Latest / Motion and Success / How To Win Business Grants in 2026: Where To Find Them & What Nobody Tells You Ft. Stormi Banks

Transcript

How To Win Business Grants in 2026: Where To Find Them & What Nobody Tells You Ft. Stormi Banks · Motion and Success

0:00
[SPEAKER_02]: You think being self-made means spending your own savings, you're wrong.
0:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Smart business owners don't use their own money.
0:07
[SPEAKER_02]: They use grants.
0:08
[SPEAKER_02]: They master the art of getting someone else to pay for their growth.
0:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Little did I know that running a business cost that 60%.
0:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Not even half that 60% to start.
0:18
[SPEAKER_00]: You wake up one day and there's multiple six figures in your bank account.
0:22
[SPEAKER_00]: It's life changing.
0:23
[SPEAKER_06]: I always thought, like, grant funding, it sounds like you're bagging, like.
0:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Grants is a strategy that you can utilize to not only stay that free but to expand your business by maintaining all of your equity in your company.
0:35
[SPEAKER_06]: A lot of times is, some people really just don't know what they're doing in your business.
0:39
[SPEAKER_06]: And then if you're getting to do certain things, they might not have the business bank account, they may not have that, though, so you set up.
0:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that already will just qualify them for Grants, so you're not regretting.
0:47
[SPEAKER_02]: You can have the best idea in the world, but if your paperwork isn't perfect, you don't exist.
0:53
[SPEAKER_00]: as a business owner.
0:55
[SPEAKER_00]: If your paperwork is not properly structured, it's hard to get grants.
0:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I have another client, telecommunications $2.3 million grant.
1:03
[SPEAKER_00]: All because we simply restructured the framework of his business.
1:07
[SPEAKER_05]: What is something like hitting grants people might not know about money?
1:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, okay, so there's,
1:15
[SPEAKER_05]: What's going on, family, it's Iowa and Cody, and today's episode is sponsored by mailbox millionaire Academy, the number one credit and business buying mentorship in the country.
1:26
[SPEAKER_05]: mailbox millionaire Academy teaches high level entrepreneurs and first time business owners how to buy small profitable businesses that already work.
1:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Businesses with systems, cash flow,
1:39
[SPEAKER_05]: real customers already in place.
1:43
[SPEAKER_05]: And the best part about it is if you don't have the money you can use creative finance strategies you'll get inside the academy.
1:50
[SPEAKER_05]: Let's be real ya.
1:52
[SPEAKER_05]: Most people want to get into commercial real estate.
1:55
[SPEAKER_05]: but they don't want to deal with tenants, trash, and toilets.
2:01
[SPEAKER_05]: That's exactly why you need to understand self-storage facilities.
2:06
[SPEAKER_05]: The number one performing real estate based business model in the country.
2:10
[SPEAKER_05]: With self-storage, you get appreciation.
2:14
[SPEAKER_05]: The value goes up.
2:15
[SPEAKER_05]: You get equity, ownership, and monthly cash flow.
2:21
[SPEAKER_05]: But the best part about it without tenants living in your property.
2:25
[SPEAKER_06]: And here's the wild part.
2:27
[SPEAKER_06]: 90% of businesses fell within the first 10 years.
2:31
[SPEAKER_06]: Sell Storage has a 92% success rate most people also think that hey listen in order for me to get started I need a lot of money and I'm here to tell you guys that is absolutely false because my got Romell new rules the lead instructor at mailbox millionaire academy Literally teaches people how to buy their first sell storage business with little to no money out of pocket and right now right now
2:57
[SPEAKER_06]: He's giving away a free intensive training.
3:01
[SPEAKER_06]: All you have to do is text the word motion so that's MOTION to the number 3474296496 to get instant access.
3:14
[SPEAKER_06]: Again, text the word motion so that's MOTION to the number
3:20
[SPEAKER_06]: 347-429-6496 and tell him, listen, you can't find the motion in success family, so that way you can bless you guys.
3:30
[SPEAKER_06]: Let's get back to this episode because this one is going to be a banker.
3:33
[SPEAKER_06]: Alright, you guys, welcome back to another episode of motion in success, listen guys, my name is Cody Brown, and I got my co-host for me today.
3:39
[SPEAKER_05]: It's IO and man we back with another great episode.
3:43
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm excited for this one because any time we got People who can show people how to get money.
3:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, like those episodes go crazy So I'm pretty sure you're gonna be excited for this one.
3:53
[SPEAKER_06]: It's gonna be a good one, bro I agree so listen if you guys are tuning in right now
3:56
[SPEAKER_06]: you guys are in for a special treat because the young lady we're getting ready to interview she's going to be talking about how you can go out and get grant funding so if you're struggling to get funding for your business if you guys are struggling to grow your business because you don't have any kind of money if you guys are struggling to get startup capital or even money just to go out there and invest just to grow your business just a little bit more this is going to be the
4:24
[SPEAKER_06]: All the way over to the end so like once we say I see you guys on the next episode That's when you that's when it's safe to say I can click off this video, okay?
4:33
[SPEAKER_06]: But until then stay to the end because I promise you'll definitely learn something that's going to help your business grow
4:39
[SPEAKER_06]: But without further ado, I would like to introduce our guest for today.
4:46
[SPEAKER_06]: Her name is Stormy Banks.
4:48
[SPEAKER_06]: She is the top grant writer helping a lot of entrepreneurs to get funding for their business.
4:54
[SPEAKER_06]: So listen, let's get into the interview.
4:57
[SPEAKER_06]: Also, she's from New York, by the way.
4:58
[SPEAKER_06]: So shout out to her in the evening.
5:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Shout out to the town.
5:01
[SPEAKER_06]: Shout out to the town.
5:02
[SPEAKER_06]: Shout out to the town.
5:03
[SPEAKER_06]: So Stormy, go ahead and introduce yourself.
5:05
[SPEAKER_06]: Tell the people who you are and how you help them.
5:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey everybody.
5:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for tuning in.
5:09
[SPEAKER_00]: My name is Stormy Banks.
5:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm a certified grant writer and I own the number one grant writing franchise called Pink Print from where we've done 21 million dollars in grant acquisition for small business owners.
5:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So we help you to the full process of writing, finding and applying the grants so that you can stay completely debt free.
5:26
[SPEAKER_05]: Mmm, that's nice, that's okay.
5:29
[SPEAKER_05]: Now, this one's gonna be a really good one.
5:30
[SPEAKER_05]: I do wanna jump into a little bit about the backstory, like before, you know, jumping into, you know, the grant, the grant business, what were you in before, like, how was life growing up?
5:41
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, did you always wanna be entrepreneur?
5:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, absolutely.
5:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I always wanted to be an entrepreneur.
5:46
[SPEAKER_00]: My dad was an entrepreneur.
5:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So this was something that was ingrained to me really young.
5:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've had recent reflections of thinking about, like, what really was my past?
5:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Because sometimes you'll look at your past from a psychological standpoint, you'll kind of look at all of the negative things that shaped you or some positive moments.
6:03
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm like, in my life, my father was an entrepreneur, my mother was an educator, my mom was higher at educator, my whole life.
6:13
[SPEAKER_00]: things really shaped who I am right I had one person who was like if you could work 20 hours for someone else you could work 20 hours for yourself or if you can you can believe in yourself you can make it happen I had another person who was like hey as long as you know how to do it and you can learn a skill you can make it work so like those two infusions is what created who I really genuinely am and you know I
6:33
[SPEAKER_00]: took that initially I never worked a job a day in my life.
6:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't go to college and I was like I'm just trying to sing on my own.
6:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I went to a hair school and got my cousin's holiday license and then you know started working in New York in different salons and just built up a career in hair.
6:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Did as many as the great things that you can do, you know, work behind stage on fashion weeks and editorial shoots and all the incredible moments and started my own business, you know, through that as well.
6:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a mobile hair salon in New York and
7:00
[SPEAKER_00]: COVID actually shut that down and that's when I kind of pivoted into the grant writing.
7:06
[SPEAKER_00]: So when you say mobile hear someone's like you go to your client's house or some like you're where they're at and you just yeah it was called just here so it was like we come to you wherever you are and just do your hair right so.
7:18
[SPEAKER_00]: We go to offices, gyms, your house, yeah.
7:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, we had some client clients.
7:25
[SPEAKER_00]: They was like, oh, maybe at my gym before I go to work, cause they'll be getting up going to gym before work.
7:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So, okay.
7:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Wow, okay.
7:32
[SPEAKER_05]: How did you, in that business, like, how did you start that business?
7:38
[SPEAKER_00]: That business was thrown on me.
7:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So when I was in the salon, I was top performer, right, naturally.
7:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I ended up going to my the salon owner and asking to increase my commission because in that salon, it was a 60 40 split.
7:51
[SPEAKER_00]: They get 60 I get 40 and I was doing so well with sales and I was hit numbers surpassing a lot of the stylists that I was like,
7:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk about a 50-50 split.
8:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was like, let's talk about a two-week hiatus.
8:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, wait, what?
8:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was like, yeah, either you're gonna be humble in this position and like, take what we give in you or you're gonna take a break and like, think about it.
8:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, well, if I'm gonna take a hiatus, I'm out.
8:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was like, peace.
8:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, okay.
8:19
[SPEAKER_06]: He was that serious.
8:20
[SPEAKER_00]: That serious.
8:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that day, pack your bags, literally.
8:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So literally I talked to him on my lunch break and right after lunch, I packed my bags.
8:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a full day of clients in a full week of clients still books packed my bags and left because I was like, if you're not going to see my value and what I'm bringing to the operation,
8:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Then yeah, I'm out then.
8:37
[SPEAKER_00]: So little did I know that running a business cost that 60%.
8:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And I didn't have that 60% to start.
8:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's when I was like, OK, well, I have few clients that I already know and had on Instagram.
8:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to just go to their house and do hair.
8:51
[SPEAKER_00]: But then I started realizing, OK, I got it by my products.
8:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I got to pay for travel.
8:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I got it like all the overhead that business comes with.
8:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was a rude awakening really, really quick.
9:00
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's when I really started looking into like, how can I fund this thing?
9:03
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, you know what that reminds me of.
9:07
[SPEAKER_06]: It's kind of funny, but this your story kind of reminds me of that movie with Queen Latifa.
9:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Which one?
9:12
[SPEAKER_06]: Uh, I think when she started to hear someone.
9:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, beauty salon.
9:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
9:16
[SPEAKER_06]: Which was looking for Jorge.
9:17
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, she's right.
9:18
[SPEAKER_06]: And it was a white man too that I worked for.
9:22
[SPEAKER_06]: And then she's like, yo, listen, if you don't see my value, I'm gonna just go start my salon, you know what?
9:25
[SPEAKER_06]: Oh, salon, next to you, you know?
9:26
[SPEAKER_06]: She's like, oh, she's like, Oh, she's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
9:37
[SPEAKER_06]: It's actually a struggle to start a business and I need some money to start a business, so.
9:41
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the thing with the bank and everything.
9:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, she wants to make that up.
9:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
9:46
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it does.
9:47
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't realize how much business really takes into your business.
9:50
[SPEAKER_00]: And then it wasn't even just all the way of money thing.
9:53
[SPEAKER_00]: It was also a mental thing, too.
9:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I was so used to being able to go to the salon and have a full book of clients.
9:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And all I had to do was service them and rebook them.
10:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Now I have to acquire them as well.
10:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And hustle and be out in the field.
10:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And think of ways to attract new customers and be.
10:06
[SPEAKER_00]: competitive in a marketplace and I didn't have those skill sets fully, you know, developed yet because I was coming from a contractor to now a full-time owner.
10:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, there was money benefits because I was now getting 100% but I was also paying out 100% and taking 100% at risk.
10:23
[SPEAKER_05]: And how are you like, like, you know, being that you, you know, started, you know, running your own, you know, company and your own business and things like that.
10:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, what is some avenues that you try to get money?
10:33
[SPEAKER_05]: Because you need money to start these businesses.
10:36
[SPEAKER_05]: So what are some things that you try?
10:37
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, did you go out and get some funding?
10:39
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, what did you do?
10:41
[SPEAKER_00]: The only thing that I did before I found Grant was I had got a credit card.
10:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Capital One gave me $500.
10:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, man, come on, capital One, but I was better than that.
10:50
[SPEAKER_00]: But they gave me $500.
10:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And I used that to get inventory for some some hair color and stuff at that time.
11:02
[SPEAKER_00]: That was the only thing that I didn't get funding.
11:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Otherwise, I bootstrap the whole business, just boot like whatever my clients was bringing in.
11:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I would just, you know, grow from there.
11:09
[SPEAKER_05]: Wow.
11:10
[SPEAKER_05]: So you said, Derek COVID, you pivoted, right?
11:13
[SPEAKER_05]: You said COVID, and Derek COVID, you pivoted.
11:15
[SPEAKER_05]: So like, what made you pivoted?
11:19
[SPEAKER_05]: Was it like lack of clients like you weren't like people weren't doing it here anymore?
11:22
[SPEAKER_05]: Or was it just like the expensive one in the business?
11:25
[SPEAKER_00]: You know New York has shut down like New York was closed, you know?
11:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Except for not essential workers.
11:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So I literally cannot work.
11:34
[SPEAKER_00]: My business was mobile here so long.
11:35
[SPEAKER_00]: So nobody was letting me in their house to do hair services.
11:38
[SPEAKER_00]: We were down for like six months.
11:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So at that point I was like, okay, well, you know, I can't run my company.
11:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And at that point we had grown.
11:46
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't just me anymore.
11:48
[SPEAKER_00]: A team and we were doing hair all around the city, but I was like, okay, well, I got to figure this out because I was paying $5,000.
11:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a five bedroom, you know, townhouse in Brooklyn.
11:59
[SPEAKER_00]: So I was like, okay, I got to make some moves.
12:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So I ended up leaving my, leaving my townhouse rinsed it out, going down to Memphis that at my mom's house and working at my salon, working at my friend's salon that she had down there.
12:18
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, this isn't going to work for me like, I'm used to a certain lifestyle, whatever the case may be, and I started seeing genuinely people online, like, our new leisure and Dave Shins, like, online talking about finances and entrepreneurship, and just talking about it from a genuine standpoint, I'm like, well, I've been in this industry for a while, and at that point, I had one a grant for my higher son on business.
12:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I'm like, I'm just talking to people about my perspective of entrepreneurship and where we could go now, and I just was getting on a live on Instagram,
12:46
[SPEAKER_00]: just having candidate conversations and people really were like gravitating towards the information, especially the grant part because at first I was talking about credit business credit avenues crowd, but you know all types of funding and things that we could do in that situation when I started talking about grants, people's ears really perked up.
13:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's when I was like, okay, I'm gonna go full on with this grant information and really just share my personal experience from it and it just blew up on its own.
13:11
[SPEAKER_05]: How did you, how did you get that grant?
13:13
[SPEAKER_05]: That initial grant that you got a lot of things to say.
13:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so while I was doing them, well, here's some line just here.
13:18
[SPEAKER_00]: How went to a vending event.
13:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And the lady was like, oh, well, our company has a grant open for entrepreneurs in the beauty industry.
13:26
[SPEAKER_00]: You should apply.
13:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, oh, wow, we're talking about it.
13:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I went, looked it up.
13:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, OK, they're giving out money for
13:34
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're hair stylist or if you have a product and so I applied to that grant, I didn't win that grant but after that I realized what grants were in the process of it and I applied to 10 more grants, I won my 11th grant that I applied to and it was a $50,000 grant.
13:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's when I realized like, okay, this is a thing.
13:52
[SPEAKER_00]: People are giving out funding to entrepreneurs, hair stylist beauty.
13:56
[SPEAKER_00]: At that time I just thought it was for beauty owners, right?
13:58
[SPEAKER_00]: But then I saw that it was a huge vast landscape.
14:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what I wanted to educate myself more and like what does the process really look like?
14:05
[SPEAKER_06]: Mm, good, good, good.
14:06
[SPEAKER_06]: So now, kind of like just tell the people what grants are because sometimes I feel like there, it may be like a little confusion, you know, some people may say, hey, listen, I got to write up a whole proposal, things that aren't nature.
14:20
[SPEAKER_06]: Like just walkers do like, like, what's really a grant?
14:24
[SPEAKER_06]: How does it help businesses?
14:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, on the most basic level,
14:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Grants is debt-free capital that's infused into your business to help you expand, right?
14:33
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all in the finance most basic level.
14:35
[SPEAKER_00]: You're getting grant funding from corporations, government entities, state local entities, foundations, individuals who are literally giving you this capital because you sold them on your mission and what you would do with the funding.
14:47
[SPEAKER_00]: That's as simple.
14:49
[SPEAKER_00]: as it can be put, right?
14:50
[SPEAKER_00]: On a higher level, grants is a strategy that you can utilize to not only stay that free but to expand your business by maintaining all of your equity in your company.
15:01
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're doing grants right, you should be able to lock in funders who are funding you for multiple years at a time so that you can plan out your business for decades.
15:13
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the ultimate strategy and goal for me.
15:18
[SPEAKER_06]: Now, if they're funding your business for decades, does that mean that they're also partners of your business like like on paper like they're like they're getting the certain percentage of your income.
15:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Not necessarily, so there are grants like that, you know, equitable grants for sure where they take it.
15:36
[SPEAKER_00]: part of equity in your company, but there's also just what's called fiscal sponsorship.
15:40
[SPEAKER_00]: So, fiscal sponsorship is where they're just like, hey, we're going to give you, you know, $2,000 every month for the next three years.
15:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, we just want us to put where you guys are doing, we understand that,
15:50
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, annually, you're trying to raise $500,000, and we want to be a part of you all's mission.
15:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So they lock in on that contract to support because at the end of the day, they have a budget that they have to spend.
16:01
[SPEAKER_00]: So if they can find 10 partners every year that are doing the missions that they believe in, serving the people in the way that they want to be a part of, and they get visibility from the things you're doing, whether you host an event, or you have a podcast, right?
16:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Now they're getting that visibility as well in this kind of a win-win situation for both parties.
16:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I applied to one grant opportunity and either if I went or lose that grant opportunity, I reached out to that funder and say, hey, you know, this situation didn't work out between us, but I also have this thing going on as well.
16:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Would you want to come in as a fiscal sponsorship, right?
16:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Because now what I can do is say, I have three annual sponsorships, three fiscal sponsorships that are going to pay me out $10,000 a month for the next three years.
16:45
[SPEAKER_00]: That's $30,000 a month for the next three years, guaranteed.
16:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Deathfree, no credit that I don't have to pay back, is better than sales, is better than acquiring customers, is better than credit cards, is better than loans.
17:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And you get to map out your business's future for the next three years based on a fact that you have 30,000 in the bank.
17:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
17:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that you're enjoying the interview, and I'm sure that you want to learn more about grants.
17:12
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why I want to personally invite you to my five day at Get Grant Ready Summit, where I can take you a little bit more in deep than what this episode is going to give you.
17:20
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to learn exactly how to find right and apply to grant opportunities in five days, then you're going to want to join the Get Grant Ready Summit.
17:27
[SPEAKER_00]: is gonna be happening in March in every quarter after.
17:30
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is your chance to lock in and get this debt free funding so that you can grow your business.
17:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Make sure you visit pinkprintfirm.com so that you can get your ticket for only five dollars.
17:40
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll see you inside.
17:41
[SPEAKER_05]: That way there's a lot of games.
17:42
[SPEAKER_05]: See you educate me from this side cause when I hear grants, I'm gonna be honest.
17:46
[SPEAKER_05]: And I know I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.
17:49
[SPEAKER_05]: But I kind of think
17:50
[SPEAKER_05]: in a way of back to school, like when people used to apply for scholarships.
17:55
[SPEAKER_05]: And it was always like a little competitive and you needed to have, you need to look perfect on paper.
17:59
[SPEAKER_05]: So what are some ways that people who, they might not look that perfect on paper in terms of business that they can still go out and get some grants for their business as well.
18:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's a really great question and I'm glad that you mentioned that because Grants is a competitive based program and you're not guaranteed to get the money just because you started, right?
18:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's one thing that I love about Grants is that you actually have to be great to win.
18:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And for me, we always host these get-grant-ready summits and seminars because part of winning the grant is being able to sell your vision to be able to give someone the understanding of
18:39
[SPEAKER_00]: in this particular way, and they're going to get an outcome.
18:42
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you can't articulate that, you don't deserve the money, right?
18:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And so when people ask me, what can I do just getting started off?
18:49
[SPEAKER_00]: You can start at any point, getting grant funding.
18:51
[SPEAKER_00]: You may not be 1,800,000s day one, but you can start with $1,000 grant, $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 grant opportunities, right?
18:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can only have an LLC or a nonprofit that you just started, have a website or a landing page,
19:04
[SPEAKER_00]: have, you know, an Instagram to showcase some of the things that you're doing in your business or how you're getting structured and ready to launch that business, have some traction.
19:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Traction is an amazing way to be able to tell funders, hey, we've already done the work.
19:18
[SPEAKER_00]: This could be revenue.
19:19
[SPEAKER_00]: This could be a weight list.
19:20
[SPEAKER_00]: This could be inquiries.
19:21
[SPEAKER_00]: This could be pre-cells, right?
19:23
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so many ways to showcase that, hey, we're doing the work on our side.
19:28
[SPEAKER_00]: If you help us or partner with us, we can expand this thing in this vision.
19:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So I would say if you're just getting started, you don't have a lot of things that make you look competitive, build some simple traction methods.
19:38
[SPEAKER_06]: What would be, by the way, I love that perspective because I always thought like, you know, like, grant funding, it sounds like you're begging, like people, you know,
19:50
[SPEAKER_06]: It's just never really hit well for me.
19:52
[SPEAKER_06]: So I'm glad as you put in that perspective, it's like you're selling yourself on your business idea, you know, because a lot of times is, some people really just don't know what they're doing in business and then, you know, they get funding or they get into a bunch of credit card that they can't even get out of, you know?
20:09
[SPEAKER_06]: So that's definitely a great perspective.
20:12
[SPEAKER_06]: You said something, man, I should ask the question too.
20:18
[SPEAKER_06]: The last statement you just said,
20:20
[SPEAKER_06]: I think traction.
20:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Traction.
20:22
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, so how can the person like go out there and prepare to be able to get some kind of traction if they don't have anything going on so far?
20:30
[SPEAKER_00]: One of my strategies that I use with my newer clients who are like literally just starting is we do what's called a beta test.
20:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, and a beta test is a really simple way to be able to prove a particular outcome.
20:42
[SPEAKER_00]: For instance, I have a client who started a app for teaching K through 12 students how to
20:50
[SPEAKER_00]: She was seeing that, she's a teacher, and she was seeing that in her classrooms, kids were under their reading levels, and that they weren't able to comprehend reading or advance in their reading skillset.
21:01
[SPEAKER_00]: So she created this app to help them be able to learn quicker and better and more efficiently.
21:06
[SPEAKER_00]: But she was like, okay, I have all this experience as an educator, but I haven't started the business.
21:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't, I don't have any traction in the actual business.
21:12
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, A, your experience in the industry is traction.
21:18
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're like, I've been podcasting for two years now, you have
21:22
[SPEAKER_00]: data of what it takes to be a podcaster.
21:25
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you go out and look for grants to now educate on podcasting, use that lived experience in data.
21:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Number two, beta tests, what you can do is say, let's get three aspiring podcasters together.
21:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And we'll say, in 30 days, let's try to get them to a thousand subscribers on YouTube.
21:44
[SPEAKER_00]: If you can take three brand new people and get them to a thousand subscribers, you now can say,
21:49
[SPEAKER_00]: We know that our curriculum will take a brand new podcast or get them a thousand subscribers within 30 days, right?
21:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Because what you're trying to do is show the funder that you have a measurable outcome, that if you fund me, I know that I can get three people to a thousand subscribers in 30 days.
22:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason why that's important to you is because now we're getting to help people learn media and attract all these other benefits that come with that.
22:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's all we're really looking for when it comes to traction
22:16
[SPEAKER_00]: How can we really sell them on facts?
22:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Not just adjectives.
22:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Number one mistake people make when it comes to grants is like, my business is the best business out there.
22:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I have the most amazing program.
22:27
[SPEAKER_00]: We're doing wonderful things.
22:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Aren't we all?
22:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So the goal is to take out the adjectives and put in actual data.
22:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
22:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Facts.
22:37
[SPEAKER_05]: So I definitely want to jump into how can people get grant ready for 2026?
22:43
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, what are some things that these grant reviewers like, what are some things that they're looking for in these businesses that could increase the likelihood some might get, you know, gets the grant?
22:53
[SPEAKER_00]: So right now what I'm seeing trending in the grant world because of like the government shut down is going on and you know what Trump being Office he's cancel a lot of grant programs on the federal level is relationship building is going to be the sexiest thing that you can do when it comes to grants next year.
23:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's a few strategies that we're using on a really high level and on some like get started today levels right so one of the things that you should be doing when comes to building relationships is simply going on LinkedIn.
23:20
[SPEAKER_00]: If you find a funder who has a grand out for instance, Verizon has a $10,000 grand out it's called Digital Ready, right?
23:26
[SPEAKER_00]: What a smart person would do is get on LinkedIn and see who is the program director.
23:30
[SPEAKER_00]: of the digital ready program.
23:32
[SPEAKER_00]: They would reach out to that person directly and they would say, hey, I'm Stormy Banks with Pink Plan, we're a grant writing agency.
23:38
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to be applying for the digital ready grant of 2025.
23:41
[SPEAKER_00]: We would love to know what is a ideal recipient for this grant opportunity.
23:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if you go in with a little bit more of a clear view of what the funders looking for, and you already kind of put your name in their mouth, you're going to have a one up, one, all the other competition.
23:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Second thing, go to Eventbrite.
23:59
[SPEAKER_00]: events that your local SBA is hosting your chamber of commerce is hosting start getting to know the treasurer's the program directors the people who are in the know of where the money is going in that local state or in that local economy because those are the people that you're going to want to know who are on put you in place that I say.
24:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh yeah, I didn't meet that guy, you want to be in those relationships.
24:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Number three, send a letter of intent.
24:24
[SPEAKER_00]: It's also an L.O.Y as you might hear it as well.
24:26
[SPEAKER_00]: A letter of intent is simply going to be able to have a one-pager where you're like explaining who you are, what your business does, and what your goals are for the 26 year.
24:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Sitting this to different foundations, family foundations, private foundations, different corporations that let them know what you have going on for 26 and how you're looking for support.
24:45
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be an easy way for you to start building up those relationships because it's going to be more than just going in applying for grants only as we're seeing the grant landscape shift.
24:54
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got to have some other tools in your toolkit.
24:58
[SPEAKER_06]: So question, is it like a website of, is there a website that just, you just go to this one website and then you will just find all of the great opportunities that are out there?
25:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
25:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, great databases are the best way to search grants.
25:14
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're still using Google, you are living in the past, right?
25:17
[SPEAKER_00]: And even you do lies in AI, AI,
25:20
[SPEAKER_00]: asset for finding grant opportunities.
25:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, you have to be careful with AI because sometimes they give you grants that are like not really open or like AI be making up stuff, right?
