Laura Renner is the Founder and Managing Director of Freedom Makers, a virtual assistant agency supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs with admin support. Freedom Makers pairs companies with qualified, versatile, and experienced military spouses. Laura, a former Public Affairs Officer for the US Air Force, is passionate about connecting talented military spouses with motivated small business owners. As a small business owner, she understands the stress associated with running a business and the challenge of being a military spouse struggling to build a career when assignments can change at a moment’s notice.

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, lifestyle businesses have increased in popularity. As a result of global lockdowns, remote work is becoming normalized — allowing people the flexibility to work from anywhere. Military spouses who often forego career opportunities due to the unpredictability of active duty assignments and transfers have benefited from the accessibility to remote positions. Are military spouses the answer for small business owners looking to outsource specialized work?

Finding the ideal virtual assistant is a challenge for many business owners. Confidentiality, trust, and discipline are key skills required when hiring an assistant, but finding the right person can be an arduous task. According to Laura Renner, the environment that military families live in helps them to stay organized, making them an asset for entrepreneurs.

In this episode of the Pillar6 Podcast, Roman Polnar interviews Laura Renner, the Founder and Managing Director of Freedom Makers, to discuss how utilizing military spouses as virtual assistants can help build your lifestyle business. Laura shares why military spouses are ideal candidates for virtual assistant roles, what criteria to consider when hiring an assistant, and why lifestyle businesses utilize virtual assistants.

• Roman M. Polnar on LinkedIn
• Pillar6 Advisors
• Laura Renner on LinkedIn
• Freedom Makers
• Patricia De Fonte on LinkedIn
• "Estate Planning with Patricia De Fonte" on the Pillar6 Podcast
• Fiverr
• Upwork
• Michael Hyatt on LinkedIn
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History by Bruce Cumings
• Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
• Books by Andre Dubus