scout local
For local businesses

Military families are already looking. Be the clear answer.

Scout Local puts your business in front of military families who are actively looking for places near their new base.

List your business Show me how
↓ Scroll to try the owner journey
Your business, step by step

See how it works before you start.

Your home base

Manage everything from one profile.

See your listing, monthly activity, editing tools, Beacon status, and events in one place.

Your public profile

Show families why they should trust you.

Photos, ownership badges, contact details, and your location appear together in the same clear format families already use.

Events

Put your next event on the community calendar.

Add the name, date, time, and location. Scout Local reviews it, then places it where nearby families can discover it.

Upcoming events

Let followers know where you’ll pop up next.

Add your business to an event to show where your next pop-up will be and let followers know you’ll be there.

Business-owner dashboard Public business profile Add an event form Scout Local event feed showing a business attending an upcoming event
what's included

Everything to be found and trusted.

Verification, your full profile, and the tools to keep it current — one straightforward listing, with no add-ons and no upsells.

A Verified Local badge

Earned after a manual review, so families know you're a real business with a real presence near their base.

A full business profile

Photos, hours, services, and every way to reach you — laid out the same clean way for every listing.

Edit anytime, instantly

Change hours, swap photos, update services from your account. A meaningful edit refreshes your "last updated" date.

Open Now Beacons

Flip on a Beacon to tell nearby families you're open and available right now. More on that below.

open now beacons

Tell families you're open right now.

A walk-in slot opened up. The food truck just parked. You've got availability this afternoon. Drop a Beacon and Scout Local lights you up for families nearby — on your listing, in the feed, and on the map — for as long as you set.

  • Goes straight to the families who already saved you.
  • You set the window — end early anytime, never extended.
  • Home-based? Broadcast "open now" at your area — never your exact address.
Included for every listing.
your listing · fort polk beacon live
Jerry's Auto
Verified Local Military Spouse Owned
1,240
listing views
↑ 28% this month
86
saved by families
↑ 12 this month
34
direct contacts
↑ 9 this month
Open Now Beacon
broadcasting · ends 5:30 pm
live now
2:09
ends 5:30 pm
Jerry's Auto is open
2 inspection slots open this afternoon
86
notified
live
in feed
pinned
on map
badges you can earn

Trust signals families actually read.

Every badge means the same thing on every listing. They can't be purchased — which is exactly why a family takes them seriously when they see one on yours.

Verified Local

A real business with a verified presence near the base. Reviewed by hand — name, address, phone, website, and at least one form of public verification. Every verified listing earns it.

Refreshed every 6 months · revoked on closure or fraud

Military Spouse Owned

Owned in whole or majority by a current or former military spouse — verified through AMSE/GovX or direct documentation. A signal this community trusts deeply.

Confirmed annually · persists until ownership changes

Founding Partner

One of the first 50 verified businesses to list at Fort Polk during launch. A permanent badge that recognizes who showed up first — never sold, never reissued.

Phase 1 only · permanent while active
owner questions

What owners ask before they list.

What does a listing include? +
A manually verified listing with the Verified Local badge, a full profile (photos, hours, services, contact), Open Now Beacons, a monthly performance email, and the ability to edit anytime. No contract — edit, pause or update your listing whenever you like.
Can I pay to rank higher? +
No — and that's deliberate. Listing on Scout Local is free, and ranking is earned the same way for every business. The logic is documented in-product. It's the reason families trust the order they see, which is what makes a listing worth having.
How do I get the Military Spouse Owned badge? +
Mark your business as military-spouse-owned when you apply, and we verify it through AMSE/GovX or direct documentation. It's confirmed annually and persists until ownership changes. Like every badge, it's earned through verification — never purchased.
What are Open Now Beacons? +
A Beacon is a live "open now" signal you flip on when you have availability — a same-day opening, a cancellation slot, a food truck that just parked. It surfaces you to nearby families and notifies the ones who saved you, for a window you set. You can end it early; it can't be extended.
How long does it take to get listed? +
Usually about a week. A Scout Local admin reviews every application by hand — we check name, address, phone, website, and at least one form of public verification. No bulk approvals, which is what keeps the directory trustworthy for the families using it.
What happens if someone reports my listing? +
For non-urgent reports, you get a chance to correct the issue before an admin acts. Reports are acknowledged immediately and resolved within 3 business days. What you can't do is hide a report or strip a verified-closed banner — those rules protect the trust that makes your badge mean something.
Which base can I list on right now? +
Fort Polk, LA is live. More installations open as each one reaches our launch quality bar. If you serve a base that isn't live yet, start your application anyway — we'll reach out the moment it opens.