- thepassiveincomeex
What Every Momprenuer Needs To Know With Eliana Eschevarria
Description:
Eliana is a grant writer who helps no profits and in some cases for-profit organizations secure
funding through foundations or federal funds that are available, she is also a mompreneur we
are going to talk about how to get over the blocks of working from home, knowing how to get
Through those hurdles of being a mom and wife and all the other things that we deal with from
day to day. We will talk about how important it is to know your story and find people that
have a similar story as you.
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Eliana Eschevarria- Start Your Grant Writing Business - Buffalo Ambition Co
Lindsay:
Good morning, everybody. And good morning, Elna. Thank you so much for tuning in and thank you so much for being here. I am excited and so grateful for your presence and just wanna thank you for coming and share you, share your wisdom with the world. Will you please start off by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Eliana:
Absolutely. Lindsay, thank you so much for having thank you everyone so much for tuning in today. My is AA. I like to say that I bring cool, energetic, cool girl vibes to the driest of topics. And that is grant writing. I know enter the Ys. I know I have been a grant writer for the past six years. I'm a mom of four and I do all the things I work from home and have been building and scaling my business. Um, for the past two years after relaunching, I homeschool, uh, my eight year old as well as my now four year old. And then I help my husband with his business. So I definitely understand that work from mom hustle.
Eliana:
I guess you do my goodness. You sound a lot like me work in every angle. Oh my goodness. Well, let's just really quick. Let's talk about grant writing because I don't think that's something that is a very popular topic or maybe people don't really understand the importance of it. Can you briefly just kind of tell us a little bit about what that does for businesses and how you help people?
Eliana:
Yeah, absolutely. So as a grant writer, what I do is I help nonprofits and in some cases for profit organizations, secure funding through private, foundational or federal funds that are available, there is an estimated 3 billion in federal funds that go untouched every year. And so by tapping into that money, I help these organizations scale their impact and really be able to reach them. So it's a way to help these organizations diversify their funding. and so that's, that's how I help guide that process for them.
Lindsay:
That's really incredible on that note. How, how could, like, let's say a small business owner, um, find out about any grants or funding that might be available to them for startup costs or startup businesses. Let's say they wanna start, like a brick and mortar store or something like that. Do you know any resources for people?
Eliana:
Yeah, absolutely. I always recommend for, um, for-profit organizations to really start within their community, their chambers of commerce their, if they're a minority, any sort of organization that helps minorities, they usually have a select amount of funding for entrepreneurs that are trying to transition into brick and mortar or even online business spaces. It's really just important to have a solid business plan in place. And, um, you can actually tap into larger, uh, seeds of money by partnering with a nonprofit organization through what's called fiscal partnerships. So there's a ton of opportunities regardless of what it is that you do.
Lindsay:
Wow. See, you're already amazing. And we've only been doing this for like two minutes I love it. That's all great stuff. Well, okay. Let's, let's dive in a little deeper into what we were gonna hash out today and we're gonna be talking friends listening. We're gonna be talking about everything from, you know, marketing and branding and then moving into even mindset and how to work through the blocks of the work from home mom, entrepreneur, I don't know, ball of wax, so to speak so Eliana, tell us a little bit about your experience with marketing and branding and maybe any advice that you have for, um, solopreneurs listening today.
Eliana:
Yeah, absolutely. As a solopreneur, it is so important to understand that you are the brand, right. And when it just seems like you're kind of stuck. I really like to just take a second, take a step back and really look at my messaging. Am I talking to my person or am I talking to the message actually means I'm talking to no one. So having a really strong personal brand is super important when it comes to getting that needle moving and getting stuck. Um, some ways that you can do to look at your pillars, right? Your content pillars, look at the way that your storytelling through your social media, through your longer forms of content, like blogging video or podcasting, like we're doing here today. And so that's really going to help your potential audience, get to know you like you trust you and then eventually spend money with you.
Lindsay:
Okay. So there was a lot there that could have just gone over people's heads. Like for example, getting to know your story and your brand. How can somebody maybe get more clear? Like a lot of times, excuse me. A lot of times, I think when we start out in business or as we're building a business, it is really easy to shift the focus from us onto what clients want. And we start playing that game, that dance of serving the masses. Right. I wanna serve these people and I wanna serve, oh. And I could help these people too, you know? Yeah. And it's easy to just get lost in, I don't know, I guess that translation, but maybe how could we reign it in and get clear on our messaging? And why does that seem to make that shift in that, in the business happen? Why is that so powerful?
