How Product Business Owners Can Use Grants to Fund Their Business with Ashley Sutton, Hustle & Hope [Replay]

·41 min·4 clips

Ashley Sutton gets a surprise $10,000 grant call from Ally Bank's CMO at 7:30 PM.

This episode features host Katie Hunt interviewing Ashley Sutton, founder of the motivational greeting card company Hustle & Hope. Ashley is a former corporate marketing professional who transitioned to entrepreneurship with a product designed to add lasting value. The conversation centers on practical funding strategies for product-based businesses, specifically through grant applications. Ashley details her participation in the competitive Target Accelerator program, which selected only 30 brands from over 5,000 applicants. She explains the program's two tracks, Forward Founders and Target Takeoff, designed for businesses at different scaling stages. Ashley recounts applying twice, facing initial rejection in 2021 before gaining acceptance in 2023 after significant business growth. A major focus is Ashley's successful pursuit of business grants, beginning with a $10,000 prize from the Ally Daring to Disrupt program. She emphasizes that grants provide non-dilutive capital, unlike loans or equity investments, though recipients must pay taxes on the awards. Ashley notes she applies for numerous opportunities, experiencing many rejections for every win. She advises searching for local grants through chambers of commerce, SCORE offices, and Small Business Development Centers to reduce national competition. Ashley also highlights the advantage of certifications, like women-owned or minority-owned business status, for accessing specific grant pools. She has used grant funds for inventory, product development, shipping costs, and hiring contractors, including a creative director. An interesting insight is her strategy of saving application responses to analyze and improve future submissions. Ashley reveals that grant cycles often align with corporate fiscal years, with opportunities frequently opening at the end of Q1 through Q3 and again in Q4. She shares a memorable moment of receiving an acceptance call from Ally Bank's CMO during a spotty connection on Martha's Vineyard, where she calmly turned off her video to complete the audio interview. The tone is highly conversational, educational, and encouraging, blending personal storytelling with actionable advice. This episode is ideal for product-based entrepreneurs, especially in the stationery or gift industries, seeking alternative funding and strategic growth methods. Listeners uninterested in business financing, grant applications, or wholesale strategy may find the content less relevant.

As heard by us

A founder story about composure, timing, and showing up well under pressure.

Ashley Sutton's route from corporate marketing to founding Hustle & Hope gives the episode a clear business spine. Her work at Avon, Mattel, and Penguin Random House is part of the appeal, but the sharper point is how she talks about building a consumer brand and staying steady…

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Why you'd press play

You want a founder story about building a stationery brand after years in marketing and consumer products.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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