Ever feel like your life as a mom has no right to mingle with your professional career? Like you are constantly choosing between two lives?
Meet a CEO and a military spouse who thinks that talented, professional women cannot only be great moms and talented employees, but who has also built an organization to help working moms find flexible work in their field without sacrificing the needs of their families.
Allison Karl O’Kelly is an award winning entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of Mom Corps. Her business is simple, to place talented professionals in flexible positions in companies across the country. And it has worked. Mom Corps has been recognized for helping to change the face of the business world as moms, and dads, work toward finding a balance between work and home.
Recently, Mom Corps has reached out to military spouses across the globe to help them be successful in their professional endeavors, regardless of where the military sends them.
Salute to Spouses had a chance to speak with Allison about the challenges military spouses face as they build their careers.
STS: Are you still an active duty spouse?
Allison: “No.”
STS: Did you start your company while your spouse was on active duty? If so, how did you balance building a company and managing a military life with PCS moves and future uncertainty?
Allison: “I didn’t marry my husband until after his service, but managing work and life is a struggle all parents share. That’s why I started Mom Corps and Mom Corps YOU – to help professionals find meaningful work that integrates with the rest of their lives.”
STS: Some studies and websites suggest military spouses have a more difficult time finding employment simply because of their military status. Do you find this to be true?
Allison: “The military spouses I’ve met definitely face challenges the civilian population does not encounter as often. Frequent relocation makes it hard for military spouses to hold a position for a lengthy period of time, and the frequent travel of their partners often means they may require some level of flexibility in their jobs. Because of these challenges, military spouses often accept positions below their qualification levels or don’t work at all. In fact, 90 percent of female spouses report being underemployed, earn 38 percent less than their civilian counterparts, and are 30 percent more likely to be unemployed.”
STS: What is the most useful skill you learned as a military spouse that has helped you as an entrepreneur?
Allison: “Flexibility. In the service, you have to be flexible in terms of order and location, and priorities can change with a change in leadership. As an entrepreneur, remaining flexible has allowed me to quickly shift my business when I see areas of success and opportunity.”
STS: What is the most difficult challenge a military spouse entrepreneur may face?
Allison: “Frequent relocation can make building a base difficult – entrepreneurs often get started through referrals from friends and family. But with today’s technologies, there is no better time to be a military spouse entrepreneur. Social media can help you stay connected to referral sources; tools like GoDaddy and wix.com make building a website easy, and document sharing systems and web conferencing tools allow you to stay connected to a virtual team.”
STS: When spouses look at your amazing business they see a thriving, corporate success. But entrepreneurs start small, correct? What is the first step for a would-be entrepreneur?
Allison: “The first step really is to trust yourself and make the leap. I can give you lots of tips like not giving away equity too early, not hiring too fast, etc., but to even get to that point, you have to take a chance and go for it!”
STS: In last year's Philadelphia Business Journal CEO profile, you say the workforce wants flexibility. What type of flexibility? And even though flexibility may be what the workforce wants, are you finding that businesses are able to offer it?
Allison: “Flexibility means different things to different people. At Mom Corps, we talk about flexibility in terms of time, place and duration. Time may mean modified hours, a condensed work week or part time; place may mean no travel, working virtually or even just a short commute, and duration may mean permanent, contract or seasonal work. Modern technology has made it possible for both part-time and full-time workers at all professional levels to have flexibility while performing their jobs efficiently.”
“Employers are realizing many benefits by offering a flexible workplace, including improving recruitment efforts, retaining quality employees and saving money. In fact, Mom Corps’ annual workplace flexibility study found that 45 percent of workers would be willing to give up some percentage of their salaries in exchange for greater flexibility at work.”
STS: Mom Corps is doing a lot of outreach to military spouses this year. Why have you decided to reach out specifically to these women?
Allison: “Earlier this year, we launched Mom Corps YOU, an online community dedicated to helping professionals achieve work-life satisfaction. After speaking with some employers about their efforts to recruit military personnel and their spouses, we realized that the job search and return-to-work tools we offer through Mom Corps YOU are uniquely positioned to help military spouses find meaningful, yet flexible, careers. We’re partnering with corporations looking to employ our military personnel and their spouses, as well as organizations that support them, to provide scholarships for one-year Mom Corps YOU memberships. Through this program, we are hoping to help military spouses re-enter the workforce, navigate their career paths and become fruitful financial contributors to their families.”