Eliana:
So understanding what is commonly referred to as your client avatar means that you're talking to that one person more than just talking to everyone. When you're talking to that one person, it instantly triggers in the mind of your client. She's talking to me, she understands me. She gets me like, how does she, how is she? So inside my head, some homework that, um, listeners can do to really hone in on that person. Which for me, her name is Zoe is I sit down and I write down what are her pain, her main pain points. Where does she like to eat? What are her, what is she struggling with? What does her family dynamic look like? Is she married? Does she have kids? Uh, is she like me? I, I work and I'm a full time university student as well. So knowing the ins and outs of your person will enable you to really get down to what is their specific need and ha what solution do you have to meet that need? Does that make sense?
Lindsay:
Absolutely. Awesome. I find it so fascinating how narrowing in so fine finely basically, um, can make such a big impact in branding. Like it really seems counterintuitive, doesn't it?
Eliana:
Absolutely. And I think it's that mentality of you coming into business as a, almost like a, what I like to refer to as a servant leader. Right. Um, you're here to serve. Not necessarily to be served.
Lindsay:
Yeah, definitely. Okay. Well, so then as far as marketing goes, is there a way, how do you, can you give us some like actual strategy maybe in writing content? Like how do we carry our brand messaging throughout? What is it a good example of doing that?
Eliana:
So my storytelling, I like to write the way that I talk and the reason for this is it gives my potential clients, the expectation of what it's going to be like to work with me by the time they lock in a consultation or by the time they lock in a strategy, they already know what's what that conversation is probably going to at the very least sound like they, they are familiar with me. Um, some forms that you can, hi, heighten this, he heightened this heightened, this experience for them is Instagram stories, Facebook lives, um, of course written content like blogs, uh, YouTube videos. Um, I really encourage listeners to get into Facebook groups and just kind of answer questions. Um, get yourself out there, get yourself out there, get your voice out there so that people can get to know you.
Lindsay:
That is so important, especially when you're, you know, working from home. And you know, you are the face of the company. I'll give you a little example. This recently happened. I was listening to, um, an Amy Porterfield podcast and she was talking about quizzes, um, as a lead magnet. And so she recommend she had a guest on this lady named shanty. Forgive me. I can't remember her last name, but, um, I went to Shanty's website to go check her out and I submitted her form. Well, she's so busy she's she emails me back and says, I'm sorry, I can't take anymore clients, but I don't wanna leave you empty handed. Here are three other people to consider. I checked out all three. And if this is exactly to your point, because, um, the first one was overseas and her prices were in euros, which I immediately was like, oh dear, I don't even know what that converts to like sad, but true.
Lindsay:
that's just us Americans. And then the next one, she was pretty good. I liked her, her website. She had kind of the comic strip theme going on, which I vibe with. And I was like, yeah, that looks good. And then just for the sake of consistency, I checked the third one, the third one lives in Colorado. She on her website had a picture of somebody that she takes care of who is handicapped. I'm not sure. Um, if it's how it's related to her, how the person's related to her, but she shared her story and she wasn't afraid to put pictures out of her family. And I could tell that she was in, she was photographed in a log home, which I live in a log home. And so immediately I resonated with her and I was like, oh, she's my person. Like I don't even, she even said that she's out of town and said, I can't get to you right away. Do you want me to refer you to somebody else? And I said, no, I'll wait. That's how powerful her messaging was. Just her being herself.
Eliana:
Yeah. It really is. People are so afraid sometimes of being authentic, especially as work from home moms. Um, I recently did a consultation where I came in and I said, Hey, uh, I just wanted to let you know if you hear any noises in the background, my eldest he's sick today, but you know, the timeframe was so short. I did not want to reschedule you, you know, we've really been waiting for this. So, um, I said, just in case we have any interruptions, that's what it is. Lindsay. My son ended up coming in 45 minutes into this consultation and threw up, oh, I'm not even kidding.
Lindsay:
oh my goodness. Of all things
Eliana:
and I was for a second, I was mortified. And then I said, you know what, no, this is how I'm very open about the fact that I'm a mom of four and my kids are very much present in my business. And so, you know, clients that, that work with me, they understand like, okay, I might need to be a little bit flexible, but most of the time their parents too, and their kids are interrupting and it's totally cool. But we have set that expectation from the beginning by being open and almost vulnerable about the way that our that our life, you know,
Lindsay:
I think that is such an important, like, we should unpack this topic a little bit because one thing I hear time and again from entrepreneurs is this struggle where something happens with their little and they immediately freak out. Right? Like you did, I've done it. And, and so like as a mom, entrepreneur, we all kind of go through that where we are here to do our business because of our kids. We wanna be home with our kids, but then we can struggle with this like mindset of, oh, I have to show an image of that. I don't have kids in a way. Right. I guess in a way, like we wanna come across, like we're, um, professional, we don't necessarily have our kids on our back and all that, but then at the same time, that is who we are. And so do you have any, um, suggestions or kind of like experiences of what people go through to just maybe let that go? Like how, how to let that go and just honor and embrace the fact and incorporate children. Have you, have you ever used your kids in your marketing message?