25:29
[SPEAKER_00]: It really do really do be making up stuff like if you really go vet it it be making up stuff, but I'll give you guys a bunch of websites.
25:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so If you're a for profit business owner or not profit business owner looking for grants in your local state go to grantwatch.com
25:42
[SPEAKER_00]: the best site that you're going to use.
25:44
[SPEAKER_00]: If you are a small business or a startup who's looking for micro grant opportunities to mid-size grant opportunities, go to helloskip.com.
25:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Best site you're going to use.
25:52
[SPEAKER_00]: If you are a non-profit looking to scale your business with monetary grants, go to grantstation.com.
25:58
[SPEAKER_00]: If you are a business owner who is hosting any kind of event and need volunteers or incandownations, go to the shareway.com.
26:07
[SPEAKER_00]: I will say those sites right there are like the best sites that you're going to use to find grants consistently.
26:13
[SPEAKER_06]: No, it's nice, nice.
26:14
[SPEAKER_06]: Well, if I ask one question before you go hang on.
26:17
[SPEAKER_06]: So yeah, so say for example, we got John.
26:23
[SPEAKER_06]: John is a,
26:26
[SPEAKER_06]: He made his first $50,000 in business, right?
26:31
[SPEAKER_06]: He wants to go out and expand his business.
26:35
[SPEAKER_06]: He needs some money for marketing.
26:36
[SPEAKER_06]: He needs some money for mentorship programs.
26:39
[SPEAKER_06]: He needs some money for payroll as well.
26:42
[SPEAKER_06]: Like basically, he just needs about $100,000.
26:46
[SPEAKER_06]: What will be the places in this steps that you will walk John through to be able to get that funding?
26:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, we missed a lot of details with John.
26:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to know a lot more, a lot more, but okay, step one that I would take John through.
26:58
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a for profit business.
27:00
[SPEAKER_06]: Yes, okay, for profit.
27:01
[SPEAKER_00]: So John is a for profit business.
27:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Step one is I need to make sure that a his business is open and compliant.
27:06
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of people don't look at this, but when they go for grants, they won't have their annual.
27:11
[SPEAKER_00]: report done and their business will be inactive or under Secretary of State website and so that already will disqualify them for grants.
27:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So A.I.
27:19
[SPEAKER_00]: will check that first, right?
27:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Make sure that all you're in your reporting is up to date to the current year.
27:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Number two, next thing that I would do for John is I would write him a full proposal in a business plan because for me, I'm a data-driven grant writer.
27:32
[SPEAKER_00]: So for me, when it comes to going for grants, I like to use the same answers over the course of 12 months.
27:39
[SPEAKER_00]: That way I can be able to say, okay, what did we win?
27:41
[SPEAKER_00]: What did we lose and why?
27:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So now I can be able to say, okay, we won this one because we said this, we lost this one because we said that or our budget was that.
27:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Now what I'm doing is I'm going to funnel to create a proposal that literally has a 80% success rate.
27:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So I know when I send this out for John, I'm going to win money because I've already done the preliminary work.
28:00
[SPEAKER_00]: on vetting out what works and what doesn't work for his poor profit business.
28:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Then after that, I'm going to be setting up a strategy for how he's going to build relationships, right?
28:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Based on the type of industry that he would be in, his $100,000 annual budget, I'm not going to get that from just aimlessly applying to grant applications all day long.
28:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I need to figure out, okay, I need to get some fiscal sponsorship on there.
28:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I need to get some donations on there and I need to get him some grant opportunities that really align with his business.
28:29
[SPEAKER_00]: That would be the initial steps that I would take with John with the simple information that you gave me, but make sure your business compliant make sure you're not over doing any taxes because that also does matter you need to at least be on a payment plan with your taxes to get grant funding make sure he has like his business bank account set up to him a proposal a business plan.
28:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I will start going to those different databases to find Grant's horse that align with him.
28:50
[SPEAKER_06]: I was out of inactive businesses.
28:52
[SPEAKER_06]: What's usually like the usual downfalls, a lot of business owners are usually skipping, because sometimes they may be running their business.
29:00
[SPEAKER_06]: Like, you know, they be hustling.
29:02
[SPEAKER_06]: You know what I mean, like, they be hustling and they forget to do certain things.
29:05
[SPEAKER_06]: They might not have the business bank account.
29:07
[SPEAKER_06]: They may not have the LLC set up.
29:09
[SPEAKER_06]: What's some other downfalls that a lot of business owners have right now.
29:13
[SPEAKER_06]: And if they would have made these quick shifts, that would be like a night and day difference from getting grant funding.
29:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, the business is the paperwork.
29:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that we forget that we think the business is making money.
29:23
[SPEAKER_00]: No, the making money part is just a vehicle to grow a business.
29:27
[SPEAKER_00]: But the actual business is the paperwork.
29:30
[SPEAKER_00]: So as a business owner, if your paperwork is not properly structured, it's hard to get grants, especially on a higher level.
29:38
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll be stuck at those like 10,000 and under grants.
29:41
[SPEAKER_00]: forever because they don't ask for a lot of documentation.
29:44
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're like haste on me, I need $500,000.
29:47
[SPEAKER_00]: First thing I'm going to do is like, that your paperwork, right?
29:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So what I want to see when it comes to a business owner is, I want, you know, your LLC documentation or your, if you're not profit, I want your 501c3 status determination letter 990 forms.
30:00
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to have a list of board members.
30:01
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're a for-profit, I want your LLC to be active and current.
30:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And I want you to have, you know, tax returns, profit and law statements.
30:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I want all that, right?
30:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that helps me be able to go for different type of grants and not be stifled because of you lacking, you know, paperwork or different requirements that may be needed.
30:22
[SPEAKER_00]: The best strategy for grants is to be able to go for all of them, right?
30:26
[SPEAKER_00]: To be able to go for any ones that you need and diversify.
30:29
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're like, stormy, I don't have a website.
30:32
[SPEAKER_00]: What can I go for?
30:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't go for them.
30:35
[SPEAKER_00]: That will be my answer.
30:36
[SPEAKER_00]: You're not ready and you're going to be going for grants.
30:38
[SPEAKER_00]: I wonder why you're losing.
30:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's because you don't have what the competition has.
30:43
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a competition based program in the differentiating factor between you and another person.
30:48
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a website.
30:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to choose a person with a website.
30:51
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah.
30:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Why go for that?
30:53
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I don't, I'm not the fluff grant writer.
30:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not gonna be like, anybody can start.
30:59
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm like, start great or why do it?
31:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
31:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't waste my time or yours.
31:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Go for grants when you're grant ready, simple.
31:06
[SPEAKER_05]: What's like one grant story like, maybe a client of yours that you didn't expect them, or you probably didn't think that they'll possibly get a grant and ended up getting a grant.
31:16
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, what's one of them stories that you have?
31:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have a story like that.
31:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I have a story of amazing victors.
31:23
[SPEAKER_00]: who have done the work and succeeded.
31:26
[SPEAKER_00]: But I saw it in them.
31:28
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a spirit of a person who is going to win a grant.
31:32
[SPEAKER_00]: And I can tell immediately.
31:34
[SPEAKER_00]: They have this spirit where they're like, even if they're down on their last, they believe that it's possible.
31:40
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a faith that's unrecognizable, where they're just like, whatever you say, I'm going to do it.
31:47
[SPEAKER_00]: And they don't have any delay in between what they say they're going to do and what they're doing.
31:52
[SPEAKER_00]: It's in matches, right?
31:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've had two really incredible stories.
31:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I had one lady.
31:58
[SPEAKER_00]: She was brand new and she was starting.
32:00
[SPEAKER_00]: She had a home daycare.
32:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And she wanted to expand to get actual buildings.
32:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And she was in Houston.
32:07
[SPEAKER_00]: And I found a grant for her that they, it was literally perfect.
32:10
[SPEAKER_00]: They were like, we're helping people get actual daycare or learning facilities for children that are this agent under.
32:18
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, we can go for this, but this is what we're gonna have to do to go for it.
32:22
[SPEAKER_00]: And we prepped, we worked, we got all the paperwork together.
32:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And she won.
32:26
[SPEAKER_00]: She has five locations in Houston now, 24-hour daycares.
32:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Wow.
32:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Five.
32:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And to think of that process, that was a multiple six figure grant that she won.
32:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm talking about you wake up one day and there's multiple six figures in your bank account.
32:42
[SPEAKER_00]: It's life changing.
32:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I have another client, telecommunications,
32:48
[SPEAKER_00]: All because we simply restructured the framework of his business.
32:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, look, this is bigger than what you're going for.
32:54
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going on a very small low level, but we could go for some huge grant opportunities.
32:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, you guys have the structure and the infrastructure to be able to help millions of people get access to higher internet speeds.
33:06
[SPEAKER_00]: The government will pay for that.
33:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm like, I found this grant, but this is what we would have to do.
33:11
[SPEAKER_00]: They do it.
33:13
[SPEAKER_00]: They do it.
33:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are the stories that I'm like, yes, the victors.
33:18
[SPEAKER_00]: True victors.
33:19
[SPEAKER_05]: That's amazing.
33:20
[SPEAKER_06]: I was actually getting ready to say, I actually had a client that I was working with at one point.
