Is Funding a Marketing Problem, We Can Solve
Here's a pattern I've seen play out more times than I can count: brilliant founder, exceptional product, smooth operations, solid marketing strategy. And yet? Stuck at the same revenue plateau for years.
The missing piece usually isn't what you'd expect. It's not their messaging or their Instagram strategy or their email sequence. It's money. Plain old capital for growth.
This year, something happened that completely rewired how I think about this. A business owner reached out after winning a grant from her local business association. The catch? She had to spend it on marketing and business coaching. She found me because we're in the same state and I offer exactly those services.
Seems straightforward, right? Except working with her revealed something I'd completely missed across all my other client relationships. That funding problem I'd always filed under "not my department" as a marketer? Turns out it absolutely is.
The Pattern I Keep Seeing
Most of my clients have bootstrapped their businesses. They've scrapped and hustled their way to that $300K-$500K range where everything should start getting easier. Spoiler alert: it doesn't.
Instead, they hit what feels like an invisible wall.
The details change but the story stays the same. The ethical fashion brand needs inventory capital to meet wholesale minimums. The skincare company needs tech upgrades to handle more orders. The fair trade importer needs expertise they can't afford to bring on full-time.
And the standard business advice? Raise capital. Take on debt. "Slow your growth expectations." None of which sits right with the values-driven founders I work with. Most of them started these businesses specifically to avoid VC pressure and maintain control over their mission.
Wait, This IS My Job
So here's what clicked for me: what if funding isn't this separate financial thing, but actually part of marketing strategy?
Think about it. As marketing leaders, we're constantly auditing email performance, analyzing conversion funnels, optimizing ad spend. We build content strategies, refine messaging, create systems for sustainable growth.
Why shouldn't finding money be on that list too?
That grant my client received proved something important: accessible funding exists for businesses like hers. And probably for most of my other clients. We're not talking VC deals or bank loans here. We're talking about grants, awards, and programs specifically designed to support local businesses, sustainable practices, and mission-driven commerce.
Someone just has to actually look for them and fill out the applications.
Here's Why This Actually Works
After working through that first grant application, I had a lightbulb moment about efficiency. Grant applications basically ask the same questions every time:
What problem does your business solve?
Who are your customers and what impact do you create?
How will this money help you grow?
What results can you measure?
Hold up. These aren't new questions. They're the exact same strategic foundations we cover in every good marketing plan.
The work isn't additional—we're just translating what we already know into a different format.
Once you've nailed the answers for one application? The next ones take way less time. You're basically customizing rather than creating from scratch. The effort compounds.
And when a grant pays for part or all of my services? That removes the main reason clients hesitate to get the strategic help they need. When it funds inventory or tech improvements? It eliminates the operational roadblocks that make even brilliant marketing strategy impossible to execute.
It's not just money. It's removing the barriers between good strategy and actual results.
My 2026 Experiment
Look, I'm treating 2026 as my learning year for this. I don't have it all figured out yet, and I'm okay with that. Here's what I'm trying to figure out:
Which grants actually make sense for values-driven product businesses?
What are the application timelines? (So we're not scrambling at the last minute)
How much time does this really take to yield results?
Can this become a regular part of our workflow, or is it more of a nice-to-have when we stumble across opportunities?
The honest answer? I don't know yet. But I know enough to recognize this is worth exploring.
And the bigger insight here goes beyond grants specifically. When we step into our role as marketing leaders more fully—not just optimizing what already exists, but actively removing the obstacles to growth—we create completely different value for our clients.
Founders don't need another consultant telling them "sorry, funding isn't my area." They need strategic partners who get that sustainable growth requires both excellent execution AND adequate resources. And who are willing to help with both.
This isn't me suddenly becoming a grant writer or a financial advisor. I'm still a fractional CMO. But I'm acknowledging something that should have been obvious: in mission-driven businesses running on tight margins, funding directly impacts whether good marketing can actually work.
Addressing funding constraints isn't scope creep. It's just part of doing the job well.
Here's the real truth underneath all of this: plenty of capable founders don't pursue grants simply because they're drowning in everything else. Adding grant research and applications to an already impossible to-do list? Not happening.
But when it's woven into the strategic work we're already doing together? Suddenly it's doable. More than doable—it becomes one of the highest-impact things we can tackle.