How This Entrepreneur Turned Faith into Funding

Women entrepreneurs continue to face steep barriers when it comes to funding, receiving less than 2% of venture capital in the United States. For many founders, smaller grants and pitch competitions can become critical opportunities to grow their ideas into sustainable businesses.

[SEE ALSO: Grants & Resources For Black-Owned Beauty Brands]

Kesha Rainey, founder of As She Stewards, recently secured one of those opportunities, winning Grind Pretty Fest’s Dallas pitch competition and taking home $2,000. The funding, awarded through the festival’s Grind For Good initiative, is designed to support women entrepreneurs building businesses rooted in community and purpose.

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Through As She Stewards, Rainey is building a faith-driven subscription community designed to help women embrace their season with purpose, connection, and support.

“I was inspired to start this company because I know firsthand the silent weight single women carry — the pressure to check societal boxes of marriage, children, and the ‘perfect’ life,” she told Sadiaa.

For Rainey, that pressure isn’t abstract. It’s something she has lived and something she has watched other women carry as they navigate expectations around marriage, family, and what a “complete” life is supposed to look like.

Her response was to create a space where women could feel supported in seasons that are often misunderstood or undervalued. Through curated subscription tiers — Planted with Purpose, Thyme to Grow, and As She Blooms — the platform offers resources, encouragement, and community designed to help women grow spiritually and emotionally.

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Rainey describes the experience simply: “Think of each of our subscription box tiers as a hug in the mail that unfolds into a truly transformative experience.”

While the brand was birthed via personal reflection, Rainey’s professional background helped shape how the business operates.

By day, she works as a corporate supply chain professional with more than a decade of experience managing complex programs. The same strategic thinking she brings to the corporate world now guides how she is building the brand.

“I bring strategy, operational insight, and integrity to everything I do,” said Rainey. “It’s that same care and focus that I pour into As She Stewards.”

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The vision for the brand became clearer during the 2024 Woman Evolve Conference hosted by Sarah Jakes Roberts. The conference theme was surrender — a concept that resonated deeply with Rainey. In that moment, she began to see her season differently.

“The calling came through a realization: God can use every season of our lives. Nothing is wasted,” she explained.

What once felt like waiting began to feel like purpose.

“I realized the season I once questioned was actually rich with purpose,” she continued. “Singleness wasn’t a holding pattern — it was holy ground.”

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That shift in perspective now sits at the center of everything As She Stewards offers. The goal isn’t just encouragement. It’s helping women actively build meaningful lives in the season they are currently living.

The Grind Pretty Fest pitch competition became an opportunity to bring that vision into the room. Rainey was one of six entrepreneurs selected to pitch their businesses during the Dallas event, which brought together founders, creatives, and community members committed to supporting Black women entrepreneurs.

The original prize for the pitch competition was $1,000. But before the winner was announced, members of the audience stepped forward to add an additional $500 each, doubling the prize.

The funding will help Rainey accelerate her Amplify Marketing Campaign, a strategy designed to expand the company’s presence, influence, and impact.

“My heart is full of gratitude and joy,” she said. “This moment feels like proof that when faith, obedience, and community support align, transformation is possible.”

One of the first initiatives supported by the funding was Queen of Hearts, a live experience designed to bring women together in a welcoming environment where conversations about relationships, self-worth, and purpose can happen openly.

The event featured storytelling, product experiences, and space for women to connect with others navigating similar life seasons.

Beyond brand growth, Rainey is also using the funding to support initiatives that extend her company’s impact into the community. Through the community campaign, As She Stewards will provide hygiene care packages for unhoused women and award microgrants to women entrepreneurs.

The approach reflects a broader vision of serving women holistically, addressing both immediate needs and long-term opportunities. Winning the competition has also shifted how she sees herself as a founder.

“Entrepreneurship comes with a lot of ‘no’s,’” she explaing. “There’s a moment in every entrepreneur’s journey when the weight of those no’s feels heavier than the hope of the yes.”

But the experience at Grind Pretty Fest reminded her why she started the work in the first place.

“At the pitch competition, I experienced something deeper than a confidence boost. I felt my faith renewed,” she said.

Since the win, new conversations and partnerships have already begun to emerge. Rainey says she is currently building relationships with local brands and collaborators who understand her mission.

Those partnerships will help expand the reach of the community she is building while continuing to center the women who inspired it.

Looking ahead, Rainey is focused on creating partnerships that align with the brand’s values while expanding the spaces where women can gather, grow, and feel supported.

“With the right partners, we are not just growing a business,” she said. “We are building a movement that empowers women with access, resources, and opportunity as they navigate their single season with confidence.”

For Rainey, building As She Stewards always comes back to one belief: every season has purpose — even the ones society tells women to wait through.

Learn more about the brand at AsSheStewards.com.