$150K in Grants + How to Write Off Your Work Trips

🏦 Finance Fix

Business Travel is a Write-Off (But Not Your Tulum Getaway) 

Being a business owner means wearing many hats and sometimes, one of those hats comes with a passport stamp. The best part? Business travel is tax-deductible as long as you follow the IRS rules.

So before you try to expense that “work-life balance retreat” in Tulum, here’s what actually counts:

✅ Flights, trains, and mileage if you're traveling for work, your transport is covered.
✅ Hotels & Airbnb as long as it's for business, the stay is a write-off (just keep it reasonable).
✅ Meals 50% of your business meals are deductible, so yes, that client lunch is a strategic investment.
✅ Local transport Uber to a meeting? Deductible. Uber to a sunset boat party? That’s on you.
✅ Conference & networking event fees If you flew across the country to level up your biz, the registration costs are on the IRS. 

💡 Pro Tip: Keep ALL receipts bank statements aren’t enough. Screenshot, scan, save. You'll be able to do all of this with our app if you want to be an early tester, just respond to this email.

 💬 For other questions on deductibles, talk with Vestie! she’s got your back.

🎯 Grants for solopreneurs and small businesses

🎭 $150K for Arts Organizations

The Cultural Sustainability Program by South Arts provides general operating funds for arts nonprofits, fiscally sponsored groups, private entities, and tribal organizations rooted in communities of color.

📅 Apply here by February 5th.

✊ $5K for Black Entrepreneurs
The Black History Makers Grant by Citi Trends offers $5,000 to support Black entrepreneurs pursuing their business goals.
📅 Apply here by February 2nd.

 💼 $1,500 for Women-Owned Businesses
The Malone Unlimited Small Business Grant is open to women-founded businesses with less than $1M in annual revenue and at least 12 months of operation in the U.S.
📅 Apply here by February 3rd.

 🚀 $5K for Scalable Startups in Wisconsin
The Madworks Business Accelerator by StartingBlock Madison offers $5,000 to Wisconsin-based businesses with a validated market, working prototype, or MVP, and a clear pathway to scale.
📅 Apply here by February 3rd.

💡 Need funding tailored to your biz? Just ask our trusty chatbot Vestie!

🗞️ Making Headlines

Bootstrapping The Glamnetic Story

 Bootstrapping is a love affair with risk. You fund your business with your own money, stretch every dollar, and pray that one day, the payoff will be worth the sleepless nights.

 For Ann McFerran, it worked.

With no outside funding, no safety net, and no rich investor, she took Glamnetic from an idea to a $50M business in a year proving that sometimes, the best investment you can make is in yourself.

Here’s what she did

• She Moved Fast & Fixed It Later. She launched Glamnetic with what she had, perfected the product as she went, and didn’t wait for a “perfect time” spoiler alert it doesn't exist.

• She Used What She Had. Science degree? Helped her build a better product. Art skills? Allowed her to DIY her own social media campaigns. A tight budget? Forced her to be creative. The lesson? Use what you’ve got until you can afford what you need.

• She Went All In on Social Media. No PR team. No million-dollar marketing budget. Just smart influencer collaborations, viral videos, and a product people actually wanted.