For military spouses trying to establish and maintain careers flexible enough to weather constant moves and other challenges of military life, owning a portable business can have its advantages.

But how do you know whether you've got what it takes to be an entrepreneur? It's a path that could be rewarding for you and your family, or a risk in a variety of ways — especially financially.

"Business ownership is a challenging vocational path. But it becomes less challenging and less like work if you find an opportunity to build a business around something that you're passionate about, whether that's a product, or a service, a for-profit or not-for-profit business," said Mike Haynie, executive director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.

Only you can make that decision. Passion is key, but other primary elements are self-discipline, persistence and courage, Haynie said.

Some fear is healthy, because it's a significant step, he said. But you must overcome the fear that holds you back from exploring possibilities. In that regard, research and training are critical.

Military spouses can do some research and training through the Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, or V-WISE program, offered by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families in cooperation with the Small Business Administration.

V-WISE provides tools to help you become a successful entrepreneur — from helping you find that thing you're passionate about to learning business skills that can turn ideas into growth ventures.

Barbara Carson, the SBA's acting associate administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development, said the program aims to help people make a decision about the entrepreneurial career path.

Successful entrepreneurs are not necessarily bigger risk-takers, but they are well-informed, Carson said, investigating "all the variables that look risky."

The programs help save people from making decisions that could end up hurting their families, financially or in other ways, she said.

Carson, an Air Force reservist as well as an Air Force wife, launched her personal training and resilience business while stationed in Okinawa. She found a kindred spirit in another woman veteran who had wanted to start a business for a long time, and they navigated the process together.

Marine wife Brittany Atkinson said she didn't always intend to start her own business. She has a degree in agriculture resource economics with a focus in business, and wanted to create a peanut butter for people with allergies.

But she found that such a product is already on the market, so she decided to start a business offering sweets and snacks, catering to those with food allergies and specialty diets.

Her desire stemmed from her own multiple life-threatening food allergies, so she has personally experienced the limited choices. She incorporated her business, is working on a business plan and menu, and hopes to open in early 2016 in the Norfolk, Virginia, area.

Chelbi Barnard, wife of an Army retiree, describes herself as "a jack of all trades," like many military spouses.

But this time, she said she knows she has the passion to get her startup greeting card business "Lemonade Expressions" off the ground.

"My goal is to execute everything this year," she said. "I've never felt as strong as I do about this venture. … We target problems and sweeten them up in a very loving way."

These days, she said, "I wake up very early, ready to work. I have found purpose."

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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