there's that much
talent just in one car ride alone, what does it look like in
our entire community? So I started doing my market
(02:26):
research and I found that there are millions of businesses owned
by our nation's heroes. And I thought that was really,
really incredible. And the biggest piece was
military spouses. Many military spouses were
turning to entrepreneurship to be able to bridge the gap
between doing what you love and living a life on the go.
(02:46):
So that's kind of really what powered me to think, OK, how can
I bring all of these businesses together on one easy platform
for people to shop small and make a big impact?
And that's really when the idea of Spouse Lee was born.
And fun fact, the name Spouse Lee is because I used to always
say to all of my military spousefriends, that's so spousally of
(03:07):
you because they always had a way of really lighting up
somebody's, you know, day and bringing like, you know, a
custom gift or baking something and really just making you feel
like you were just so welcomed and loved.
I love that. That is super cute and I didn't
know the origin story. So now I feel I feel very
special now that I know because I've I'm going to use that.
(03:30):
If you don't mind when I'm like,of course, I've got plenty of
friends who are military spousesthat are still in the service
who have that Dr. entrepreneurship wise and they
want to do something, whether it's their side hustle or be
creative or explore, build upon those talents.
I think you really had a profound moment in a car.
(03:50):
That's amazing. And it sounds like you've have
been around a very talented individuals.
You stated that you've been helping people build businesses
and you've been doing this type of work.
So, you know, when it comes to community commerce, e-commerce
is competitive. Yes, I, let's just, let's just
(04:11):
say it, it's competitive. A lot of people don't
necessarily where to start, but with spousely, you've blended
community and commerce, which I love.
So how do you balance platform growth with nurturing meaningful
vendor relationships? Yes.
Well, at the end of the day, honestly, we are building and
growing from the ground up with our community, with our people.
(04:34):
And I think that that is really powerful because we are building
something that we all want to bea part of.
And when you have that same passion and that same drive to
really help one another grow on this journey, really anything is
possible. And so for us, what we quickly
learned is that our vendors are our customers and our customers
(04:54):
are our vendors. It's the same thing that other
big market places learned early on.
And that's something that you really have to embrace and tap
into and be able to see that when you have an amazing
community of, you know, makers, creators and entrepreneurs, they
really want to share and spread the word with their family, with
their friends, with their neighbors, whoever it might be.
(05:17):
And that is really what powers atype of community based
marketplace. It's truly the power of us, what
we're building together and wordof mouth, honestly, over the
past five years, we've grown by all just word of mouth.
And I think that that's really, really powerful because it goes
to show that it is so much more than just a place to shop.
(05:39):
It has turned into a true entrepreneurial hub.
It's turned into that place where we can really, you know,
come together, come out of our shell, feel empowered, feel feel
like we can be there for one another even though we've never
met each other maybe in person. Or, you know, maybe it's
somebody that's in the Air Forceand somebody that's in the Navy.
And, you know, those two worlds never really collided and now
(06:00):
they do. And now it's a way for just us
to come together and really create that impact driven
marketplace. Outstanding I I commend you I I
I love to hear that word of mouth has been your your number
one marketing tool and I feel that that is very fair
throughout the military connected community.
(06:22):
We love to support one another and you've made it very, you
know, user friendly to go do so.And that I just I absolutely
adore because as we look at how the marketplace is changing, how
AI is coming into the mix, how we're, you know, even inundated
with with ads and things that are constantly marketing to us
(06:46):
to hear that like the, you know,the sage age-old truth is that
like people trust other people. And so the military community
tends to always kind of find itsway through with that.
So with that being said, how hasyour identity as a military
spouse influenced your structureand priorities of your business?
(07:09):
And what would you say to otherswho are feeling maybe stuck or
unsupported and launching their own ventures?
Yeah, I think it all stems back to, you know, my first early
days of becoming a military spouse.
You know, I've always been a very career driven person.
