Jennifer Mewett

Principal

Service Member's Branch - Navy

Service Member's Status - Currently Serving - 24 years

What has been your military spouse career/entrepreneur journey so far?

At the start of my military spouse career we moved once a year so I worked for a couple temp agencies and then once we got to our first duty station of three years, I was able to work at a marketing agency (the industry I am trained in). I loved that work but knew that we would be moving again in the next 18 months so I was looking to change my career focus to something that I could move with. This led to working in hospitality. An overseas move put everything on hold and when we moved back state-side, I opened up my own business so I could shape my work around my family, PCSs and my personal career development goals.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm Jennifer Mewett, a Californian stuck on the east coast! I've had a small business for over 15 years, have two kids and have been a military spouse for over 24 years.

Tell us about a "typical" day in your professional life.

I have two types of typical days, one is working from my home office with a list of tasks and zoom meetings. The other is traveling, integrated as team member in a client's staff or onsite for a client running their conference or event.

If you've been stationed overseas, how did this affect your career and or business?

We were stationed in Tokyo which was an amazing experience. The company I worked for prior to the move wouldn't sponsor me to work for them in Japan, so I had to leave Marriott at the time of our move. With my lack of business language skills, job prospects were limited to American installations. We also lived out in town and over an hour away from the base. Because of this, I didn't hold a job at the time but did start working to open a small business upon our return to the US.

What has been your biggest military spouse career struggle and how did you overcome it?

My biggest career struggle is personal career development. When we were moving often, there wasn't a lot of time to dedicate solely to building skills up or broadening the business. My main focus was making sure the family was good and the kids were alright as we managed PCS moves, deployments, etc.

What role did mentors and sponsors play in your journey?

Mentors and sponsors are LIFELINES. SUE HOPPIN, Tim Brackett, Greg McSorley, David Rodgers, Rosye Cloud these people all have helped shaped my business, my career goals and how I approach my professional life.

How does your career path differ from what you imagined for yourself?

Completely different. My goal was to knock out all of my education when I was young, work in a metropolis, build up my resume and work my way up the corporate ladder. Love my husband, but he messed that all up!

How did military life (PCSing, deployments, trainings, etc) factor into your career decisions?

Being able to work within my military life has always been the number one factor in making my career decisions. It is the largest obstacle for me, and the smallest factor for an employer, whose main focus, understandably, is to find a job seeker who can do the job!

What resources have you found to be useful in your career/entrepreneur journey?

Niche organizations who understand all aspects of my life like NMSN. Industry professional organizations are supportive too.

Final word: what are your top tips for other military spouses about navigating a career within the military lifestyle?

BUILD YOUR CABINET
Hone in on what you are great at not what you wish you could do in five years
Always lend a helping hand if you can, it may lead to your next job opportunity!

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