Money Mindset Check-In: Are You Operating from Scarcity or Strategy?

When it comes to funding your business, sometimes the challenge is more than just financial. It’s personal. Whether you’re applying for a grant, sitting down with a banker, pitching investors, or reinvesting your own revenue, money carries weight. It’s tied to identity, history, and even self-worth.

That’s why the mindset you bring to funding decisions matters just as much as the capital itself. Scarcity can push you into fear-driven choices. Strategy helps you move with clarity and intention, even when setbacks happen.

Why Money Feels Personal

For many entrepreneurs, especially those building without generational wealth or traditional networks, funding is also about belonging and survival. A loan denial, a grant rejection, or even a slow sales season can feel like proof that you’re not “good enough” to succeed.

But securing money — in any form — is not a measure of your worth. It’s simply one part of the larger journey of building a business. Separating your identity from your funding outcomes is one of the hardest, but most powerful, shifts you can make.

Remember to check in and ask yourself: Am I treating money decisions as feedback about my business, or am I letting them define me as a person?

Common Emotional Experiences (And Why You’re Not Alone)

You’re not alone in feeling the emotional weight of money. Founders across all stages and industries often face similar hurdles:

• Feeling behind when peers land funding or scale faster

• Hesitating to apply for things due to fear of rejection

• Feeling the pressure to be perfect before asking for support or investment

  
  

These feelings are real, and they take a toll. But they don’t have to dictate how you move forward. Naming them gives you back perspective and helps loosen their grip.

Reframing Rejection

Every “no” stings, but often, it’s about timing, fit, or capacity, not about your worth as a founder. And when it comes to grants and investment, it’s also a numbers game—the more applications and pitches you make, the closer you move toward a “yes.”

Instead of viewing rejection as proof that you’re falling short, try using it as data:

• Did this feedback highlight where I can refine my approach?

• Was this simply the wrong source of funding for my stage or model?

• Might this “no” be redirecting me toward something that’s a better fit?

  
  

Rejection can serve as a detour, pointing you toward new paths and possibilities you may not have considered.

Choosing Strategy Over Scarcity

Many founders describe money decisions as a tug-of-war between two voices. Scarcity says you’re always behind, pushes you to chase every dollar, and makes every “no” feel catastrophic. Strategy takes a different tone. It invites you to pause, reflect, and align funding choices with your vision and values.

Strategy might look like:

• Choosing funding that supports your business model instead of stretching it thin

• Recognizing when “no” is a redirection, not a failure

• Defining success by your own goals, not just comparisons to others

• Valuing your business (and yourself) beyond the size of your bank account.

  
  

Scarcity narrows your options. Strategy expands them.

Take This With You

Your worth isn’t measured by funding outcomes. Money can support your vision, but it doesn’t define your value as a founder, or a person. What matters most is whether your funding path supports the business and the life you’re building.

So pause and ask yourself: Am I making decisions from fear of not having enough, or from a clear strategy that aligns with my vision?

About The Author

Jae Johnson is StitchCrew Program Coordinator. As a Native American entrepreneur, Jae understands the power of networks, mentorship, and resourcefulness. She plays a key role in program coordination as well as alumni recruitment and engagement, ensuring participants receive the support needed to grow. Jae has also contributed to the development of StitchCrew’s Indigenous Women Accelerator and Indigenous Beauty Accelerator in Canada, strengthening relationships with Tribal Governments, capital providers, and key stakeholders. Connect with Jae on LinkedIn