Eliana:
I do. I, I very much do. So. Um, I agree with you 100%. I think that we need to normalize the fact that we are moms and our children are present in our businesses on the daily. Um, especially in the time and age where everyone seems to be working remote, it's impossible to, you're not gonna get rid of your kids. So, um, one really, really good example is my husband and I, we have had barbershops for many years. And, um, as a part of our branding, we constantly show our kids. My husband has a carrier where he puts the boys on his back while he's cutting hair. Uh, my daughter, when we first had her, he used to have a playpen in the corner. He had to stop cutting hair to take care of her. He would do that. So our clients are already so accustomed to seeing our children that, um, at one point it was seven in the morning I was opening up the shop and I let a gentleman in and he said, Hey, we're the kids. I said, I'm sorry. I do. I know you. I said, I think this is, is this your first time here? You said, yeah, but I follow you guys on social media. And I know that your kids are always here. And I was hoping that I would get to see them running around. He was an older gentleman and I said, oh, they're actually actually at daycare. That was such to weapons when you are open about what your life is like. And when you start to normalize your family life and business, as trying
Lindsay:
I say, oh my goodness, that is so cool. And on the flip side, if there are, I mean, there's always gonna be some people who might be turned off by kids, but I have to say, are those the kind of people that I wanna deal with or focus on in my business? Like usually no,
Eliana:
100%. I, I like to say that I'm not for everyone and not for me. Um, and that just, you have to get used to not being for everyone. You have to be okay with having a select person almost like that. I want to have you as a part of my bigger family, because ultimately your business is an extension of yourself.
Lindsay:
So true. Especially when we're small business owners and solo entrepreneurs. I mean, that is literally, like you said, in the very beginning we are the brand , that's so true. So let's, let's move into, um, some more mindset about like maybe roadblocks, because I think especially, and you sound like, you know, this just as good as anybody else when we are spinning all these plates, there is just sometimes where we, I guess, let me back up and say, when we're spinning all of these plates, it seems like it is even more imperative that things run like clockwork. Would you agree?
Eliana:
Yes.
Lindsay:
Yeah. And when something doesn't run like clockwork, it can topple the whole show . So how do we hunker through that? Like what suggest, what do you do when, when life just seems to not be cooperating and, or you feel stuck in your business or things don't seem to be moving? Cuz I mean, it just sometimes happens where we're stagnant. Stag stagnation is a part of life. So how do we work through that?
Eliana:
I give myself space I'm super fortunate that my husband is just so incredibly supportive and really my accountability partner to where, when I'm frustrated, he says, this is, this is normal. You know, this is totally a part of entrepreneurship. This is totally a part of just evolution, your evolution of self and, and growth in life and incremental growth is still growth. So I make a list of three Lindsay. I'm super simple. I make a list of three things that need to get accomplished day. If I can accomplish those three things, everything else it's okay. If laundry didn't get done. Totally cool. Not a big deal. There's tomorrow, there's the weekend. I can delegate it. I give myself grace and I give myself permission to not have it all put together. And I have found that that has really helped with my mental health. It has really helped with my workflow.
Eliana:
Um, and it has helped when I just feel like I need to be generating more money. I need to like, why, why am I not sending out more emails? Or why am I not? We put so much pressure on ourselves, right? why am I not doing more? And just saying, you know what, it's okay. Maybe this season you're, you're so focused on the money when maybe you really need to be focused on your children or your cold emailing, you know, whatever is knowing some one that area isn't working out for a specific reason and being okay with pivoting and, and seeing, okay, well maybe it's something else that opens up just so much space for peace.
Lindsay:
But on that same note, like how do we know that it's time to let something go. Maybe we're maybe we're beating our head against the wrong wall, so to speak, like, how do we know when it's time to when you know, cuz do you ever feel like that where you're like, maybe it's time to switch gears and you almost think, but should I, maybe I just need to be at it a little longer. How do you know when it's time to stick with it and push through that versus when is it time to ditch it and move in another direction?
Eliana:
Yeah, absolutely. I think that a lot of people quit too soon. and so the way that I determine when it's time to pivot is I do market research, my avatar changes just like I do. And so this is an ever evolving process businesses. And so what I do is I go Facebook groups, I use Quora. I I'm probably not even pronouncing that. Right. But , I use Quora and I like to get ideas of what people are researching, what past clients are currently struggling with. So I have these conversations where I gather information and I say, okay, is the service that I'm providing right now? What's needed? Or am I, is that just what I think I need to be doing? Because my audience is saying something different. Yeah. So I pivot that. And then I look at what other services can I offer that are more in demand in my specific space. I'm more than just a grant writer, right? There's so many different areas that I can, um, dip into, for example, grant research, project development, grant management. So I start to placing a focus in those areas a little bit more. So how do you know when it's time to pivot your audience will tell you, you just have to listen.
