Happy 5 Years to Us!!!

On April 1, 2020, we celebrated our fifth anniversary at Freedom Makers. The day passed without much fanfare as we were still in the throes of COVID-19. But while everyone adjusts to this new normal, we did want to take a minute to acknowledge and celebrate! We have come a long way...

In five years, we have supported nearly 200 small businesses and have created work for nearly 70 military spouses.

We currently have a strong core team of 4 people who run the company. I enjoy working with Erin, Jenny, and Wilma so much. We have our eye on the mission and have a good rapport when discussing issues and developing new initiatives.

Oh how far we have come these last five years. When I first started Freedom Makers, I was running everything myself. Ironically, I really stink at details. That stunted our growth the first few years. Once I finally let go and started hiring others, we grew substantially. Now I cannot imagine doing this without the core team. 

The core team over the years has grown, but those first few team members were critical to getting to where we are today. Their contributions and impact helped me to appreciate what we were building and what could be accomplished when I relied on others. Theirs are the shoulders we stand on now.

Our clients have made a huge impact too. I like to think we have helped nearly 200 small businesses grow their business and give the owners more freedom. But also, they have bought into our mission. They love to support military spouses and continue to spread the word about us. Indeed our biggest source of new clients is referrals from existing clients!

Finally, without our Freedom Makers themselves, we would be nothing. People come to us from all types of education and work backgrounds but with one thing in common: the military lifestyle having impacted their career. They bring the resourcefulness, commitment, and get-it-done attitude of a military spouse to every client we support. 

Since our last anniversary, so much has changed for the better. Through the help of The Global Good Fund and Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence, our core team has elevated our focus. Here are some of the things we have done in the past year:

Crystallized our guiding principles and core values to run our company This one is a doozy! There is too much to expand upon here but know that it revolutionized how we operate. 

• Set goals that we stick to (COVID-19 notwithstanding)
• Implemented better management tools, including custom-built databases using Knack and project management platform, Asana
• Launched a mentoring program for our Freedom Makers
• Developed a Remote Strong webinar series in response to COVID-19

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Thank you for celebrating with us by reading about our journey! We look forward to many years ahead where we grow and continue to support small business owners.