I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I wanted to
build something that was much bigger than myself, something
(07:29):
that made an actual impact. And it really goes back to those
early days where I remember I was going into interview after
interview. I had just finished my master's
in broadcasting and communications, which Ashley,
I'm sure you can totally relate to that piece of everything.
And then, you know, it was really challenging because I
remember thinking there's no wayI can hold a career in
(07:50):
broadcasting or anything with communications because usually
you have to live somewhere for acertain amount of time in order
to build up your career. And really, that's just what it
was like. And so I would go into
interviews and I'm like, do I tell them I'm a military spouse
or do I not tell them I'm a military spouse because I never
wanted it to, you know, get put a wedge in in between my dreams
(08:12):
and my goals. And, you know, at the end of the
day, what I learned is that the more that you continue to put
yourself out there in a way thatalso is very vulnerable, but yet
authentic, the right people willcontinue to come to you.
The right doors will continue toopen.
And so that really is the foundation of what Spousley is
built upon. It's never dim your light.
(08:33):
It's never, you know, feel like you can't do something, which is
part of the reason why our podcast is called I'm Possible.
And it really is about how our community is turning what might
seem impossible into I'm possible because my story is
just one of them. There are so many other stories
where many can relate to where they felt that same feeling of
(08:54):
the unknown. How am I going to continue to
advance? What, how am I going to build
something? How am I going to be able to get
to where I want to go? So at the end of the day,
Spousley has really built on that foundation of we can turn
what might seem impossible into I'm possible.
So that's really been our our main driver and our core
foundation is helping one another continue to get to where
(09:17):
we want to go. And you know, we've just got so
many inspiring military spouse owned businesses, veterans,
service members, Gold Star families, first responder
families. And like I mentioned before,
it's really bringing everybody together to help one another
take that leap. Gives me all the warm and
(09:39):
fuzzies because it's true. It's, it's, it's absolutely true
what you've just said. And the, the priorities are
they're simple at its root, right?
Like you take care of people andpeople will take care of you.
And I really appreciate you making this happen for a
(10:00):
community that doesn't always see the possible, the
possibilities. And so I love that your podcast
is called I'm possible. There's something very powerful
about positive language. I know I'm AI can I will watch
me kind of gal. So I understand completely.
So this is this is this is such a treat to to interview you,
(10:24):
particularly because I have, like I said, I've been watching
even this journey for for five plus years and I can't believe
it's been five years by the. Way I know I can't believe it
either. It's one of those things where
it's like just that roller coaster and you're just kind of
on on board for the ride and youdon't really know what's next,
but you just keep putting your arms and your hands up in the
air just and waving them around like you're just gonna keep
(10:44):
going kind of thing. I, I understand it's the ebb and
flows, the unknowns. It can be very, very scary.
And I know that scaling can alsobe very scary too.
And that was just going to lean into my next question here, But
what was one of the hardest lessons that you learned while
(11:05):
you were scaling spousally, whether that was tech
development, funding, marketing or, you know, I guess we'll just
we'll leave it open to the things you weren't expecting,
but how did you push through those?
Well, there are so many of them,so I don't really know which one
to pick. But I will say really, honestly,
(11:27):
the biggest one is to always go with your gut.
And I think that that sounds so simple and is one of those
things where we overlook it so much.
But at the end of the day, you know, you started this company
for a reason. You have a drive and a mission
that you want to continue fulfilling.
And often times not everybody that comes in your path is going
(11:48):
to fully align with where you are trying to take the company
or the ways that you want to continue to, to really, you
know, advance your values and help other people grow.
And I think the biggest thing is, is we always are seeking
other people's not necessarily approval, but other people to
help us say yes to this or oh, Idefinitely need this in order to
(12:13):
get here. And at the end of the day, when
you really look back to your foundation and to why you
started in the 1st place, that is your guiding light and that
will forever be your guiding light.
And it is tied directly to your gut because you took the leap in
the 1st place. And I, so I, I really think that
the biggest lesson that I've learned is trust yourself.
