374 | How Product Business Owners Can Use Grants to Fund Their Business with Ashley Sutton, Hustle & Hope

Happy New Year, friend. I hope that you were able to take a break over the holidays. I know the last month of the year is always pretty busy for all of us, whether it's personal stuff or we're getting our shops and businesses ready for the end of the year. I hope that you have plenty of time for some rest and relaxation.

We're back on the podcast with a new episode, and this week's episode is a real treat. I have Ashley Sutton from Hustle and Hope. Ashley is a Paper Camp alumni, and she's been featured in a few of our compilation episodes in the past. She was on episode 285 where we talked in person at NY NOW while she was exhibiting, and she was on episode 358 where she shared how much her business has grown since taking Paper Camp.

But a stand-alone interview with her has been long overdue, and so I'm excited to share today's episode with you.

Ashley is a corporate gal turned entrepreneur. Her career began with marketing and developing the perfect shade of lipstick for Avon to creating buzzworthy toys at Mattel and crafting unforgettable marketing campaigns for leading TV shows for children such as Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. She's also creating the number one best-selling marketing campaigns for authors at Penguin Random House.

As a stationery lover and a consumer products professional, her goal was to channel her career experience into a product with purpose, and that is how she founded Hustle and Hope. The first 2 in one motivational greeting card company that includes free digital guides with every single card. A certified minority and certified woman-owned business, Hustle and Hope has retail placement at Buy Buy Baby, World Market, HomeGoods, Amazon, and over 45 other shops across the US. Today, Ashley shares Hustle and Hope's origin story.

She talks about her experience participating in the Target Accelerator program, and we talk about how she's been utilizing grants for her business, including how she got started applying for grants, what she looks for, and how these grants have benefited her business. She also shares resources in case you want to get started applying for grants for your business.

Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well:

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MEET ASHLEY

Ashley Sutton is a corporate gal turned entrepreneur. Her career began with marketing and developing the perfect lipstick at Avon to creating buzzworthy toys at Mattel, crafting unforgettable marketing campaigns for leading children's TV shows Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, and creating #1 New York Times bestselling marketing campaigns for authors at Penguin Random House.

As a lover of stationery, and a consumer product professional, her goal was to channel her career experiences into a product with purpose - then she founded Hustle & Hope - the first 2-in-1 motivational greeting card company to include free digital guides with every card. A certified minority and certified woman-owned business, Hustle & Hope has had retail placement at buybuyBaby, World Market, HomeGoods, Amazon, and over 45 other shops across the US. Ashley is an alum of the Target Accelerators program, named one of Ally Bank’s women entrepreneurs Daring to Disrupt, and more.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

WEBSITE: https://hustleandhopecards.com | INSTAGRAM: @hustleandhope | FACEBOOK: @hustleandhopecards

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct