Looking for a way to turn what she loves into a business, Monica Fullerton '12, '13, founded Spouse-ly, an online marketplace offering a variety of products and services created by military personnel and first responders. The shop combines elements from home service companies such as Etsy and Angi—formerly Angie's List—with a focus on selling socially beneficial products that support American heroes.
For the love of it
Growing up, Fullerton always had ambitious dreams to use the power of communication to connect and help others. But as a military wife, she moved frequently making it difficult to settle down and pursue her lifelong dream. However, thanks to her passion, resolve and the academic knowledge she gained at Lynn University, Fullerton founded Spouse-ly in 2020 to help other military spouses in similar situations.
Leveraging the power of community and communication, Fullerton grew Spouse-ly into a widely renowned service. Beginning as a small Facebook group, Spouse-ly quickly blossomed as the group gained more than 1,000 members in two weeks. Fullerton recognized the importance of her service to the military community, and first responder families by helping them turn their passions into a career through Spouse-ly's flexibility, stability and creative outlet potential.
Today, she's on a mission to spread the word out about her platform and invest in additional marketing tools to facilitate this growth. She's already earned numerous accolades, including:
- A spot in Forbes' The Next 1000 list.
- Finalist in the Veteran Pitch Competition.
- Earned Trailblazer in Tech by Military Spouse Magazine.
- Named on the Mighty 25 list as one of the most influential leaders supporting the military community.
As the company matures, she hopes to turn Spouse-ly into much more than just an online marketplace while staying true to her values.
"The power of community is huge, and you can always do what you love while living life on the go," Fullerton said.
Anyone can shop small on Spouse-ly and help put more funds in the pockets of our nation's heroes by supporting their businesses in one easy place.