(12:35):
Stop always seeking approval or support from other people at
different times because you willfall into place on the journey
of what is supposed to be if youalways go with your gut.
And it kind of leads to one of the biggest quotes that I've
been like living by on this journey.
And its growth begins when comfort ends.
(12:57):
And I talk about that all the time because it is so, so true.
We do have to make those scary leaps.
We do have to pivot. We have to, you know, challenge
ourself in new ways. But at the end of the day,
honestly, those challenges and those mistakes that we've made
and maybe we brought the wrong person in or, you know, we
height, we hired something we, you know, we're looking for more
(13:18):
that we wanted out of it. We didn't get the best result at
the end of the day. Those were all learning moments
that allow you to continue pushing forward.
Absolutely. I, I think far too often we, we
share a lot of the good stuff that happens, but a lot of
people really don't know how it's made in the background.
And I think what you've just said is that like every
(13:42):
entrepreneur out there has made mistakes or they have failed
forward, right? They were like, oh, OK, I'm
going to take this Pearl of wisdom that I didn't otherwise
think I needed, but now I have. And I could again, realign back
to that North Star, that guidinglight on what you need to do in
order to ensure that when you'rescaling right or whether that's
(14:04):
the tech piece, you hire the wrong person or the person
doesn't, you know, see eye to eye with you.
To. You know, funding, not everyone
wants to fund without maybe a ulterior motive, right?
Like you got to kind of sniff some of that out, which can be
taxing. And I, I think sometimes we, we
forget like how much is happening on the background
(14:25):
because usually that's years of work behind the scenes before
people really see all of a sudden you kind of hit the
stage. People like, whoa, how did you
do it? And it's like if you knew how
many hours spent trying to figure it out the weekends, you
know, having to having to make sacrifices for family.
(14:45):
I know you have children, you have husband, right?
Like it's, there's a lot that goes into being an entrepreneur,
particularly with this type of e-commerce work that you're
doing. Yeah, I know it's been
bootstrapping since launch and Ithink it goes back to one of
those things where you just kindof keep learning sometimes hard
lessons. But at the end of the day, like,
(15:07):
you know, going fast is not always the best way to get to
where you want to go. And for us, honestly, the impact
has been way more than I ever could have expected when I first
launched Spouse Lee. So it is really just, you know,
showing that you don't necessarily need to follow this
like checklist type item, you know, an entrepreneurship where
(15:29):
you're like, oh, I have to raisecapital in order to get here or
I must, you know, bring in a CTOor I have to have a Co founder
or whatever it might be. There's a lot, a lot of noise
out there when it comes to entrepreneurship.
Just always go with your gut. And that's part of the reason
why, you know, bootstrapping hasgotten us so far is because it
has allowed me to make sure thatI'm taking the time to make sure
(15:51):
we're doing everything in a thoughtful way to, to take those
steps forward. Even though it might be a slow
turtle forward, you know, it's still forward and it's still
making the impact. So.
I, I, honestly, I think bootstrapping is, is a great way
to go because you're right, you get to hold on, have that
autonomy and freedom to make decisions.
(16:12):
Because I, I'm sure you, you know, folks who are in the space
who have, you know, Angel investors or they, they grew too
fast. I see that often.
That is a very real problem, going out too fast.
Yes, and it's and it's always fascinating to me because I'll
I'll see these companies that grow very, very fast.
(16:33):
I'm just like you grow that fast.
Some things break, it's just that's going to happen.
And so, you know, even in like the contracting space, yeah,
certain industries are a lot more prone to it.
And so you're right, there's a lot of noise.
And so the hope with this seriesis to kind of cut through some
(16:55):
of that noise that like, you don't necessarily have to follow
that checklist. There's a lot of, you know,
boots to business there. Again, these are all different
classes that are out there and you can take them and they give
you the road map. But like you've stated, like
sometimes there's just you got to go in a different order in
the order that works for you. Yeah.
(17:16):
And always find like, you know, if you admire someone else's
journey that you know is is already maybe a few years ahead
of you, like really try to reachout to that person, see if
they'll become a mentor because there's no greater advantage on
on this journey then being able to have a really good mentor or
really good support system in that way.
