Push and Flourish
Resilience is a commonly used characteristic when defining Military Spouses. Constantly having to restart and adapt to change has been a reality for Frandina Thornton for the past 10 years. Since being married to her active duty spouse, she and her family have moved 5 times, starting anew every time. Thornton decided she wanted to focus on her own endeavors in the form of her own business. Turning for support, she was introduced to her ACP Mentor, Jack McGourty.
McGourty, both a 14-year business owner and an Entrepreneurship Professor, realized at the start of the mentorship that, being a Military Spouse, Thornton had a unique set of obstacles to overcome to reach her entrepreneurial goals. He adds,
“She needed to build a network with people locally, come up with a way that can be packed up, moved to a new place, and then immediately hit the ground running."
Understanding that, in addition to Thornton and her family, her business also faced the uncertainty of relocation.
Her passion to grow her Mortgage Brokerage business and reach customers in need pushed Thornton through this uncertainty.
“You don’t seek validation, you do this because you want to do this. Even if you don't see a clear picture, just know you are on the right path.”
This sense of clarity emerged through her mentorship with McGourty. Thornton looks back to the start, “I was a hot mess, my mind was all over the place.” Working with McGourty gave her confidence with those scattered thoughts and allowed her to focus, “Even when I thought I wasn’t saying anything of importance, he repeated what I said back to me, and I was able to identify the goals within.”
Recognizing the early stages of entrepreneurship Thornton went through, McGourty adds,
"Entrepreneurs try to do 100 things at once because there is so much to do, marketing, accounting, all of the things”, but explained how he worked with Thornton on “identifying what should be prioritized, starting with the customer.”
The sense of clarity and focus the pair have worked together to achieve has allowed Thornton to gain a sense of stability and groundedness, and for that, she expresses her heartfelt gratitude.
When asked about what she has learned through mentorship, Thornton states, “You don’t have to be ready, you have to be consistent”, and to “be open, be coachable, be willing to act”. She continues to share the program and is looking forward to continuing to foster her relationship with McGourty, even once they reach their 12 months.
Ready to work with a Mentor who can support you through your goals? Join ACP’s thriving community of 42,000+ Veteran and Military Spouse Alumni and apply for your free year- long one-on-one mentorship today.
