5 Ways to Protect Your Milspouse-Owned Business from Murphy’s Law

We have two words for you: Murphy’s Law.

It affects your best-laid plans, sneaks up on you when you least expect it, and most military spouses have already experienced this “anything that can go wrong, will” phenomenon.

Let’s take Murphy’s Law during deployments, for example. This is when you’re holding down the homefront, and your car breaks down, someone gets hospitalized, your house floods, or your children need stitches. There couldn’t be worse timing of having to deal with these unexpected surprises while your spouse is on another continent. You end up handling it anyway, trying to keep a sense of humor, and filling your spouse in during the next video chat.

My personal experience during deployment was having my sliding glass door accidentally shattered by an on-base landscaper, and two different water heaters died on us. Brr! That made showers, dishes, and laundry tricky for a while. Even stranger was the family of raccoons that took up residence in our attic, scratching around all night, and the day that our front door completely broke and would no longer open, leaving my kids trapped outside.

Seriously, who could see any of that coming? Why expect anything less for your milspouse-owned business? Would you agree that it’s better to be safe than sorry?

Murphy’s Law Can Affect Your Business

We know how hard you work, and the best advice we have is to plan for the unexpected. Here are five ways to protect your milspouse-owned business from Murphy’s Law.

• Cloud storage. Don’t utilize just one localized place or device for your documents, client list, financials, collateral, etc. The last thing you need is your phone to get dropped or your laptop to be broken while PCSing. You can add storage to your phone, use Google Docs, DropBox or the Microsoft 365 package to make sure that you have duplicate copies and are backed up.
• Form an LLC. When you form a Limited Liability Company (LLC), you can enjoy some personal legal protections that separates your assets from the company’s assets, with the benefit of simplified taxes.
• Hire a proofreader.
• When putting your best foot forward in writing -- for web content, mailers, brochures, signage, and press releases, to name a few -- we recommend having a second set of eyes. This is especially true if you’re working with printed material that can’t be revised without the expense of a second run. Even if one error is caught, you’ll thank yourself.
• Outsource jobs to pros. Some top-of-mind suggestions here would be legal, accounting, or tax professionals. If you’re stressed because you aren’t familiar with these areas, or are concerned about making a mistake that could lead to legal ramifications, consider paying a seasoned professional to handle it correctly for you. This small investment could pay off in the long run.
• Business insurance. Much like you would insure your house, apartment, car, high-value items, and health, you can trust the professionals with Armed Forces Insurance (AFI), to protect your business. They offer coverage to sole owners, startups, and expanding businesses, and when you receive coverage from them, you also automatically receive member benefits including free Identity Theft Advocacy Services, all from one trusted source. No matter your size, location, or industry, AFI Business Insurance provides flexible coverage solutions for your business. They even offer coverage of Veteran organizations, such as American Legion, VFW, etc. You’ve worked hard to build your military spouse-owned business, shouldn’t you protect it?

Trust Armed Forces Insurance

Designed with the military in mind, AFI proudly supports what’s important to your military family through personal service and competitive rates. Created and led by former military leaders who understand the unique challenges that come with military service, AFI has supported military families for over 130 years. Their coverage options provide peace of mind for active, retired, and former military personnel, their families, and civilian Department of Defense employees. For more, please click here.