Remember reading about the ingenious Uniformity iPhone app that helps people assemble their uniforms?  Well, meet Terence Goggin, a Navy spouse who developed the application along with his brother.

How long have you been doing this?

I've worked in software since college, and founded my own business, PocketMac, about 10 years ago.

How did you know what you wanted to do?

I worked for a small software company while I was going to school, and the experience, while mostly fun and useful, convinced me that I'd be happier working for myself. I figured I could start my own company and run it better than my bosses. Additionally, since my father had started and run his own company for years, it seemed a natural choice.

What was the most difficult lesson you learned?

That's a tough one to summarize, but I think it comes down to this: be very careful when doing business with large firms. It's easy to lose sight of your own business' needs and wants in the effort of pleasing your big-company customers. We're still dealing with fallout from big-company deals even years after the fact.

Do you have any tips you can share with other military spouses?

- When looking for work, try to think of things you can do that aren't geographically dependent. Thanks to the Internet and globalization, there are now many places on the Internet where you can find work that pays a decent wage, irrespective of gender and age, but also location. (See: elance.com, odesk.com, and rentacoder.com for examples.) These aren't just software jobs, but rather cover a wide variety of services.

- I like to say that people who want their own business already have one. That's not to say that if you are not presently a small business owner, then you won't ever be, but rather that in life, there are talkers and then there are doers.  Be a doer.  Don't just say how great it would be to work from home or open up a scarf-knitting business on Etsy.com, do it.  

- Having a military spouse is a great safety net for the budding entrepreneur.  Regardless of what happens, your spouse provides you with a guaranteed income, shelter, cheap food from the commissary, and medical insurance.  Use this stability to start your business now, before the end of your husband or wife's enlistment or term of service.

- Try to save up money to start your business, not borrow it.  That way it will be your business and no one else's.

- Working from home is easier than you think.  When people find out that I work from home, the most common response is: "How do you not just watch TV all day?" And I say, "Is there anything on?" Seriously, it's easier than you might think not to goof off all day, especially if you love your work. Just make up your mind that you are going to be productive, and then you will be.

- Buy a multi-page scanner.  All of your business records and receipts can go from a huge filing cabinet to a 4" by 6" portable hard drive.

What were your biggest obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do it?

Profitability, I guess. It still is. It always takes more effort and time than you think it will. I remember when I was starting out, my father told me that most entrepreneurs say that if they had known it would be this hard when starting out, they might never have done it. Once you have a business of your own, though, you always have to worry about it and nurture it.  You can't ever just go off and forget about it for a while.  But even with that, it's ultimately very rewarding.  There are good times and bad times, but at the end of the day, it's your own.

Is there anyone in particular that you look up to? Why?

As I am reasonably tall, it is difficult to find people to look up to.  But seriously, my father is my mentor for all things business.  He also ran his own business, Golden State Envelope, for most of his professional life.  It is great to have the benefit of his bricks-and-mortar experience while I am managing my online business.  Most people think that online businesses are completely different, but good business is still good business.  

What important lessons have you learned from other military spouses?

I've only met a handful of civilian husbands (that is, men whose wives are the service member), and most of us agree that the system doesn't quite know what to make of us yet. (An example of this would be documents that use the word "spouse" in the first paragraph, but use "she" and "her" everywhere else.) Although each of us has a different favorite story around this, we pass along to each other that it's best to just laugh off such things, and then share the story to the next civilian husband.

What is a significant moment or turning point in your journey that sticks out in your mind?

Getting married.  I always said that I could work from anywhere, but after I married my wife and had to start moving around, I put it to the test and discovered it was really true.

Screen Captures From The Uniformity App

       

Website UniformityApp.com