(17:37):
And it all stems from just finding someone that you feel
connected to from their journey.And that's something that was
really important to me is day one of entrepreneurship.
I said I will. I'm always going to share the
real. There's never going to be any
fluff. Yes, we might see, you know, the
features and all the exciting things that we have.
But at the end of the day, I do try to balance it with showing a
(17:57):
lot of the real the behind the scenes because it is not always
sunshine and rainbows. Absolutely there there's a lot
of hours that go in. Like I said, I, I know you know,
so we talked a little bit about like mentors, advising, finding
(18:17):
someone who is a good fit for you.
I'm interested to learn a littlebit about the legacy and vision
component of this. So how would you define success
at this stage of Spously? And what would make you feel
like Spously has left a lasting mark on the military connected
community entrepreneurship ecosystem?
(18:38):
A loaded one. There's a lot of words there,
yeah. So the best part about Spousley
is it's such a beautiful business model because the more
the platform grows, the more it's directly putting funds back
in the pockets of our nation's heroes.
The more our vendors grow, the more the platform grows, the
more that we're able to truly grow together, which is amazing
because oftentimes, you know, you kind of feel like you're
(19:00):
growing on your own or you're not growing fast enough.
And it really gives us the opportunity to help one another
on this journey. And so, so, you know, I would
say the biggest thing with up and coming is we've really
continued to expand in so many different ways.
Like I said before, it's so muchmore than just an online
marketplace. It's an entrepreneurial hub.
(19:22):
We have a ton of resources. We're helping our vendors.
We have vendors that never even thought they were going to
launch a business. And then they heard about
Spousley and they'll share stories with us where they feel
so comfortable now to finally take that leap into maybe, you
know, turning up passion into anactual online business.
So I will say the biggest impactpiece is knowing that no matter
(19:46):
what we do, even if it's Spouslyor if it's us as individuals,
it's always helping and benefiting someone else.
Because if you think about it, if you are a shop owner on
Spously, like I said before, you're going and you're telling
your friends and your family. Well, the best part about that
is now you've got them coming tothe site looking at your
(20:07):
business, but now they're exploring.
Other businesses too. And that's really what continues
moving the needle forward. And a big area that we've
expanded in and we have some biglaunches coming up is really on
the B to B side of things too. We have a lot of wholesale and
corporate gifting opportunities that are happening, which is
amazing because now companies are coming to spousely and
(20:30):
they're working with us to source these really big orders
from our vendors. So now in instead of a vendor
getting a $50 order, they're getting a $5000 order.
And that's like, I mean, that isincredible.
That is something that I never really even thought of when I
was launching it. I was just thinking like, Oh my
gosh, you know, direct to consumer, this will be great.
(20:50):
So we have these like natural ways of expanding and while we
are expanding, our community is expanding with us.
So that's one of the biggest areas.
And then really being able to amplify our vendor stories, like
I said through our podcast, really talking about, you know,
the journey of entrepreneurship,because at the end of the day,
(21:13):
there's so many places to shop, there's so many products and
services out there. But if you really truly get to
know why someone started their business and what this business
means to them, that is where thepower is AT and that is where we
can make our hard earned dollarsgo so much further.
So I don't know if that fully answered your question, but feel
free to ask me like a little bitmore in depth of which one,
(21:37):
which area. You've hit a lot of really
important topics and I've encouraged listeners and viewers
to, to check out her website or Monica's website, excuse me, but
when you're there and I did see the corporate game and I'm so
glad that you you mentioned it because I was curious if we were
going to talk about that. And you're right like to go from
(22:00):
like a couple $100 or like $50.00 in orders to getting
that. That is life.
Changing, yes, that is. Life changing for somebody
because it's incredibly validating and the fact that we
know that there's a lot of corporate social responsibility
out there that values veterans in our communities.
