A rising tide lifts all boats – JFK

Abbie originally trained as an engineer before waving goodbye to the corporate world and jumping feet first into professional property investment in 2016 despite having no prior experience and virtually no capital of her own.

Since then, Abbie has worked with many private investors to build a profitable property portfolio including managing property build developments and she has also provided mentoring services to those wanting to follow in her footsteps.

However, Abbie has always had an interest in doing something positive for the planet, and so back in 2020 she decided to co-found a revolutionary online sharing platform, Think Bagsy, which is on a mission to reduce mindless consumption whilst simultaneously building relationships within communities.

Abbie is very thankful and proud of the businesses she has built despite multiple military moves (both UK and abroad!) and is always very happy to help others where she can to set up and grow their own flexible, military-life-resistant income streams.

I’m Carrie, a Military Wife of almost 20 years, Mum of 3, Horse, Dog & Bunny owner and founder of a personal matchmaking service now known as the Military Matchmaker.

Before opening Military Matchmaker’s doors, I worked in the dating industry as Director of Matchmaking and Memberships, gaining many years’ experience. I am a certified Life Coach and Mentor, a Dating and relationship coach, an NLP practitioner and a student of Psychology. I also run and own a sister business, in Adult Health and Social Care, that shares the mission to combat loneliness.

Having made the choice a few years ago to be married unaccompanied to allow our children’s exams to be uninterrupted, a supportive and knowledgeable network is important for both business and personal life.

https://edithlimited.co.uk

Caroline is an RAF wife and a licenced accountant with over 14 years of experience in both industry and practice.

She established Mona Accountancy Services in 2013 because of a love of tax (yes you did read that right!), with a mission to simplify finances and to make the tax and accounting process easier and a lot less daunting. Caroline knows the ins and outs of accountancy and loves tax, so you don’t have to.

As an early adopter of cloud-based technology and with a business plan of being able to work from anywhere in the world, it came in handy when she met her RAF husband. Now she can work with clients seamlessly, wherever a posting takes her.

www.monaas.com

Emma Gray, is a former solicitor whose dreams were shattered when her Royal Marine husband died at the age of only 38 years old from oesophageal cancer. Although she was a legal expert in Wills, Emma’s worst nightmare came true when she had to deal with her own husband’s probate.

Despite the lonely role of being a widow and solo parent to her two bereaved children, Emma discovered what she calls “Rainbow Hunting”: looking for the smallest break in the clouds and rain to find hope and joy, even in the darkest times.

Emma set up Rainbow Hunting to help others who find themselves in similar tragic and difficult circumstances. Emma has paused law to train to be a counsellor and write a book on her experiences. Emma hopes that her website and new path will help guide others through the toughest of times, so that they can find their own rainbows and learn to dance in the rain.

Emma is on the National Board of Solicitors for the Elderly and is an Ambassador for the charity Widowed and Young (WAY), for whom she has set up a WAY Military Sub-Group.

www.rainbowhunting.co.uk

Gillian has a background in engineering, with two degrees in manufacturing engineering, a stint as a production engineer at Rolls-Royce Aerospace, a few years as a software engineer at IBM UK Laboratories and time as an Engineering (Training Management) Officer in the Royal Navy.

Gillian has always had an interest in art and design, and has spent many happy hours painting watercolours, tinkering with images in Photoshop and designing logos for the various projects she has been involved with over the years.

In 2012 Gillian decided to combine her interests in art, engineering and the military and set up Gillian Jones Designs to sell her military art prints. Several years down the line, and she has two business partners and Gillian Jones Designs is a limited company, an MOD supplier and numerous ships and establishments give GIllian’s artwork as gifts and awards.

Gillian is particularly proud to have achieved this whilst dealing with various health issues. She is always happy to give advice and guidance to anyone setting up in business, but particularly to those who may have chronic conditions.

Jess Sands is no stranger to the challenges of starting a business. A few years ago, she was a successful full-time graphic designer, with a portfolio including Disney, Caroline Gardner and Marks & Spencer.

But when she met her future husband, a pilot in the RAF, everything changed. Moving house every two years meant that Jess had to give up the career that she loved. After a year struggling to get employment in an often reluctant market to hire military spouses due to their transitory nature, Jess decided to develop her business Design Jessica. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength.

Jess is passionate about helping other military spouses, partners and other-halves through the same difficult transition that she made. Her business specialises in designing brands for new companies within the armed forces community.

Jess has been honoured as a top 100 UK SME business with Small Business Saturday in 2018, an f:entrepreneur 2019 top UK female entrepreneur and sits on the MOD Partner Employment Steering Group as a Milspo Ambassador. Milspo has been awarded a 2021 DRM Silver Award, and shortlisted for a Women In Defence Award. The InDependent Spouse podcast is sponsored by the Royal British Legion and has 13,500 downloads in over 20 countries.

Recent moves have seen Jess run her company from Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire…and back to Oxfordshire…and now from Central London, with the next posting expected in 2022!

www.designjessica.co.uk

Nadine is mum to 3 young children and a seasoned Army spouse of 18 years with over 2 decades experience in providing financial advice.

She combined both her personal experience of forces life and professional knowledge of the industry to create www.forcesfamilyfinance.co.uk, a multi-award-winning company, who offer bespoke financial advice for those within the military community.

Nadine’s vision was also to use the company as a platform to create mobile and professional careers for other spouses, partners and veterans and has recently achieved silver status under the AFC employer recognition scheme.

She is really passionate about helping others achieve their personal and professional goals.