Happy Monday!

I’m sharing funding strategies for your business & how to find some free money, but before we get into that, you know we gotta complete our Best Week Basics. Grab your notebook and spend the next 20 minutes laying the groundwork for having your best week ever.

🦋 Following the "Best Week Basics" is essential to having your best week ever. Use this time to really plan for the week ahead and think about what needs to happen for you to feel like you had a productive, fulfilling week.

  1. 🪞 Reflection: Reflect on last week. What went wrong? What went right? What can you celebrate? What can you try to do better this week? 

  2. ✨ Intention: Set your intentions for this week. What needs to happen to ensure you have the absolute best week ever? Take a few minutes to do a brain dump and organize your to-do list if you feel overwhelmed.

  3. 📆 Time block: Review your calendar and make sure you have time blocked off to complete your most important and urgent tasks.

🔮 Every week we pull a tarot card to give us guidance for the week. Take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. 

💃 This week’s reading by Danielle

Week of July 15, 2024: Six of Cups

The Suit of Cups is all about emotions, feelings, and relationships.

Wow! The Suit of Cups is coming up in our reading for the third week in a row! Last week the  Five of Cups pointed to feelings of regret, loss, failure, disappointment, or discontent.

In a more positive turn this week, The Six of Cups signals visiting past memories that bring joy and comfort. Memories that represent a time in your life when you were truly happy. It can be filled with feelings of nostalgia for a time in your life when you were younger or when things were easier.

The focus of this card is to recall experiences that bring you joy, comfort, and happiness. Right now you may be spending a lot of time thinking about a period in your life when you were truly content. It is wonderful to look back on happy memories from your past, just be careful not to live in it. 

Previously, you may have been spending time dwelling on past disappointments or regrets (as shown in the Five of Cups) and now is the time to remind yourself that happiness can be found in the present moment.

When these two cards show up together in readings it can suggest that you need to let go of remorse and sadness and focus on the positive aspects of your life. Don’t allow past regrets or disappointments to consume you. If this resonates with you then let go of the past and look towards the future. 

Coming up after the Five of Cups can also suggest that you have suffered a loss of disappointment and are looking to surround yourself with people who love you unconditionally. You may be searching for that sense of home. The Six of Cups can indicate reconnecting. This could mean that you may be returning to a familiar place from your past or you are looking to reconnect with people from your past. 

🌙 After the First Quarter on the 13th, the moon will be moving into a Waxing Gibbous phase. This is a perfect time to refine and prepare! It’s time to focus on perfecting actions. This phase urges you to analyze any progress that you have made and make any necessary adjustments towards achieving your goals! 

🔭 Pluto is in retrograde until October. This may push us out of our comfort zone! This can lead to feeling off balance in your life. On the flip side, Pluto in retrograde can serve as a time to shed the past and let go of negative emotions that have been weighing you down.

Affirmation: I release what no longer serves me and find joy in living in the present.

Does this reading resonate with you? We want to know!
Reply to this email with your tarot stories.

Funding Your Future: How to choose the right funding strategy for your business

I had the opportunity to host a masterclass with the WO Network last week and, if I do say so myself, it was 🔥. 

I know most of you reading this are entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs, so I thought I would quickly recap that funding masterclass and provide you with some resources that could be helpful if you’re searching for business funding.

And, as promised at the end of the class, I’m including a list of 10 grant opportunities available right now for woman-owned businesses.

The masterclass is ~30 minutes long and you can catch the replay here. 

____

Launching and growing a business often requires capital. But how you acquire that funding is a critical decision impacting your ownership, growth trajectory, and even stress levels. Here's a breakdown of the main funding options and things to consider:

Choosing the Right Path

The ideal funding option depends on your specific circumstances. Consider your:

  • Long-term vision: Do you prioritize complete control or faster growth?

  • Financial situation: Can you handle debt obligations, or is free capital with restrictions more appealing?

  • Growth strategy: Do you need a quick injection of funds or are you comfortable with organic growth?

Bootstrapping: Self-Reliance with Limits

  • Pros: You maintain complete control, reinvest all profits, and gain valuable experience managing resources.

  • Cons: Slower growth due to limited funds, difficulty acquiring cutting-edge technology or hiring a large team.

  • Best for: Businesses with a low initial investment, where you value control and are willing to grow slowly and organically.

Debt Financing: Faster Growth with Responsibility

  • Pros: Access capital for quicker expansion and investment, while preserving ownership and potentially benefiting from tax deductions.

  • Cons: Repayment obligation can strain cash flow, high debt makes the business vulnerable, and lenders may require collateral or restrict spending.

  • Best for: Businesses needing a capital boost for specific needs like equipment or marketing, with a clear path to profitability for repayment.

  • Recommendations: SBA Loans, CDFI Lenders, Revenue-based Financing

Equity Financing: Sharing Ownership for Big Gains (and Risks)

  • Pros: Access significant funding for rapid growth, potentially gain valuable mentorship and expertise from investors, and reduce financial burden.

  • Cons: You dilute ownership and share profits, face pressure to meet investor expectations, and may need to consider an exit strategy like selling the company.

  • Best for: Businesses with high-growth potential seeking significant funding, where you're comfortable sharing ownership for strategic advantages.

Grant Funding: Free Money 

  • Pros: Acquire capital without debt burden, potentially aligning with your mission and gaining credibility.

  • Cons: Highly competitive application process, restrictions on how funds can be used, detailed reporting requirements, and uncertain availability.

  • Best for: Businesses in specific industries or with a social impact focus, willing to meet grant criteria and reporting demands.

  • Where to find grant opportunities:

    • Databases are the best place to search for grant opportunities (that I’ve found, anyway). You’ll have to dig a little bit to find the details and application deadlines, but it’s a great way to start building up your grant pipeline. 

      • Experian has a great list of Small Business Grants for Women

      • So does Ladies Who Launch

      • Skip is another great database and they give away $10,000+ in their own grants every month. (note: this is an affiliate link, but a paid plan is not necessary)

    • Government Websites: Many government agencies offer grant programs for businesses in specific sectors. 

    • Industry Associations: Industry-specific associations often have grant opportunities relevant to your field.

    • Non-Profit Organizations: Non-profits focused on social impact or community development may offer grants that align with your mission.

  • Grants for women-owned businesses: This is not an exhaustive list by any means – please use the databases listed above, but here are a few that I’m aware of that either make grants monthly or are currently taking applications:

💰 Here’s where I shamelessly plug my business(es) and drop my affiliate links. I’ll never recommend something I haven’t tried and loved myself, but I might make a few bucks if you buy something.

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📚 Bookshop.org - Shop my favorite books and support a local bookstore while you’re at it! I’m still working on adding titles, but many of my favorites in business & mindset/manifesting are on the shelf!

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👯‍♀️ Are we following each other on Instagram yet? If not, let’s fix that.

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