Laura Briggs: The Freelance Coach founder and CEO

As a teacher early on in her career, military spouse Laura Briggs said she quickly realized moving her certifications from duty station to duty station wasn’t going to work for long. She taught for about three years, but over about nine moves in 10 years, eventually learned how to become a freelance writer and shifted to a career she could pick up and take with her anywhere.

Now, with her company, The Freelance Coach, Briggs is encouraging other military spouses to do the same by taking pride in their unique experiences and turning their developed tenacity into profit.

“Sometimes, being like the supporting cast to a service member’s career can impact confidence for military spouses,” Briggs said. “We realize we’ve been out of the workforce for a while, our resume is a hodgepodge, and we don’t see that as a positive…but that can really benefit you as an entrepreneur.”

The Freelance Coach provides support and resources for freelancers who need to also be in charge of their own remote, flexible schedules and whose lives don’t allow for a five to 10-year plan. Briggs authors books and hosts podcasts to provide information on how to start and scale an independent business. Her latest publications, “Military Spouse’s Guide to Remote Work” and “Content is King,” are being released on her website in early 2022.

She also provides coaching and courses teaching students how to sell creative and technical services like graphic design, web development and writing. Briggs also runs a community of freelancers, and a nonprofit arm of the company called Operation Freelance hosts free 90-day training for military spouses who aspire to launch their freelance businesses.

Recently, Briggs connected with another community of military women entrepreneurs at the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation’s Military Women Startup Accelerator. She was recently named a finalist and grant recipient from the 10-week “boot camp” hosted by the foundation’s Veteran Entrepreneur Investor Program. Briggs is among 10 finalists to receive the $3,000 investment after attending seminars or “modules” to continue education and expand a startup. Briggs said the mentorship enabled her to feel more confident and ready to pursue corporate partnerships for The Freelance Coach.