Grant CEO: Where Experienced Grant Writers Become CEOs

About Grant CEO: Where Experienced Grant Writers Become CEOs

Let me guess, when you dreamed about starting your own grant-writing business, you did not dream about working long hours, answering emails late at night, or saying yes to every little thing that client asks you. Am I right? Grant CEO is the podcast for experienced grant-writers and grant consultants who have mastered their craft (and even reached the big 10K months) but are now struggling to run a grant-writing business that feels true to their values, goals, and dreams. I’m DeaRonda Harrison, founder of June First Firm and creator of the You Are the Prize™ Framework. I’m here to help you ditch the grind and step fully into your role as the CEO of your grant writing business. Each week, we're diving deep into one of the five pillars of my proven framework — Power, Pricing, Packaging, Positioning, and People. At the end of each episode, you’ll know how to: ⏰ Set boundaries that protect your time, peace, and profit 🥇Position yourself as the go-to grant professional in your niche 💰 Price your services with confidence and clarity 📦 Package and sell your grant writing offers for consistent revenue 🎯 Build a capable team so you can lead, not do it all Through honest conversations–solo coaching episodes and guest interviews with successful 6-figure grant writers–you’ll learn how to turn your expertise into a scalable, sustainable grant writing company. One that supports your life, not drains it. Whether you’re exploring grant-writer retainers, raising your pricing, or looking to hire a team member, this podcast gives you the tools, mindset, strategies, and motivation to grow from grant-writer freelancer to Grant CEO. It’s time to stop overdelivering, undercharging, and working nights and weekends. It’s time to run your grant writing business like a CEO.

Publisher

DeaRonda Harrison, Founder and President at June First Firm

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Jan 2026

Latest episode

16 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Mar 2026

   E9. How to Lead and Retain a High-Performing Grant Writing Team

   What happens after you hire great people for your grant writing business? In this People-focused episode of Grant CEO, we’re talking about what it really takes to retain a strong grant writer team without overworking them, underpaying them, or recreating the burnout culture so many grant writing agencies are known for. If your goal is to scale your grant writing business and eventually build a sustainable grant writing agency, retention is not accidental. It’s intentional. And when your team ...

2. 

   9 Mar 2026

   E8. You’re Not Greedy For Paying Yourself First: The Key to Building a Sustainable Grant Writing Agency

   What if the reason you feel stretched thin in your grant writing business isn’t your team, but how you’re paying yourself? In this People-focused episode of Grant CEO, we’re talking about a quiet pattern many experienced grant consultants fall into: paying subcontractors, VAs, and team members consistently and generously while underpaying themselves as the CEO. It feels noble. Responsible. Even leadership-driven. But it’s not. If you want to scale your grant writing business and eventually bu...

3. 

   2 Mar 2026

   E7. How to Build a Grant Writing Agency: From Freelance Grant Writer to CEO with a Team with Isatou Bittaye-Jobe

   In this episode of Grant CEO, we’re diving into the People part of a grant writing business. Eighteen months into her business, Isatou wasn’t struggling with how to get grant-writing clients. She was struggling with delegation, boundaries, pricing, and trusting her team with work that carries her name. Meet our guest, Isatou Bittaye-Jobe, founder of Amikha Consulting. In this conversation, she shares what shifted when she stopped operating like a freelance grant writer and started building a ...

4. 

   23 Feb 2026

   E6. Grant Writer Pricing: They’re Not Paying for Hours. They’re Paying for THIS!

   Are you still charging hourly in your grant writing business? In today’s AI-powered world, that pricing model could be the very thing limiting your revenue, growth, and ability to scale. As AI speeds up research, drafting, prospecting, and even SMART goal development, charging by the hour penalizes you for being efficient. The faster and more skilled you become, the less you make. That’s not a scalable grant writer business model. In this episode of Grant CEO, we’re diving deep into grant wri...

5. 

   16 Feb 2026

   E5. Mission Isn’t Enough: How Grant CEOs Evaluate Client Renewals with Clarity and Confidence

   When you care deeply about a nonprofit’s mission, it can feel wrong to question whether you should keep working with them. But mission alignment alone does not make a sustainable grant writing business. In this episode of Grant CEO, I’m breaking down how experienced grant writers can evaluate client renewals like a CEO, not from guilt or emotion, but from clarity, data, and business logic. This episode focuses on Pull - how the right clients are attracted, retained, and released as your...

6. 

   9 Feb 2026

   E4. $25 an Hour? How Pull and Pricing Help Build a Scalable Grant Writing Business with Victoria Lamar

   Just two years ago, Victoria Lamar didn’t even consider herself a grant writer. Today, she leads a team of seven, supports 12 charter schools, and has recently secured a nearly $1 million federal grant for one of her clients. In this episode of Grant CEO, we dive deep into two of the most misunderstood pillars of scaling a grant writing business: Pull and Pricing. Victoria shares how she moved away from being advised to charge $25–$30 an hour, clarified her niche, and positioned herself...

7. 

   2 Feb 2026

   E3. Grant Writer: When Positioning Is Clear, Competition Disappears

   If you have ever thought that there are too many grant writers for you to be successful, this episode of Grant CEO will shift how you see (and do) business. Today, I’m unpacking a concept that stood out to one of my coaching clients: “You can’t compare what doesn’t compete.” I break down why comparison is a sign of unclear Positioning, and how owning your unique expertise allows you to stop competing and start leading. Using the idea of fingerprint positioning, I explain how your background, ...

8. 

   21 Jan 2026

   E2. You’re Not “Just” a Grant Writer: The Power Shift Every Grant CEO Must Make –with Daphney Jean

   What happens when a skilled grant writer finally owns her expertise? In this episode of Grant CEO, I sit down with Daphney Jean, founder of SMJ Consulting, to talk about what it really looks like to step into your power as a grant writing business owner. After years of underestimating her impact and saying things like “I only got them $500K,” Daphney shifted how she positioned her expertise and services. The result? Higher retainers, stronger renewals, and better-aligned clients. ...

9. 

   21 Jan 2026

   Grant Writer: Is This You?

   Let me guess, when you dreamed about starting your own grant-writing business, you did not dream about working long hours, answering emails late at night, or saying yes to every little thing that client asks you. Am I right? Grant CEO is the podcast for experienced grant-writers and grant consultants who have mastered their craft (and even reached the big 10K months) but are now struggling to run a grant-writing business that feels true to their values, goals, and dreams. I’m DeaRonda H...

10. 

    21 Jan 2026

    E1. The 5 Pillars to Scale Your Grant Writing Business

    Welcome to Grant CEO, the podcast for experienced grant writers earning consistent income but tired of doing everything themselves. If you’re negotiating your rates, customizing pricing for every client, sending proposals that get ghosted, or working more hours than you did in-house, you’re in the right place. In this first episode, I introduce the five pillars of the Grant CEO framework—power, positioning, pull, pricing, and people—and how they work together to help you scale a sustainable g...

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