Lindsay:
I love that. What, what is Quora? I haven't quite heard of that before.
Eliana:
Quora is like a online forum where people ask questions and it's a, it's an opportunity for you to position yourself as an expert by answering other people's questions either in long form format. Um, so like a really short, uh, blog post almost, or just a quick answer. Uh, but it's great for it's great for market research.
Lindsay:
Awesome. Wow. That's really great. I love how your answer is a tangible thing. It isn't based on your gut, right? It's based on facts and feedback, which is, is really good because I think often as solo entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs, we do tend to fill the gaps with our own mind and also doubt ourselves at the same time. So it's really good to have a resource for that like foundation basically. So I like what I liked your answer a lot.
Eliana:
Yeah.
Lindsay:
Okay. So tell me as a mother, as a busy person, I guess, because being a mother is only one little piece of your pie. Yeah. Do you ever think to yourself maybe it's time to do less? Like, do you feel like you're living your life happily and you're just full, fully fulfilled and you're doing all these things because you love them or do you ever think maybe you're overdoing it and it's time to scale back? Like have you ever been to that point where you kind of question your process and what you're doing?
Eliana:
I think everything has a season. I thrive on chaos and the business. That's just me, you know, not everybody does. And I think that understanding what season you are in helps you to determine, okay, what do I need to scale back on? Um, for me, I just always, I need to be busy and I do really, really well when I'm, when I am, um, busy and productive and, and just be fulfilled as a person. Not only as a mom, because I love my kids, but parenthood does not fulfill me. That is just like you said, it is just a pocket of who I am. And so when I do feel like, okay, I'm juggling all these balls and everything is falling on the floor. It's usually an indicator that, yeah. Okay. What, what do I need to scale back on? What can I delegate and what do I need to stop for now? And pick up maybe at, at a later time where I have the bandwidth for it.
Lindsay:
Good. Yeah, definitely. And I think we all do tend to do that. Like we get, I know me, I love to be doing things and being into stuff and I I'm passionate. I'm a multi passionate person. Yeah. So it's difficult for me to only do one thing. That's actually a very hard thing for me to do. So I enjoy multi having my hands in lots of different things, you know?
Eliana:
Yes. So do I totally Relate
Lindsay:
I do think a lot of women are like that very multi passionate. And I think that it can be difficult to determine like, well, what if I never get the chance? I know that this was a huge, uh, limiting belief for me. Well, what if I never get the chance to do this again for school, for example, I'm never gonna get to graduate and it's, it's such a silly thought. Like, what do you mean you're never gonna get to do that. You always have the opportunity to go back to things that you once started or always wanted to do. It's never too late.
Eliana:
It's so true. Well, I think it's important to make a list of everything that's in your heart and just ask for it to, for God, to help you find a way to work through that and get that in your life at some level. I mean, usually that's what I do if I don't know how to do it, or I don't feel like I have that space in that time. Um, I just ask God and somehow things work out and then all of a sudden there I am. I'm like, wow, Hey, look at this.
Lindsay:
Absolutely, absolutely. That's such a good answer. Absolutely.
Lindsay:
So, is there any other words of wisdom? I mean, you're so full of it, of wisdom by the way, that you would love to share with our audience and just like any, any words of encouragement to help people when they're just maybe in that, that space where they're just feeling like it's time to call in the, you know, call it quits or throw in the towel, um, to help kind of guide them through and to keep their, keep their blinders on and keep pushing forward.
Eliana:
Absolutely like mentioned earlier we entrepreneurship. It, it is an evolution and you never quite reach the destination. You see this in the top, most successful business businessmen, you know, they, they start a business, they scale that business to be multi-billion dollar company and they do this crazy thing where start another business. from the ground up entrepreneurship. The most beautiful thing about it is the struggle. It is that constant feeling of, oh my God, I'm kind of free falling here. but that's why we do it. It's what it's part of the love of entrepreneurship. So stick with it, stick with it. This is all part of the fun and build a community around you never, never, never quiz, just pivot and, and you'll get there.
Lindsay:
Good advice. Well, how could people find you if they would like to incorporate grant writing into their business or their wheelhouse?
Eliana:
Yeah, absolutely. Um, you can connect with me through my podcast at nothing for granted. Um, you can work with me at www dot Buffaloambitionco.com and contact me that way. Of course. And if you're on Instagram, definitely feel free to send me a DM at Buffalo ambition co so that I can answer any questions, doubts, or if you just need some encouragement, I I'm here for you.
Lindsay:
Well, thank you so much. This has just been a great mindset episode. I'm loving all of the different topics that we were able to hit on today, and I'm just truly grateful for you for, for joining us.
Eliana:
Absolutely. Lindsay, thank you so much for having me. Once again, I had such a great time.