33:25
[SPEAKER_06]: I mean, I don't know anything about grants or anything, but she's more, she is, she had a group home and her group home, like the first one that she got, she basically hustle for that, like, she used all her money,
33:38
[SPEAKER_06]: everything and then she the second one that she applied for.
33:42
[SPEAKER_06]: She's like I think she went into her office or a city office or something like that with her local local something.
33:50
[SPEAKER_06]: She went into an office and then it was like, oh, you know, there's a grandma right now.
33:55
[SPEAKER_06]: You should apply for it and she took it and she ran.
33:57
[SPEAKER_06]: Even though it was like a long process, there was probably like three months or so.
34:01
[SPEAKER_06]: She literally was probably able to get like $35,000 and she's using that for her next group on In the Remi and so that way she doesn't have to come out of pocket because you know She's like the first time I did all of that out of pocket and they kind of cost me you know I was unable to profit anything for about a few months, but this time around she's able to so that's beautiful
34:24
[SPEAKER_00]: but you have to look at the tenacity in the spirit of that type of person.
34:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Not the person who's like, is this guaranteed?
34:31
[SPEAKER_00]: How long does the process take?
34:34
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're asking those questions already, you're not ready.
34:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Mentally, you're not prepared.
34:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Because,
34:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Part of the journey is falling in love with the process, falling in love with who you're going to become through the process.
34:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I was reading a scripture that talked about how God refines us and he was like, he's going to put us in the fire like a silver.
34:54
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what the word for is, it is, but someone who makes silver.
34:57
[SPEAKER_00]: He's going to put us in the fire to refine us as good as silver.
35:01
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you really think about what that means,
35:10
[SPEAKER_00]: a rock can become, it has to go through something, some type of process, some type of process of pressure or fire, heat or stress, or but it's like nowadays everyone wants this instant gratification and they want the result, but they don't want the ritual that it takes to become the person.
35:27
[SPEAKER_00]: The true people who genuinely win grants are addicted to the ritual, addicted to getting up, building their relationships, building their business, structuring their mission, structuring their business, going through that process every day day in, they're not looking to just use AI to try to apply and get it done.
35:43
[SPEAKER_00]: They're not.
35:45
[SPEAKER_00]: They're like, we understand that this is bigger than just winning one time that this can fund our business for the next 10 years so we can stay
35:56
[SPEAKER_00]: and literally change our whole legacy in life.
35:59
[SPEAKER_00]: But you can't look at the end goal.
36:01
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to look at the day-to-day.
36:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are the winners.
36:06
[SPEAKER_05]: That's right, this is real.
36:08
[SPEAKER_05]: It's a real hustle.
36:09
[SPEAKER_05]: And I'm glad you're like super honest and transparent with it.
36:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Because a lot of people, they may try to make the grant applying the grants.
36:18
[SPEAKER_05]: So it seemed like a CPCK, like it's one, two, three.
36:21
[SPEAKER_05]: You submit the application.
36:22
[SPEAKER_05]: You're going to get the grant sent.
36:26
[SPEAKER_05]: So I did want to actually, too, you know, one of the changes I had been when Trump took over was he removed affirmative action and I'm pretty sure a lot of these grants, you know, some people there, minority owned businesses, women owned businesses, black owned businesses.
36:43
[SPEAKER_05]: Does people register and ask those type of businesses as it's still work on them getting grants, you know, or how did, how did that change affect anything in the grant world?
36:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I never thought those certifications were worth it.
36:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I never did.
36:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I certified my business and I'm like WBE.
37:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm like, what did it really do?
37:01
[SPEAKER_00]: There was one grant program that Amazon ran, and you had to be black on a certified to get into that program, but that was literally the only time that having that certification qualified me for anything.
37:13
[SPEAKER_00]: because on most grants, they're not asking for you to have those certifications.
37:18
[SPEAKER_00]: So I never felt like those were worth it, but with Trump being an office, people have to understand this too.
37:24
[SPEAKER_00]: They're federal grants, they're state-level grants, they're corporate grants.
37:27
[SPEAKER_00]: All of those are separate, right?
37:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So if the federal government closes all their grants, they're still tons of grants through state-local,
37:33
[SPEAKER_00]: and through corporate, right?
37:34
[SPEAKER_00]: So when people are like, all the grants gone, all my clients went up for emailing all day.
37:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Grants are gone, what are we gonna do?
37:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, there's totally tons of other grants outside of federal government.
37:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So even, you know, as those grants have changed, all it does is change your strategy.
37:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Because those grants, the ones that he has shifted through, I've seen that it hasn't changed other than like the budget has changed, but the only other thing that has changed is the language, right?
37:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Now they're shifting what?
38:00
[SPEAKER_00]: to say outside of, okay, I'm a minority on business, you shift that into something else.
38:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I'm helping, you know, underserved underprivileged people, you shift that into another word, right?
38:10
[SPEAKER_00]: The only thing that's really changes, you have to know how to navigate the language, just still communicate what you do and who you serve, but in a way that is easy on their years.
38:19
[SPEAKER_05]: What's the industry that you see that gets the most grant approval?
38:22
[SPEAKER_05]: It's like, what's one industry that you see?
38:24
[SPEAKER_00]: The most consistent grant approvals I would honestly say is probably right now definitely anything with tech technologies definitely a huge one that people are going for.
38:34
[SPEAKER_00]: The beauty industry does really well as well healthcare does amazing transportation has done really good to artists I've seen a lot of artists get a lot of grants as well, but this is what's really attracting about grants is that with any grant you can integrate what the grant towards looking for into your business model.
38:53
[SPEAKER_00]: So for instance, you know, I've had clients who are like, oh, we don't, we're not a technology business, but I'm like, but you can utilize technology and your business, which would qualify you for tech grants, right?
39:04
[SPEAKER_00]: How can you use technology in your operational process to now showcase that you do have tech components so that does open you up for other grants and other industries?
39:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's all about just like really looking at how can we make ourselves the obvious choice within what we do without, you know, going totally outside of the box.
39:23
[SPEAKER_05]: And I know you mentioned too that, you know, using AI might not be the best idea when a client, but I didn't want to see like, are you using any AI tools, you know, to help your clients, you know?
39:34
[SPEAKER_05]: Cause I mean, it is an advantage, you know what I mean?
39:38
[SPEAKER_05]: If you know how to use it to write, are you using any tools?
39:41
[SPEAKER_03]: Can I give you a quick tip on how to build wealth in 2025?
39:44
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, take everything you think you know about investing and throw it up the window.
39:48
[SPEAKER_03]: The one skill that's holding you back isn't what you think it is.
39:51
[SPEAKER_03]: You've got the draw, you have the vision, you may even have the capital, but for some strange reason, you are still not seeing the returns that you are looking for.
39:59
[SPEAKER_03]: Sounds familiar, right?
40:01
[SPEAKER_03]: I know, I understand exactly how you feel.
40:03
[SPEAKER_03]: Because for me, it was the exact same thing.
40:06
[SPEAKER_03]: For years, I spent time buying single family houses, doing Airbnb, arbitrage, renting cars, on Toro, doing seven different businesses, look at for seven different streams of income to become a millionaire.
40:18
[SPEAKER_03]: And it was the exact opposite of what I needed to do to build true wealth.
40:22
[SPEAKER_03]: The truth is, it was my ability to find already existing cash flow in businesses that are generating money immediately.
40:30
[SPEAKER_03]: In fact, 90% of business owners fell within the first 10 years.
40:34
[SPEAKER_03]: So I was steady taking a chance of being part of that 10% to build wealth.
40:39
[SPEAKER_03]: When 10,000 baby boomers are retiring every single day who ram businesses for 10, 20, 30 years and are looking to retire and sell those businesses directly to people like you to collect that cash flow.
40:51
[SPEAKER_03]: immediately.
40:52
[SPEAKER_03]: So now you can buy those businesses for pennies on the dollar, which is why I put together my completely free workshop while I'm going to show you my four-step process to get access to a quarter million dollars in funding in 90 days to invest to buy already cash for in business.
41:07
[SPEAKER_03]: This is exactly what Cookie Robinson did by purchasing her very first cash on business, a package ship business that has bring in money day one, and she did it creatively with little
41:19
[SPEAKER_03]: This is exactly where Naya, the legacy Bill that has done.
41:22
[SPEAKER_03]: She purchased a dry cleaning business, utilizing creative finance.
41:26
[SPEAKER_03]: And I want to teach you these exact strategies that you can implement and start making money immediately.
41:31
[SPEAKER_03]: This is the fastest way to build wealth in 2025.
41:34
[SPEAKER_03]: So I'm having a completely free training.
41:36
[SPEAKER_03]: Click this link below.
41:37
[SPEAKER_03]: I want you to register.
41:39
[SPEAKER_03]: It's time for you to build a legacy for you and your family.
41:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
41:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, our whole system has become super automated.
41:48
[SPEAKER_00]: like this simply put and then I'll tell you how we are using it is right you know Steve Madden right and you know our mess yes okay so Steve Madden is a 20 to $200 accessible access accessories product right it's a great option it's it's amazing it's accessible you go to the mall and you can pick it up and you can wear that night right but our mess is you have
42:19
[SPEAKER_00]: to be over to get a Birkin bag.
