15 Lucrative Business Ideas For Military Spouses

15 Lucrative Business Ideas For Military Spouses

Looking to start a business as military spouse but not quite sure what to start?



The good news is, there are so many opportunities to become an entrepreneur and build an innovative product/service in this line of work.



If you're looking to start your own business as military spouse, there are several low-capital options you can choose from.



We put a list together below of the most profitable business ideas as military spouses you can start today!



Here they are:



1. Become a virtual assistant ($12K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$1,000 — $850,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$4,289
Time To Revenue
180 days
Skills
Business model

Julmar Grace Locsin from Davao City, Davao del Sur, Philippines started FVA Business Consultancy ago, a virtual assistant.

  • Revenue: $1,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 14
  • Location: Davao City, Davao del Sur, Philippines

Case Study

Ten years ago, my husband and I were working in an office set-up. Due to a mix of struggles experienced, my husband and I decided to quit our job and transition into freelancing. The transition phase was difficult since we didn't have the facilities needed like a computer and internet connection. We worked in an internet cafe for the first month of our freelancing career until we bought our personal computer and had our internet connection.

We had experience downtime in our new career at first, but we grow and learn from our mistakes as we go along. Freelancing changed the quality of our lives, our family, and so with our marriage. We embrace these benefits to realize that if mothers can work at home, they can earn while taking care of their family.

Another thing is the overseas workers. They have been working far from their family to make a living. Those who are exhausted and feel unproductive because of many circumstances like long hours of commute eat a lot of their time, endangering their work-life balance. These are a few of our realizations why we come up with putting Filipino Virtual Assistance. Because we know how difficult it is to work far from our family, we want to empower Filipino families, one freelancer at a time. We want to provide our graduates an avenue to earn dollars at their homes' comfort, without the hassle of traffic, toxicity of the environment, and an excellent opportunity for those who never got the chance to go to College.

on-starting-a-business-training-virtual-assistants

2. Start a sewing and alteration business ($12K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
Skills

Saara Hafeez from New York, New York, USA started ALTRD almost 5 years ago, a sewing and alteration business.

  • Revenue: $1,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0
  • Location: New York, New York, USA

Case Study

We’ve been friends for awhile - we met right out of college in New York and stayed close even though we took fairly different professional paths.

Saara worked in the corporate world for a number of years before moving to Mexico where she launched a jewelry business aimed at rehabilitating sex trafficking survivors. Stephanie was a business consultant before going to law school and becoming a corporate lawyer; along the way, she launched an argan oil company that empowers women in Morocco.

these-two-founders-started-an-on-demand-clothing-alterations-startup

3. Start a consulting business ($300K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$100 — $2,500,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$7,739
Skills

Akhil Suresh Nair from Boston, MA, USA started Xena Intelligence over 2 years ago, a consulting business.

  • Revenue: $25,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 3
  • Location: Boston, MA, USA

Case Study

I had a couple of years of experience working for a large corporation back in India. I genuinely felt that I was just a cog in the wheel and that whatever I did had little to no impact in the real world.

We were at a crossroads at that time – filled with constant self-doubt about the career path we wanted to take. We could have easily applied for corporate jobs in the US or in India, but we chose to follow our hearts by continuing to work in our consulting business.

I reached out to a few small businesses I had developed good relationships during my corporate career and started helping them out on developing marketing strategy to scale their businesses and also to instill robust operational efficiencies in their business processes. I realized that I was able to add considerable value to their businesses and that I felt a sense of satisfaction in being able to make their lives better. I soon started consulting for over 20 small businesses in India.

how-two-friends-from-india-bootstrapped-a-management-consulting-business

4. Start a tutoring business ($1.2M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$1,000 — $375,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$1,723
Time Commitment Per Week
Min. 5 hours/week
Skills
Interests

Adam Shlomi from Miami, FL, USA started SoFlo Tutors about 4 years ago, a tutoring business.

  • Revenue: $100,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 2
  • Location: Miami, FL, USA

Case Study

I come from an entrepreneurial family. My father works for himself and my maternal grandfather started a clothing factory. Working for myself has always been encouraged by my family, but before I could get started, I needed to learn a skill. At Georgetown, I study international politics and business. Most students with these backgrounds go on to work at prestigious firms like J.P. Morgan. I really didn’t know what kind of business I could start, and frankly, planned to work as a (boring) data analyst after graduation.

If you have an idea but don’t have the knowledge to execute, use that idea as motivation and go learn how to turn your vision into reality.

Tutoring first came to mind because I had spent significant time working for other tutoring companies and cutting my teeth/learning how the industry works during my teen years. I first started tutoring when I was 15. I was hired by College Experts, a local test prep center in Davie, Florida. My first student was three years older than me, and I spent our first session teaching him how to use his calculator rather than trying to explain any complicated formulas. Being a student myself, I was able to bring a student’s perspective to tutoring. I worked for College Experts until my senior year of high school when I began tutoring on my own and finding clients on Craigslist.

how-i-started-a-15k-month-sat-tutoring-business-while-in-college

5. Start a hair salon ($6.6M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$550,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$69,939
Time To Revenue
240 days
Skills
Business model

Chelle Neff from Austin, Texas, USA started Urban Betty about 18 years ago, a hair salon.

  • Revenue: $550,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 64
  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Case Study

I was led to this career path as a business owner from my sheer motivation to do better in my life than what I had grown up with. My parents had me when they were teenagers and we lived meagerly while I was young.

I knew that if I wanted to go to college, I would need to find a way to pay for it myself along with my cost of living. I naturally had a knack for doing hair and art, so when I was 16, I had the chance to enroll in cosmetology school while in high school, and by 18, I was fully licensed. This was much more affordable for me than the traditional college route, so that’s what led me to pursue it.

When I received my license in 1995, I started working behind the chair at Supercuts. I slowly worked my way up the ladder to high-end salons. Five years later, I got a small suite at the Gallery of Salons and was an independent contractor. That was my initial stepping stone to running my own business.

how-i-went-from-hairstylist-to-running-my-own-3-3m-salon-business

6. Start an apparel boutique

How Much Can You Make?
$3,000 — $660,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$1,000
Skills

Examples of a successful apparel boutique:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a apparel boutique:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an apparel boutique ➜

Case Study

Hi! I’m Emily, and I founded Bravery Co. in 2016. Bravery Co. is a company and community that supports chicks with cancer. We create Australia’s only range of designer headwear for cancer warriors with $2 from each scarf donated to cancer research to end this stupid disease.

On average, we make 3-5K profit a month, but this is always put back into the business. (Definitely no superyacht story here yet!)

surviving-cancer-inspired-me-to-start-a-headwear-brand-that-empowers-women

7. Start a grocery store

Examples of a successful grocery store:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a grocery store:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a grocery store ➜

8. Start a cosmetic store ($102K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$8,500 — $490,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$800
Skills

Examples of a successful cosmetic store :

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a cosmetic store :

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a cosmetic store ➜

Case Study

My name is Alexis Evans aka Da Mademoiselle. I am a native of South Florida who has started a cosmetic and skincare company named FBI Cosmetics d/b/a Flawlessly Beautiful Individual in the middle of a pandemic.

I am also the owner of Boss Talk Expo an annual expo and conference company. I branched out into the beauty industry, I started FBI Cosmetics off with just lipsticks and have progressed into the skincare business in December. I have grossed over $62,000 in sales. People ask where the name comes from and I tell people “it’s a crime to be so damn beautiful.”

how-i-started-a-8-5k-month-cosmetics-brand

9. Start a drinks retailing business

How Much Can You Make?
$4,500 — $200,000,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful drinks retailing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a drinks retailing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a drinks retailing business ➜

Case Study

Hello, my name is Harris Derner and I am the co-founder of Brine Brothers, an All-Natural Premium Brine company. I started Brine Brothers in 2016 with my friend of 25+ years, Michael Belicose. Our current products are all-natural, drinkable pickle brines; ‘Darn Good Dill’ - the classic for pickle lovers and ‘Chili Cherry Fire’ - for those who like it hot. Pickle ‘brine’ (also referred to as pickle ‘juice’) is the liquid solution that transforms cucumbers into pickles.

how-we-launched-a-viral-pickle-juice-to-cure-our-hangovers

10. Start a beauty parlour business

Examples of a successful beauty parlour business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a beauty parlour business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a beauty parlour business ➜

11. Start a crèche business

Examples of a successful crèche business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a crèche business ➜

12. Start a perfume business

How Much Can You Make?
$19,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$2,000
Skills

Examples of a successful perfume business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a perfume business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a perfume business ➜

Case Study

Hi, my name is Rafael Hernandez and I am the founder of Alfred Lane. I have a line of personal and home fragrances handcrafted in small batches out of our Miami studio. I began selling solid colognes initially as an alternative to spray colognes and released three fragrances.

The business generates $19k a month in revenue. In 2020, the company had its best year ever. I opened a production studio where we make everything and hired a studio assistant all within the last 5 months. It’s been more than 8 years since I started and the journey has been a wild one.

how-i-started-a-19k-month-personal-and-home-fragrances-brand

13. Start an ice block making and selling business

Examples of a successful ice block making and selling business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a ice block making and selling business:

Learn more about starting an ice block making and selling business ➜

article

14. Start a child care business

Average Initial Investment
$100,000
Time To Revenue
180 days
Skills
Business model

Examples of a successful child care business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a child care business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a child care business ➜

article

15. Start a frozen foods business

How Much Can You Make?
$8,333,333/month
Skills

Examples of a successful frozen foods business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a frozen foods business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a frozen foods business ➜

Case Study
  • Gail Becker established Caulipower after she realized there were no viable choices for pre-made cauliflower crust pizza.

  • Gail, the creator, and CEO of Caulipower abandoned her prominent corporate career in May 2016 to launch a frozen food company focusing on gluten-free crusts. She is now worth $245 million at the age of 57.

  • She went all in, bootstrapped her startup, and unlike other businesses, engaged advisors to teach her about the food sector. Becker had many criticizing friends and coworkers, but she never gave up.

  • Her professional background includes journalism, government work, and marketing. She has worked at Edelman, Warner Bros., and the US Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Caulipower amassed extra funding to accommodate greater ingredient purchases and higher-scale manufacturing runs, despite having $5 million in revenue in its first year.

  • This Los Angeles-based company generated an estimated $100 million in revenue. The company's goods are available in 25,000 retailers, including Target and Kroger, and it controls more than half of the still-small cauliflower pizza crust segment in U.S. grocery stores.

Here are some top secrets to Gail's successful entrepreneurship journey:

  • Do not be afraid to admit what you do not know.
  • Hire smart people around you to help.
  • Figure which rules to break and which ones to follow
  • Do things differently and challenge other people's advice.

article

Pat Walls,  Founder of Starter Story
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Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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