Because I like I said, it was onthe website and I was like, Oh
(22:22):
my gosh, this would be so cute for like gift baskets or for
these like group gifts that are,that are accustomed to my
veteran employees. And I thought, you're right.
Like, as we're talking about vision and legacy, you're
leaning into an opportunity now to watch these folks
exponentially grow past what they ever thought they were
capable of. Absolutely.
(22:43):
And do what they love. And it's so, so important.
And I know you also had the spousal you, you went through
like it was sellers, podcasts, corporate giving.
But I know you have spousal you.So I wanted to at least let you
plug for that because I know this is something I'm really
proud of. Spousal U is so amazing.
It was an idea that we had a fewyears ago and thankfully USA
(23:07):
kind of helped us really bring it to life.
It's powered by them and really being able to put resources
together. So that way it's not only for
vendors that need help maybe setting up their shop or
learning about marketing or taxes or anything like that.
It's also available to those that are not vendors.
So it could be any, you know, small business owner that is
like, oh, I really need a resource for this.
(23:28):
It allows us to really continue to expand in a way that we love
most and that is empowering and supporting, you know, people
that are on the start of their their small business journey, or
maybe they've already been in business for a few years.
But knowing that they just have,you know, everything that that
they need on this journey easilyavailable, knowing that they can
(23:50):
reach out to us and we can help point them, you know, in the
right direction of resources. So Spously You has been a really
great addition to not only helping our vendors grow on
Spously, but also those outside too that are looking for
resources. Outstanding now standing No,
it's it's wonderful and I'm I'm happy to hear that USA came
(24:13):
through and was like yes. Yeah, it was, they've been an
amazing, you know, partner of ours.
And, and really at the end of the day, as you know, it's it's
really helping one another amplify, you know, our missions,
amplifying what we're doing because, you know, Spousley is
definitely proof that when everybody comes together like
this is what we can continue making an impact.
(24:33):
And you know, same with you guys.
There's just so much opportunityavailable when we align.
Absolutely. And I, you know, I couldn't
think of a more positive note toend on, particularly now that
we've talked about your vision, the legacy, the impact.
We know that entrepreneurship isnot for the faint of heart, but
(24:55):
for the strong hearted who want to continue and make a
difference. And I am very inspired by your
journey. It's like I said, it's hard to
believe it's only been five years.
I feel like you've been around alot longer with the level of
impact that you have made Monica.
So I just, I want to give you asmany kudos as possible today and
also for coming on to the Tangwafa Lima podcast and
(25:18):
sharing your story. I appreciate you having me and
it's been, it's been wonderful. And that's kind of, it's funny,
you kind of touched on somethingthat I love to throw in there
really fast. And it was, you know, people
that that was feedback I was getting.
The first year of launching Spousley was, Oh my gosh, I
thought, you know, Spousley looks like it's been around
forever. Like the branding is so great,
(25:38):
the site is wonderful. And I'll never forget.
I was like, no, no, no, we just launched.
We need all the support that we can get.
Please share and spread the word.
So that's a tip that I always tell entrepreneurs is don't try
to make it look perfect. Let people be a part of your
journey because that is one of the biggest things that I felt
(25:59):
like in the first year your business that I was trying to
make everything so perfect and you want it to really like, you
know, look and feel a certain way.
But people love being a part of the journey.
So thank you Ashley for being a part of the journey with us.
Thanks for being a supporter andjust I absolutely love
everything that you guys are doing.
We appreciate you very much, Monica.
(26:19):
We thank you for joining us today and we appreciate the
insight and for all of our alphas out there, thank you for
joining us for this episode as we spotlight veteran
entrepreneurship. If you found our conversation
today valuable, be sure to follow the American Legions
Tango off Lima podcast, share this episode and check out
additional resources at legion.org.
(26:42):
We will, of course, as always, have show notes and we'll be
providing Monica's information with spousely.
But please like, subscribe and drop us, of course, a rating on
the show, Apple podcast, Spotifyor wherever you're listening.
Until then, keep building boldly.
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