Grant CEO: Where Experienced Grant Writers Become CEOs

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 feels valued? They stay longer, deliver better work, protect your peace, and help you grow. This episode is your reminder: great people are hard to find and worth keeping. In this episode: 00:00:00 Prompt Payment Strategy 00:04:15 Flexible Grant Writer Schedules 00:06:26 Sustainable Team Workloads This podcast is produced by Ideablossoms [https://ideablossoms.com/]. About DeaRonda Harrison: DeaRonda Harrison is the founder of June First Firm and host of the Grant CEO podcast, a show for experienced grant writers ready to step into the role of strategic, confident CEO of their own scalable business. With over a decade of experience, she’s helped nonprofits secure more than $67 million in funding.  Today, DeaRonda coaches grant writing consultants on pricing their services, setting boundaries, and moving from freelance grant writer to CEO. Through her You Are the Prize™ Framework, she helps grant professionals build sustainable, profitable grant writing businesses. Grant CEO Assessment: https://grantceo.com/ [https://grantceo.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/] Website: https://junefirstfirm.com/ [https://junefirstfirm.com/]

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 build a true grant writing agency, CEO compensation is not optional; it’s foundational. In this episode: 00:00:00 CEO Pay In Grant Writing Business 00:03:34 Hidden Burnout In Agencies 00:09:47 Reverse Engineer Pricing And Team This podcast is produced by Ideablossoms [https://ideablossoms.com/]. About DeaRonda Harrison: DeaRonda Harrison is the founder of June First Firm and host of the Grant CEO podcast, a show for experienced grant writers ready to step into the role of strategic, confident CEO of their own scalable business. With over a decade of experience, she’s helped nonprofits secure more than $67 million in funding.  Today, DeaRonda coaches grant writing consultants on pricing their services, setting boundaries, and moving from freelance grant writer to CEO. Through her You Are the Prize™ Framework, she helps grant professionals build sustainable, profitable grant writing businesses. Grant CEO Assessment: https://grantceo.com/ [https://grantceo.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/] Website: https://junefirstfirm.com/ [https://junefirstfirm.com/]

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 true grant writing agency. If you're earning consistent revenue but still stuck in the weeds of delivery, this episode will show you what it looks like to build the people, systems, and confidence required to grow a grant writing consulting business that doesn’t depend on you doing everything. In this episode: 00:00:00 From Freelancer to CEO 00:08:36 Niche Attracts Premium Clients 00:14:15 Pricing Funds Your Team 17:38 Grant Writing Challenges and Wins Connect with Isatou: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isatoubittayejobe/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/isatoubittayejobe/]  Website: https://amikhaconsulting.com/ [https://amikhaconsulting.com/]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amikhaconsulting/ [https://www.instagram.com/amikhaconsulting/]  This podcast is produced by Ideablossoms [https://ideablossoms.com/]. Take The Grant CEO Assessment! Tired of operating like an overworked freelancer and ready to step into the CEO seat of your business?  Head to grantceo.com [https://grantceo.com/], answer the questions, get your report, and start building a profitable and sustainable grant writing business. About DeaRonda Harrison: DeaRonda Harrison is the founder of June First Firm and host of the Grant CEO podcast, a show for experienced grant writers ready to step into the role of strategic, confident CEO of their own scalable business. With over a decade of experience, she’s helped nonprofits secure more than $67 million in funding.  Today, DeaRonda coaches grant writing consultants on pricing their services, setting boundaries, and moving from freelance grant writer to CEO. Through her You Are the Prize™ Framework, she helps grant professionals build sustainable, profitable grant writing businesses. Grant CEO Assessment: https://grantceo.com/ [https://grantceo.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/] Website: https://junefirstfirm.com/ [https://junefirstfirm.com/]

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 writer pricing and why hourly rates no longer serve experienced grant professionals. If you’ve ever wondered how much to charge for grant writing, how to price your services without tracking hours, or what the best grant writer retainer model is, this episode is for you. In this episode: 00:00:00 The Hourly Pricing Problem 00:04:49 AI And Grant Writer Value  00:09:15 Retainers And Scope Strategy This podcast is produced by Ideablossoms [https://ideablossoms.com/]. About DeaRonda Harrison: DeaRonda Harrison is the founder of June First Firm and host of the Grant CEO podcast, a show for experienced grant writers ready to step into the role of strategic, confident CEO of their own scalable business. With over a decade of experience, she’s helped nonprofits secure more than $67 million in funding.  Today, DeaRonda coaches grant writing consultants on pricing their services, setting boundaries, and moving from freelance grant writer to CEO. Through her You Are the Prize™ Framework, she helps grant professionals build sustainable, profitable grant writing businesses. Grant CEO Assessment: https://grantceo.com/ [https://grantceo.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/] Website: https://junefirstfirm.com/ [https://junefirstfirm.com/]

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 business evolves. You’ll learn how to step out of reactive decision-making and into intentional leadership when deciding whether to renew (or walk away from) a client contract. In this episode: 00:00:00 Separating Mission And Business   00:02:39 Client Renewal Checklist   00:05:08 Grant Writer Pricing Boundaries This podcast is produced by Ideablossoms [https://ideablossoms.com/]. About DeaRonda Harrison: DeaRonda Harrison is the founder of June First Firm and host of the Grant CEO podcast, a show for experienced grant writers ready to step into the role of strategic, confident CEO of their own scalable business. With over a decade of experience, she’s helped nonprofits secure more than $67 million in funding.  Today, DeaRonda coaches grant writing consultants on pricing their services, setting boundaries, and moving from freelance grant writer to CEO. Through her You Are the Prize™ Framework, she helps grant professionals build sustainable, profitable grant writing businesses. Grant CEO Assessment: https://grantceo.com/ [https://grantceo.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dearondaharrison/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/ [https://www.instagram.com/dearondaharrison/] Website: https://junefirstfirm.com/ [https://junefirstfirm.com/]