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Let your friends, family, co-workers, and business associates know that it is time to vote for Milspreneur of the Year! Voting ends August 15th at 11:59pm. Winner will be announced August 31, 2015 and honored at EMBARK 2015.
Milspreneur's Business Name and Info: Military Spouse Magazine, MilitarySpouse.com and the Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) Awards Program
Military Spouse Magazine, founded by Maxwell in 2003, followed by the online site Militaryspouse.com, continue to be the most popular print and online military spouse content providers and conversation generators.
The for-profit Military Spouse of the Year Awards Program (MSOY) was launched by Maxwell in 2008 to celebrate the leadership and accomplishments of military spouses and so that the American public could choose branch winners and an overall winner who represents the best of the military spouse community.
Few, if any, military spouse entrepreneurs have been able to succeed — and lead others to success — like Babette Maxwell.
Maxwell, the wife of a recently retired Navy pilot and a former environmental engineer herself, enthusiastically embraced the career flexibility all military spouses are encouraged to have. She shifted from designing C-5 engines for the Air Force and testing air quality in Japan, to founding Military Spouse Magazine, MilitarySpouse.com and the for-profit Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) program.
In 2003, despite having no magazine industry experience and during a time when print publications everywhere were failing, Maxwell secured distribution and advertising for her start-up print publication, Military Spouse Magazine, within six months. Furthermore, she launched the magazine with a staff that was spread around the country and conducted business entirely online — becoming one of the first military spouse entrepreneurs to launch a global company with a virtual staff.
The magazine and the website, MilitarySpouse.com, have since become the premier content providers and conversation facilitators for the military spouse community.
In 2008 Maxwell launched the Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) awards program, the only national award program for military spouses, to honor the achievements and leadership abilities of women and men in the community. Within just a few years, the MSOY title became highly sought after and people well outside of the military community — including Michelle Obama and Oprah — took notice of Maxwell’s program and sought to honor the MSOY awardees for their commitment to the community. MSOY winners have subsequently used the opportunities provided to them by their titles and the networking opportunities to further advance their own careers, build their own businesses, develop and expand non-profits and make forays into political office.
Additionally, Maxwell began the program Who’s Who of Military Spouses as well as oversaw the integration of Military Spouse Friendly Employers into the Military Spouse brand.
Maxwell has used her strong and well-regarded voice repeatedly to effectively advocate for the entire military and veteran community, appearing on NBC Nightly News’ “Making a Difference” with Brian Williams; on Oprah Winfrey’s network; Fox News’ “The Kelly Files”; CNN; FOX NEWS and many local and regional news broadcasts. She has also been featured in TIME magazine, Newsmax, the Chicago Tribune, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and countless local and regional media outlets.
Last year Maxwell was named to Folio’s 2014 Top Women in Media, alongside Rachael Ray and Jane Pratt.
She is a fifth generation military dependent, with 30 moves and 44 years dedicated to military life. She currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her retired Naval aviator and current Delta pilot husband, and their three sons.
It is admirable and impressive when, despite the multiple challenges the military life creates for spouses, any military spouse entrepreneur is able to build a thriving business for him or herself — Babette Maxwell has certainly done that. She has also, in each of her endeavors and at every step of the way, found ways to bring opportunities to — literally — every military spouse in the community.
The Milspo Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that educates and empowers military spouse entrepreneurs.