July 2025: Hot Tips, Cool Grants, and a July Challenge 💥

Written By Ladies Who Launch

Estimated Read Time: 5 Minutes

Why, hello Launcher!

Happy summer to you, and to our amazing community of builders, hustlers, and go-getters! Back in May we sent a survey with a number of questions on how we can best support you, and learned that you’d like to hear from us in your inbox on a monthly basis. With that, we’re excited to bring you the first version of our refreshed monthly newsletter, designed with you in mind!

Our goal is to bring you content that will be helpful and supportive on your business journey. Please continue to give us feedback as we experiment with the format and content each month in order to meet your needs. There’s a survey button at the end of this newsletter to do just that.

The estimated read time for this edition is 5 minutes. Below, we’re sharing details about:

  • 📝 The power of documenting your backend procedures and systems.

  • 💰 Nation-wide grant opportunities for US-based businesses, and a reminder to look locally for more.

  • 🙋‍♀️ Why you need to ask one, big question in the month of July.

  • 😍 How to listen to the recordings from last month’s Funded and Fearless event that took place in London, England. Trust us, you’re not gonna want to miss these conversations!

To your success,
The Ladies Who Launch team

🩵 🚀 Love what we’re doing at Ladies Who Launch? Here’s how you can support our mission to provide tactical support, funding opportunities, and capacity-building programs to under-resourced women and non-binary entrepreneurs, everywhere.

  • FORWARD TO A FRIEND. A rising tide lifts all boats! If you’ve got a friend who might benefit from our educational newsletter, please forward them this email or encourage them to connect with us on LinkedIn or Instagram.

  • RECOMMEND AN EVENT SPONSOR. Ladies Who Launch events are offered free of charge to attendees, as we never want a lack of finances to block someone’s ability to access business-building education. Partnering with sponsors helps us to offer our elevated, high-quality events on our non-profit budget. Know of an organization that might be interested in contributing? Send your recommendations to: hello+sponsor@ladieswholaunch.org.

🤑 GRANT DEADLINES (US-ONLY)

Remember to keep an eye on your city, county, and state-level websites for grants available to local businesses. Finding grants can be a bit of a treasure hunt, but can pay off big for your business.

  • 📈 [$5K] SKIP GRANT FOR BUSINESS GROWTH. Skip is giving out over $1M in grants this year, and recently launched a $5K growth grant just for entrepreneurs with business plans. Dust off your plan, and ensure your application meets the goals of the grant by mid-July.  DEADLINE: JULY 18, 2025 AT 8PM ET

  • 🧨 [$20K] ALLSTATE MAIN STREET GRANTS PROGRAM. 250 business owners will be selected for a 12-week virtual Boost Camp accelerator. From that group, 63 entrepreneurs will also be awarded $20,000 grants to power their next stage of growth. DEADLINE: JULY 25, 2025 AT 6PM ET

  • 📲 [$50K] SHE’S CONNECTED BY AT&T. With $50K at stake you’ve got nothing to lose! Start your application now so that you have time to review it and refine it before the submission deadline. DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 AT 8PM ET

Ladies Who Launch maintains a free database of available grants for US-based businesses. If you are not based in the United States, please reach out to the funding organization directly to learn if your business qualifies.

🎧 HELPFUL LISTENS

  • 👜 BUILDING BUSINESS RESILIENCE. Mireia Llusia-Lindh, founder of renowned handbag brand, DeMellier of London, gave us a masterclass in grit and determination in London last month. A staunch advocate of equality in the home, you’ll learn which books shifted Mireia’s thinking and how she mapped out a better process for her family all while guiding DeMellier through moments of high growth and global demand.

  • ☀️ THE SUMMER OF SYSTEMS. In a recent episode of the Goal Digger podcast, host Jenna Kutcher reminds us of the power of focusing on our backend operations. Look, playbooks and standard operating procedures (SOPs) might not be the sexiest business topics, but they’ll ensure your business runs smoothly while you take a break to enjoy the beautiful beach you’ve been dreaming of.

📚 INTERESTING READS

  • ✍️ WANT TO BE QUOTED BY CHATGPT? START WRITING LIKE THIS. AI-powered tools, including large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Claude, have disrupted the world. The SEO industry is not immune to these changes, and strategies for how we get our businesses known and discovered have to shift. This guide approaches LLM-oriented optimization from a blog/ Substack POV.

  • 🎯 WHAT PIVOTING IS, WHEN TO PIVOT, AND HOW TO PIVOT EFFECTIVELY. As ‘Toks Ishmael mentioned at our recent Funded and Fearless event in London, pivoting is an inevitable part of business. “Plan A is only Plan A,” she said, “That’s why there’s 26 letters in the alphabet.” This guide from the Founder Institute helps to approach the idea of pivoting from a place of strategy and clarity.

🚀 JULY CHALLENGE

We want our newsletter to inspire ACTION, so each month we’ll include a small challenge to help you move your business forward. Share your progress with us, and support other Launchers, by posting on Instagram with the hashtag #lwlglobalchallenge.

This month, we’re challenging you to do something bold, simple, and wildly effective: ask one brave question. Reach out to someone who could help you move the needle—a customer, mentor, investor, fellow founder, or dream collaborator—and ask the thing you’ve been sitting on.

Need some inspiration? Try:

  • Would you ever carry my product?

  • What would make you refer me to a friend?

  • Can you spare 10 minutes to give me some feedback?

  • Have you ever invested in a business like mine?

One courageous ask can open a door, shift your mindset, or spark your next move. Go get it, and remember to post using #lwlglobalchallenge to let us know what happens next. You could even be featured in next month’s Launcher Spotlight when you do.

🩵 LAUNCHER SPOTLIGHT:
RUBY LAINE APPAREL

When we first saw the chance to apply for a storefront through the SMÅL Market incubator in Ballard, WA, an initiative backed by Senator Patty Murray, we almost didn’t apply. Ruby, co-owner & lead designer, was finishing her final semester at Parsons, and we wouldn’t be ready until June—2 months after the April launch.

Instead of walking away, we reached out to the Ballard Alliance to explain our situation. To our surprise, they encouraged us to apply, and we were approved to join with the later launch date! This opportunity has been a game-changer and a powerful reminder: don’t count yourself out just because the timing isn’t perfect. Start the conversation.

Knock—you never know who’ll open the door!

Ladies Who Launch https://www.ladieswholaunch.org/