42:21
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a $50,000 bag and up, right?
42:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So the craftsmanship between the two things will yield a different result.
42:29
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a customer for Steve Madden, and there's a customer for Ermez.
42:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you looking for the $200 grants?
42:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you looking for the $50,000 grants?
42:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Because with that, you will need the craftsmanship that comes with an Ermez type of approach.
42:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So when it comes to AI, it is a great tool, and it can help you streamline the process.
42:48
[SPEAKER_00]: For me and my team, we're using it to help us with research, to find funders, too.
42:52
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, enhance our grammar and make it quicker.
42:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Did not have to, you know, think through every single thing and alignment.
42:58
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a great tool for those things.
43:00
[SPEAKER_00]: But what people are using it for is there, copying and pacing and answer, or a question from a grand application, and they're saying, give me an answer for my business.
43:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Act as a grant writer and give me the answer for my business.
43:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, yeah, I could do that, but is that actually a vetted answer?
43:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it a quality answer compared to what I would produce because
43:25
[SPEAKER_00]: If you really look at a question, it has so many things that you can break it down into.
43:30
[SPEAKER_00]: It has so many different perspectives.
43:32
[SPEAKER_00]: If you ask me, you know, how was my day?
43:34
[SPEAKER_00]: You might be coming from a different perspective than if you ask me how was my day, right?
43:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So now I have to look at not only the question book, the funder, so now I have to understand why would you wanna know how my day is?
43:45
[SPEAKER_00]: What would make you feel like I'm having a good day?
43:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Cause if I say, oh my day was good, you might be like, just good, you might be like, oh that's good.
43:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So AI is not going to be able to give you that type of insight.
43:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you're using it as just a regular consumer, it's not going to act as your grandwriter.
44:02
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not a grandwriter.
44:04
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an AI bot.
44:06
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's just understanding how to truly use it to really get the result that you're looking for.
44:11
[SPEAKER_06]: So now, when it comes to getting grants, right?
44:16
[SPEAKER_06]: Basically it really boils down to a few options.
44:19
[SPEAKER_06]: You see that you're going to get somebody to do it for you.
44:21
[SPEAKER_06]: See that you're going to do yourself.
44:22
[SPEAKER_06]: You're going to try to use in chat or something like that.
44:26
[SPEAKER_06]: When it, like,
44:28
[SPEAKER_06]: What is is getting grants on your own like is that something realistically that that business owners can do or like do they actually need to hire a grant writer because some people may say, you know, I hired a grant writer didn't really hope beyond you get a grants, you know, things like that.
44:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So what would you say 100% no I think that you absolutely can do it yourself right this is absolutely a process that anyone could do themselves.
44:54
[SPEAKER_00]: What I'm advocating for is that we actually learn the real steps, right?
44:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And not just relying solely like, oh, I could just use AI and Chagetian just get grants because there's a lot more to it than that.
45:04
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think if a person has the time to find quality grants into, like, go for them and build relationships in their business, 100%.
45:13
[SPEAKER_00]: They can go for grants and win consistently and be successful on their own.
45:18
[SPEAKER_00]: You do not need a grant writer to go for grants.
45:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And I say that,
45:21
[SPEAKER_00]: whole heartedly because as a grant writer who runs a whole grant ready agency, the time to hire a grant writer is when you're looking for high level strategy.
45:29
[SPEAKER_00]: The time is not to hire a grant writer when you're like, um, in desperation mode or you're like, I need this money by tomorrow because we can't rest the process.
45:37
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you're like, hey, we're at a point now.
45:39
[SPEAKER_00]: We're ready to expand what we have going on and we're looking to build new ways to bring in capital for our business.
45:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Now we want someone to start thinking on a higher level.
45:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And then also, I already have relationships with certain funders, right?
45:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So you're looking for my relationship base, my database, my expertise, my strategy to come in to now help you secure more funding to grow or expand or capacity build.
46:03
[SPEAKER_00]: That's when you hire a grant writer.
46:05
[SPEAKER_05]: Makes sense.
46:07
[SPEAKER_05]: Has there been anybody you know who they literally use grants to fund the entire business?
46:18
[SPEAKER_00]: me, my client asked Juber, like Kayisha Masal.
46:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I have clients that are literally, this is what we do.
46:25
[SPEAKER_00]: This is not a joke.
46:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't paid payroll in three years.
46:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to grant for workforce development.
46:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And my payroll is $334,000 a year.
46:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Imagine saving that type of money in your business every year guaranteed.
46:43
[SPEAKER_00]: We can do some things, we can make something shake.
46:45
[SPEAKER_06]: Hold on, hold on.
46:46
[SPEAKER_06]: Cause I think we need a little spicy now, cause we're talking about payroll.
46:53
[SPEAKER_06]: So you mean to tell me that you have grants that are literally covering your employees, your staff, your entire team.
47:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Correct the moldo.
47:05
[SPEAKER_06]: All right cool, so now here's the thing, right?
47:08
[SPEAKER_06]: This, the reason why I think this is a good thing is because now,
47:12
[SPEAKER_06]: You as a business owner, you can't be everywhere doing everything all that one time.
47:17
[SPEAKER_06]: You have to hire your help.
47:18
[SPEAKER_06]: So now, we can basically get grants to cover and employees.
47:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
47:25
[SPEAKER_00]: So how we were able to do that is we created a training system, right?
47:30
[SPEAKER_00]: So the grant that we went for was a workforce development grant.
47:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And we were like, OK, if we take college kids, high school kids,
47:39
[SPEAKER_00]: and we teach them how to be grant writers and we create this certified grant write program and turnily at the end of them working with us or after a year of them working with us, they'll be able to have a full time job and grant writing on their own to sustain their own lives.
47:53
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we pitched.
47:54
[SPEAKER_00]: We pitched the training program of people in a certain age group and in a certain demographic to now have this sustainable job.
48:02
[SPEAKER_00]: And at the whole time, they're working for us.
48:04
[SPEAKER_00]: We're getting billable hours completed.
48:06
[SPEAKER_00]: through our business.
48:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And with that, we've saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.
48:12
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been able to launch having, you know, benefit programs in our business or on one case in our business because we're saving so much money on the actual payroll costs.
48:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
48:22
[SPEAKER_00]: So it.
48:23
[SPEAKER_00]: It makes you more competitive in the landscape to hire a better talent when you want to get real talent and it's just you can do it you just have to be creative in that's when you hire a grant writer right and no more person is not going to think to ask chat to do that to understand that process right so you have to like be able to look at a grant and say.
48:42
[SPEAKER_00]: How can I make this work for me?
48:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I want this money, and you have to strategize it and figure out how to implement it.
48:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Wow, wow, wow, wow, so crazy.
48:52
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, I never, I never even knew that.
48:55
[SPEAKER_06]: So like once you win a grant, like, you know, that covers payroll, are they fronting you the funds, like upfront or like you get an increment.
49:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Incremental throughout the year.
49:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Incremental, for sure.
49:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, quarterly or monthly, I've seen it both ways.
49:11
[SPEAKER_05]: And with, you know, getting all that money like, how's it that the tax system with that like is grants more so like tax free like how does it work?
49:21
[SPEAKER_00]: It's is debt free, but it's not tax free.
49:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
49:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So you have to spend it in the fiscal year.
49:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, you offset your taxes by spending on business necessities.
49:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
49:32
[SPEAKER_06]: You know something that just hit me?
49:33
[SPEAKER_06]: Like you ever heard like with like city, city, like for example, the MTA, they'd be like, hey listen, like they have to spend the money.
49:44
[SPEAKER_06]: Like for example, like they gotta give their work is over time, they gotta buy their products, they gotta, even if they got a grant.
49:50
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, they gotta make a grant.
49:52
[SPEAKER_06]: And it's like, yo, we gotta spend this.
49:53
[SPEAKER_06]: So you see people just doing overtime, school.
49:56
[SPEAKER_06]: And they phone in a break line.
49:58
[SPEAKER_06]: Jellin, you know what I mean?
50:00
[SPEAKER_06]: You got to buy some new stuff around the hospital.
50:01
[SPEAKER_06]: You might buy some new equipment around the job site.
50:05
[SPEAKER_06]: Now it makes sense.
50:06
[SPEAKER_06]: You select, you know, they have to spend the money.
50:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, because that, but they're not getting the budget back.
50:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
50:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Makes sense.
50:12
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to spend the money.
50:14
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the thing.
50:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So then when I talk about what we have 17 employees are always like, well, I'm like, I may have it out.
50:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, we were able to grow.
50:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And then that also allows us to expand and like, take more clients on it because we have more, you know, more, more staff.
50:28
[SPEAKER_00]: Grants is an amazing strategy for the person who's ready for the process, and it's not for everybody, you know, and I tell people that I'm like, it's not the best strategy for everybody.
50:37
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people are, they need to get a credit card, they need to get a loan like that's going to be the best thing for you to do.
50:42
[SPEAKER_00]: But I always tell people at least learn the process because even with grants, it's a transferable skill for wealth.
50:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you can teach your son, your daughter, your nephew, your niece,
50:52
[SPEAKER_00]: about grants early on, at least they have the option.
50:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So where they didn't have to go for the pre-approved credit card, just because it came in the mail.
50:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, they knew, oh wait, let me try this grant thing, and see if I can get some grants first before I just go into debt.
51:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, let me see what I can bootstrap on my own accord.
51:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Because we have a certified grant writing program publicly, and I have grant writers who at this point, they are, you know, having equity in large corporations, because they're writing grants for them consistently, right?
51:19
[SPEAKER_00]: and getting them millions of dollars and funding a year hospitals that you won't even think are getting grants, are getting millions and dollars of grant funding every single year to run their program.
51:30
[SPEAKER_00]: So, it's an incredible career and it's an incredible asset for any business owner and nonprofit founder.
51:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, well, what is, I was going to ask you too because you know, they really love hearing the grant game.
51:41
[SPEAKER_05]: So what is some like heading grants, people might not know about, like things that I'm pretty sure you know about,
51:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Things that people from outside looking in, they would not know about that.
51:52
[SPEAKER_05]: They could apply for her.
51:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Hidden grants.
51:56
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you say hidden grants, you're like, secret sauce grants.
52:01
[SPEAKER_05]: These are people might not even know about like, like you mentioned, you said Verizon, you know, that one, most people probably didn't even know Verizon as I'll give an out grants.
52:09
[SPEAKER_00]: OK, gotcha.
52:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, OK, so there's Verizon grants out right now.
52:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Out right now, there's the,
52:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Hello, skip growth grant.
52:18
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a $10,000 grant that's out right now as well Super easy grant that anybody could go for is the galaxy a star's grant.
52:25
[SPEAKER_00]: It's literally $2,500 They do it every single month They have this grant called start pivot and grow grant.
52:32
[SPEAKER_00]: That's another $2,500 micro grant those are really micro grants are really really easy to apply to They also have this grant called the free fellowship.
52:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that grab opportunity because you go through like a 16-week cohort
52:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And then at the end of it, you get, you know, 52 $100,000 in grant funding through that program.
52:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, I would say also diversifying, don't just look at grants just with like a simple online application, look at accelerator programs, cohort opportunities, pitch competitions, cause all of that is still also debt-free funding that people can go for too.
53:07
[SPEAKER_05]: What is like, what is it like, we grants, is it like, first apply or is it like more so like,
53:15
[SPEAKER_05]: whoever's like the most qualified and like when could you expect to hear back if you got if you got in or you got denied.
53:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So Grant Cycle is usually 30 to 45 days.
53:23
[SPEAKER_00]: If you start on November first, they'll probably end on a 30th and then they usually take about like two to four weeks to go through all the applicants and then announce who the recipient is.
53:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So you're going to be waiting like from top to finish like two months to hear back about a grant opportunity and typically with that they choose like
53:40
[SPEAKER_00]: one to twenty people per grant, depending on the ground opportunity, one to twenty people get chosen and their chosen fits in a lives with them the best and best use of funds.
53:49
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what they're chosen.
53:51
[SPEAKER_05]: That's a, that's a lot of game.
53:53
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm not gonna lie.
53:53
[SPEAKER_05]: You really broke it down.
53:54
[SPEAKER_05]: You really broke it down.
53:56
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, can really tell that, you know, this grand stuff to, you know, to like a tee to like another level.
54:03
[SPEAKER_05]: So definitely want to get into how you, you help people a little bit.
54:06
[SPEAKER_05]: I know you said that, you know, you're, you're, you're running a challenge.
54:11
[SPEAKER_05]: I believe.
54:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we host our gig grant ready summons every one summons.
54:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so our gig grant ready summons is a five day, um, you know, extra vacancy because the goal is to teach you from a to Z, right?
54:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, yes, we're grant writers, but we want you to know how to do it and to do it well.
54:27
[SPEAKER_00]: So day one, we're like, we're getting to the big business structure, day two, let's get into non-profit structure, day three, how to find grants, taking you through different databases, how to search.
54:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Day four, we're going into how to actually write your grant proposal, what to
54:41
[SPEAKER_00]: what's a look for, how to prepare your budget.
54:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Day five, we're going to have to manage grants with taxes, right?
54:46
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a really important part of it in how to report.
54:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you win grant opportunities, you have to know what to do when you get the money to build those relationships, how to follow up with funders, when you don't win, what to do in those cases, right?
54:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's really on a high level strategy, but it's good for any level.
55:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Because my mother wasn't educator, I've learned how to really break things down on an A to Z language terms process.
55:07
[SPEAKER_00]: and we've been doing this for three years and it's been super successful.
55:11
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's virtual, it's online and anyone can join and it's only $5, we charge $5.
55:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Our people would have come to our giga ready summits and it's literally the reviews are crazy.
55:22
[SPEAKER_00]: People come out of their winning grants, coming grant riders, it's incredible.
55:27
[SPEAKER_06]: Sorry to break the interview, but really not sorry to break the interview because listen.
55:31
[SPEAKER_06]: Over the past few months, we've been testing out this one system that has been a complete game changer for us and our business.
55:40
[SPEAKER_06]: So now is the best time for us to bring it to you guys.
55:43
[SPEAKER_06]: And the name of the system is called Go High Level.
55:46
[SPEAKER_06]: Go High Level is an all in one marketing tool that you're going to be able to use to grow your business.
55:51
[SPEAKER_06]: Listen.
55:52
[SPEAKER_06]: We're not only just podcasters, but we're also business owners as well.
55:56
[SPEAKER_06]: So if you're a business owner, you're looking to grow your business online just like how we're doing the same thing.
56:01
[SPEAKER_06]: You need to have a way in how you're going to be able to text your people.
56:04
[SPEAKER_06]: You need a way of how you're going to be able to email your people.
56:07
[SPEAKER_06]: You need a way how to go out there and build your funnels, your websites, and everything that you have to use to grow your online business.
56:14
[SPEAKER_06]: Go high level is literally that one tool that you would have to use.
56:18
[SPEAKER_06]: So all of the other subscriptions that you have,
56:20
[SPEAKER_06]: You can go ahead and cancel them right now because go high level, that's everything that you need as an online business owner.
56:28
[SPEAKER_05]: All in one tool, you literally don't need any other CRM system, any other automation, go high level is the one tool that you need.
56:37
[SPEAKER_05]: Enough said, man.
56:38
[SPEAKER_05]: Click the link down below to start your free trial.
56:41
[SPEAKER_05]: Listen, it's on us.
56:42
[SPEAKER_06]: We begged our goal, how level people for this work, by the way.
56:45
[SPEAKER_05]: Yep, so click the link down below, start your free trial and start organizing your business.
56:51
[SPEAKER_05]: So that way you can get more customers, increase revenue, and more deposits to your business account back to the episode.
57:00
[SPEAKER_05]: And you think it could work like...
57:03
[SPEAKER_05]: anywhere, because for example, let's say like New York, New York is a big state, you know, I mean, so if they are giving out grants, it's probably more than like we crazy competitive, but if somebody is like from a small town where it might not be that much people, they probably have a high chance of getting the grant or is it like it'll work anywhere?
57:22
[SPEAKER_00]: So this, this is what we break down in a summit, right?
57:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Because
57:26
[SPEAKER_00]: For instance, ping-print is foreign, we have a foreign entity in multiple different states.
57:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Because we want to get grants in multiple different states, right?
57:34
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're registered not only in New York, but in Georgia and California in Texas, because the most grant opportunities are going to be in your big cities, which is where most businesses are going to be registered at.
57:44
[SPEAKER_00]: So the city is going to be supporting them.
57:45
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're registered in like a Wyoming, you're probably not going to see that many grant opportunities in Wyoming.
57:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So now your strategy will shift to understanding corporate grant opportunities
57:56
[SPEAKER_00]: all 50 states, right?
57:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So when we're in the summer, we're breaking down all of how that works, right?
58:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Because it does work for anybody anywhere at any time, but you have to know what grants am I going for?
58:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Why am I going for these grants?
58:10
[SPEAKER_00]: How do I access other type of grant funding because it really is a strategy in a formula?
58:17
[SPEAKER_05]: And that's crazy.
58:19
[SPEAKER_05]: It's crazy that people could go out and actually get money, you know, that free, you know, because a lot of people are stressed, especially business owners.
58:27
[SPEAKER_05]: When it's time, you know, when it's time for that, that credit card bill, that business card bill, and you know, they might not be able to make payroll some people, you know, it really stresses them out.
58:38
[SPEAKER_05]: So you know, that grants is an option, it's amazing.
58:42
[SPEAKER_05]: And is there like,
58:44
[SPEAKER_06]: outside of like your business planning things like that like today do a look at credit as a way to judge the person not at all if someone is looking at your credit for a grant run that's a scam okay okay all right cool so we definitely touched on a lot of different topics and you really open my mind um you know this is definitely great perspective of of the grant industry and how you guys
59:11
[SPEAKER_06]: But outside of that, just out of curiosity, I checked out your page and like, man, she's so good at branding and everything.
59:20
[SPEAKER_06]: Like, I remember there's one time you do like a, like a, I think it's like an all black thing.
59:24
[SPEAKER_06]: Everybody had shades on or it was like a all pink thing.
59:28
[SPEAKER_06]: Mm-hmm.
59:28
[SPEAKER_06]: Like, what comes into play like, how do you get so creative with your marketing?
59:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think it's super creative?
59:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
59:35
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Ash Cash was just saying this to me the other day.
59:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm always just so surprised
59:39
[SPEAKER_00]: I told him the same thing.
59:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, okay, I read my Bible every day.
59:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like a super, like I'm not, I want to say I'm a super Christian, but I'm like a Bible person.
59:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe that.
59:49
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, there's nothing to under the heavens.
59:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, if I could just learn what already came before me, then I could be prepared.
59:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So when I'm reading my Bible, I just get really inspired by like the different stories.
59:59
[SPEAKER_00]: For instance, like the one that you're talking about was when we did our debt free campaign.
1:00:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
1:00:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And that was simply inspired by I read the verse where God was like, you're the lender, not the power.
1:00:11
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just read that whole story and just went down.
1:00:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was like, wow, like,
1:00:14
[SPEAKER_00]: If I could really get people to be in the mindset that they're the lender and not the borrower, like how would that change people's lives?
1:00:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Like my campaigns are always structured around a mindset that I really want people to have.
1:00:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Like we just did the grant games campaign where we were acting like we were, you know, in a game studio, our case studio.
1:00:31
[SPEAKER_00]: But like the shift there was like 40 days of grants, right?
1:00:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I read the story of like Jesus, 40 days, 40 nights and Moses, 40 days for a nice, like I really wanted the transformation.
1:00:42
[SPEAKER_00]: to where they experience through that 40 days to happen to the people who join me on the grant games challenge and like, when I'm thinking of marketing, it really is like, okay, mindset, what am I looking for an outcome of their mindset?
1:00:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I could care less about making the money like, I'm gonna be taking care of because I do good to people and people do good to me.
1:01:01
[SPEAKER_00]: But how can I really have someone look back on their life and say,
1:01:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember when I joined that pink print thing and I changed this letter like I had this huge monumental moment in my life where I became this person through this process like I'm all about
1:01:14
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to take you through the process.
1:01:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm trying to take you through there.
1:01:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Like in a real way, you know what I'm saying?
1:01:19
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's why I get like that on my market.
1:01:21
[SPEAKER_06]: I like it by the way.
1:01:22
[SPEAKER_06]: So that's good.
1:01:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
1:01:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I really appreciate that.
1:01:24
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, I really like it.
1:01:25
[SPEAKER_06]: It's very creative.
1:01:27
[SPEAKER_05]: Do you guys have any other, no, that's great.
1:01:30
[SPEAKER_05]: And even with your mindset, you know, that's how I know people in your community are winning because like you said, I could already tell that you're not doing this just for like, oh, I'm trying to make, you know, $100,000 in a day.
1:01:42
[SPEAKER_05]: like you actually have a passion for it and you really are trying to help people.
1:01:46
[SPEAKER_05]: So that right there, I know it's like a real, it's like a big difference.
1:01:51
[SPEAKER_05]: Like, you know, people join these other great communities, but they don't get that.
1:01:55
[SPEAKER_05]: You're creating like a family, you know what I mean?
1:01:57
[SPEAKER_05]: So I didn't want to actually do like, what are some things that you do for like yourself care, you know, because you know, you can't be working all year round.
1:02:04
[SPEAKER_05]: What are some things that you do to balance out and to kind of like take care of yourself as well?
1:02:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I just prioritized peace, right?
1:02:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So like to me, you know, peace can come from different things.
1:02:16
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm a, I like to learn that's like a peaceful thing to me.
1:02:18
[SPEAKER_00]: So I read a lot.
1:02:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I was just telling you guys, I'm reading this book, how to make a couple billion by this guy named Brad.
1:02:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this is his name.
1:02:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know his last name, but I love reading.
1:02:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I just love listening to other people's perspectives.
1:02:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And then travel like,
1:02:33
[SPEAKER_00]: just a couple of weeks ago, while I booked all my travel for 20, 26, like I'm like, yeah, I'm like, lock it in, I'm outta here, like, you know, after, you know, okay, so you guys are a member, I'ma break this down, so I'm a woman and you know, women not on a cycle, right?
1:02:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And so what a lot of women founders don't really think about is like their cycle is what kind of influences their work, abilities and efforts.
1:02:58
[SPEAKER_00]: So like when you're in different parts of your cycle as a woman like at one point of your cycle you're like super motivated excited and you want to like work really hard and you have so all this like motivation then when you're in a different part of your cycle you're like how I'm depressed I don't want to work my life is shit like you're like really upset and on a different part of your cycle you're like wow I'm just inspired I just want to help everybody I want to love everybody right so you have to like know that about your cycle and plan your business within that.
1:03:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I have one week where I put all my work.
1:03:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I work all week just in that one week because I know that's my good week.
1:03:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And then from there, I have like, okay, this my travel week cause I'm gonna be upset.
1:03:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm about to be mad.
1:03:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna be out of town cause I'm gonna be mad.
1:03:36
[SPEAKER_00]: So as a woman, like you have to really listen to your body and listen to yourself so that you know how to run and operate your business and it's not like being too personal, it's actually like being prepared and understanding like don't
1:03:49
[SPEAKER_00]: be around people when you're going to be nasty and rude.
1:03:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's going to happen because it's just a part of like how our cycles work.
1:03:54
[SPEAKER_00]: So my self care just looks like, you know, taking care of myself in the terms of listening to my body, giving myself rest, being comfortable with that and not having to, you know, strive to be in the rat race or like be seen or get any kind of validation like
1:04:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I let all of that stuff go and I'm just like, I'm just rocking, like it's going to be good.
1:04:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm building something long term.
1:04:17
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no concept of time.
1:04:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't need to do it today tomorrow next week.
1:04:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I want to build something that lasts in people's minds for billions of years, like music, right?
1:04:27
[SPEAKER_00]: If I'm not making music, how do I still have that same impact, like a song that someone will listen to years later.
1:04:42
[SPEAKER_05]: far ahead like making sure you know you're working when you motivated like I think more women need to do that I'm just I'm telling I definitely worked um you know I worked in a predominantly like women industry and and I see the up and down and moves I see I'm like I need to take this this I never heard that perspective before but not that's that
1:05:09
[SPEAKER_05]: make some out of sense.
1:05:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you can't grow friends, y'all know.
1:05:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Oh yeah.
1:05:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Y'all know the vibe.
1:05:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You know when it's time to get the candy in the pool, and then it's time to chill.
1:05:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Be out the house.
1:05:21
[SPEAKER_06]: Yup.
1:05:22
[SPEAKER_06]: It's real.
1:05:23
[SPEAKER_06]: So by the way, and just before we write, like, what's some of the destinations you think and you go in this day?
1:05:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I already know.
1:05:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not thinking about your books.
1:05:30
[SPEAKER_00]: I think about your books.
1:05:32
[SPEAKER_06]: You might share where you're going to go.
1:05:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I'm doing Peru in February.
1:05:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to do Morocco and May.
1:05:38
[SPEAKER_00]: For my birthday, I'm a dual Australian August.
1:05:40
[SPEAKER_00]: My home girl's moving out there from New York.
1:05:42
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're going to go see her.
1:05:43
[SPEAKER_00]: She's moving out there.
1:05:45
[SPEAKER_00]: And then a studio has been young right now.
1:05:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm learning Spanish right now.
1:05:52
[SPEAKER_00]: December I'm gonna go to Mexico and like practice my Spanish, but that I booked the flight for that, but it's tentative and it's based on if I stick with my studies.
1:06:02
[SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, that's cool.
1:06:04
[SPEAKER_06]: I mean, you got to design the life that you weren't for.
1:06:06
[SPEAKER_00]: You do.
1:06:06
[SPEAKER_06]: I mean, that's true.
1:06:08
[SPEAKER_06]: I love that for you.
1:06:11
[SPEAKER_06]: Any last final words that you like to share?
1:06:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Final words, make God your source and you will always win
1:06:23
[SPEAKER_06]: That's that's it.
1:06:24
[SPEAKER_06]: There you go.
1:06:25
[SPEAKER_06]: And how can the people find you?
1:06:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm on all platforms as I am stormy banks and that is stormy with an eye and then also our business is pink print firm dot com and if you guys want to join us at the giga ready summit and make sure you go to pink firm firm dot com.
1:06:40
[SPEAKER_00]: we are gonna be hosting some is every single quarter and I would love to see you guys there.
1:06:43
[SPEAKER_06]: Nice, nice, nice, nice.
1:06:45
[SPEAKER_05]: You guys are tapping, yeah.
1:06:46
[SPEAKER_06]: I promise you guys, I told you guys you guys are here for a cheat, so listen, there you have it, the game was said, hopefully you guys got a lot of value, hopefully you guys got a lot of game.
1:06:57
[SPEAKER_06]: Now, the most important thing is go out, execute, tap in with the challenge.
1:07:01
[SPEAKER_06]: I mean, the summit that she's having, and just learn from where, you know, her perspectives are definitely different, so stay connected, stay tapped in, so that way you don't get locked out.
1:07:14
[SPEAKER_06]: With that being said, we'll wrap up this episode for today, and I'll see you guys on the next podcast.
1:07:20
[SPEAKER_06]: Peace.
1:07:20
[SPEAKER_06]: See ya.