Married to her high school sweetheart, a U.S. Air Force member, Monica Fullerton recognized that there were many creators and entrepreneurs within her military community — many of them fellow military spouses – but there was no centralized platform to support and shop from these businesses. Drawing on her business and marketing experience, Fullerton launched Spouse-ly, an online marketplace exclusively featuring products from military and first responder families. She later expanded the site to include a podcast and Spouse-ly U, a resource hub empowering community members to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
But then she hit a roadblock.
“Entrepreneurship is filled with constant challenges,” said Fullerton. “One big challenge I have continued to face is finding the right help and support from both a financial and marketing standpoint.”
Fullerton signed up for ACP Ventures, a mentorship entrepreneurial program dedicated to assisting veterans and active-duty spouses in starting or building their small business. With support from Visa Foundation, ACP has supported more than 35,000 veterans and active-duty military spouses with yearlong mentorships, business resources and the ACP Village, where entrepreneurs and experts connect in real time.
Through its mentorship program, Fullerton connected with Shani Magosky, a fellow corporate exec turned entrepreneur. Magosky helped Fullerton explore innovative ways to expand Spouse-ly's reach and attract potential investors.
“Being able to have that type of support from a trusted community of individuals who simply want to help and are not seeking something in return is extremely valuable and impactful,” said Fullerton.
Overcoming imposter syndrome
Living on a farm in rural Virginia, Kasey Kelly was a full-time caregiver for her husband, a retired U.S. Army soldier who suffered traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress he experienced in service. Having studied environmental science and education and business development, she ventured to build a long-term financial plan for her family.
She reached out to ACP to help execute her idea of sharing her family’s experiences on the farm on social media to spread awareness about trauma, neurodivergence, and healing, and to connect with other military families. Her ACP mentor, Michael Claudio, an experienced video producer, was able to help her overcome her doubts about entrepreneurship and better understand the world of social media and content creation.
“Fear is my biggest hurdle,” Kelly said. “Once I was able to get over those fears… accomplishing goals was easy.” Claudio helped Kelly identify opportunities to pitch her content, celebrate her first podcast guest appearance and overcome imposter syndrome. Some of Kelly’s videos even went viral, garnering more than a million views.
“I was so proud of [Kasey] when I saw her start to gain a following and viewership on social media, which was her goal from the start,” said Claudio.
Helping everyone, everywhere thrive
Nearly 2 million small businesses in the U.S. — one in every ten — are veteran-owned.1 Matt Tarlton, a retired U.S. Navy senior chief, set out to create a unique K9 training business, where he would teach dog owners to be their own trainers.
He worked with ACP mentor Stephen Pollan, an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience, who helped Tarlton create a multi-year plan to build a loyal client base.
“I couldn’t ask for a better mentor,” said Tarlton, who is now looking to start a nonprofit that will train service dogs for combat-disabled veterans. “Stephen was instrumental in helping me brainstorm, find creative ways to attract customers and stay focused on my short term goals.”
Mentors benefit from the experience too. “It’s a great honor for me to support veterans in their journey to success,” said Pollan. “With Matt, it was special from the very beginning,”
For veterans and families who want to launch and grow their small businesses, Fullerton offers her own mentoring advice: “Think big. No person, opportunity, or idea is too big. Lay everything out there and break down how you want to achieve it, and who might be able to help.”