By: Bianca Strzalkowski
There’s no place like home—and for military families who are constantly on the go, getting the right home can make or break the experience at their next duty station. That’s where Millie comes in.
Founded late last year, Millie was a collaborative effort of two businesses—AgentHero and Military Property Project—joining forces. The company, owned and operated by veterans and military spouses, does all of the legwork for service members and their families ahead of a relocation.
“We always say that the only thing the military really does is pack your boxes and load it onto a truck. We provide military families with information and support for all the other parts of the move,” Lauren Rothlisberger, Director of Marketing, said. “We believe that anytime a family can make informed decisions about their next duty station, before they even get there, their move will go much smoother. The goal is to keep the transition time to a minimum so that the impact is less on the families.”
Rothlisberger, a military wife, has done seven Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves courtesy of the United States Army. Although she has always sought a silver lining with every set of moving orders, she says there are common issues associated with any move, the unknown being one of them.
“I think the biggest challenge, no matter where you are going, is decoding your next duty station long distance. It can feel like someone gave you a destination with no map,” she said. “Now, with technology, we can do so much from so far; people want to sort it all out before they even get there. I think this is much better for everyone; we just need to bridge the gap a bit.”
Millie uses scouts, a group of military spouses who can be hired to do tasks in a location clients can’t physically be at. Examples of those tasks may be reviewing a house sight-unseen or helping to walk through a house with a tenant. Scouts collect the information so that families can make the most informed decision. Additionally, the company has a network of veterans and spouses who are realtors, known as AgentHeros, and location guides about installation locations around the globe.
As with any small business, Team Millie wears many hats at once in an effort to keep up with growth. Social media campaigns and word of mouth are serving as useful tools to get the word out about its services.
“Younger businesses always require the additional step of not only growing fast, but building solid foundations and systems to grow upon,” Rothlisberger said. “Sometimes it can be a challenge to remember to take a step back and put those systems in place because you want to grow so fast.”
Millie uses eyes and ears on the ground of military communities as a gateway to paint an accurate picture of military duty stations. As the company continues to work to add as much information as exists about the places military families live, it is committed to going the extra step if someone needs relocation data not yet listed in the database. Rothlisberger said that locations are constantly being added to the website, but “if you don’t see the information you need right away, contact us and we can still get you connected to the right person.”
To review location guides and get connected to Millie’s services, visit the website at Millie.
