Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sharissa Bradley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sharissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Project Seed Money was gifted to me in 2022. Three best friends originally founded the company with the goal of funding female entrepreneurs. While their original goal never took off, my friend wanted to see Project Seed Money go on in a new direction. When I took over I intended to keep it basically the same with one minor shift from female entrepreneurs to female authors. After a year of pushing this new narrative I realized it I was building something that didn’t fit into my values. I never wanted to create a space where only one woman could win at a time. After reevaluating my priorities, I relaunched Project Seed Money in October 2024 with the mission of supporting as many women as I possibly could. As an author and publisher I had gained knowledge of the industry that I wanted to share but I also knew there were many, many more knowledgeable women in publishing and I asked for their help, as well. Now with the mission clearly set, and values in place, I interview women, weekly, who have published their own book or work in the industry. Together we are building a community where women feel safe finding tools and people to support their publishing goals.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

More than a decade ago I was diagnosed with 4 autoimmune diseases. I was strapped with insurmountable exhaustion, guilt and overwhelm. I didn’t know where to turn and I had two small children who were counting on me for all their most basic needs. I spent a few months crying and sleeping before I realized: enough was enough. I leaned on my education as a researcher and dove into what was known about autoimmune disease. This process took me about two years total and included hundreds of doctor’s visits and countless books. I decided, in the darkest moments, that I would do whatever it took to heal myself.

Following a few autoimmune protocols, and lots of advice from others who’d healed themselves, I eventually reversed all autoimmune markers in my body, completely reduced inflammation and became someone who has energy for the entire day (all things my doctors told me would be impossible). This process took a little over two years and I have had to maintain discipline over my food, sleep, movement and schedule to stay healthy. I took that knowledge I’d gained and started a nutrition practice, teaching others to use food as medicine and reverse autoimmune disease. After helping others, I realized that most people were missing fundamental information when it came to their health. I decided I would be the one to fill that gap and published my book: Journey Back to Health in 2019. My book chronicled my health journey but also provides practical step-by-step advice for getting your own health back (it also includes a workbook so you can take your health in your own hands).

During the process of becoming an author I quickly realized just how expensive it was to actually publish a book. The writing part can be completely free but the first expense, after the manuscript is complete, is editing and it can easily be the highest expense of the whole process. For me in 2018, it cost $2,500.00 to have my manuscript line edited and proofread. This was just the first expense. In total that first edition ended up costing nearly $10,000.00 to publish. At that time, my husband was the breadwinner for the family and I needed to ask for money. This brought me a tremendous amount of shame. First, because I really didn’t know that the book would have such high expenses and second, because I didn’t have the money myself to complete the project. The point that I learned about the costs was after the manuscript was written. If I didn’t have the money to go on, the project would have had to stop. This shame of asking for money stayed with me. I ended up having a third baby just about the time the book came out and then I just let it sit. I never marketed it or promoted it in any way, so it really didn’t sell. Thus, never returning my investment. In 2022, I opened my publishing house, bought the rights to publish my book and put out a second edition (incurring another $1,000 debt for this book). Nothing had ever been more clear to me…there was a major hole in the industry. How do creatives get the money to fund their book goals?

That is when Project Seed Money was born. I dove into learning about the publishing process and all costs involved. Then I designed classes and resources around those costs. Next I started teaching women how to apply for author grants. I truly feel that if those who are ready to share their stories can connect with the funding they need, they will be unstoppable. I hope to serve that gap and encourage and support women to write without fear of how they will get it paid for. I truly believe once we crest the mountain top of any goal it is our duty to reach back into the community and bring as many people with us to the top as we can. That ultimately is the mission for Project Seed Money.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The most important thing in business (and life) is relationships. That was the single most helpful tool when it came to starting a business and seeing it flourish. I take the time necessary to build my relationships. I run a publishing house but I only publish the people in my community. The reason for this is simple. Writing a book is like having a baby, once it is out in the world it lives and breathes on its own, but getting it to fruition is challenging. It is invaluable to build a relationship with the people who publish with me. We will have to communicate effectively for the lifetime of that book. I only work with people that I will enjoy talking to for years to come. Marketing and social media and websites, they are all going to change and evolve over time, the relationships should be steady like a rock no matter the outside circumstances. Even when things are challenging in my business, I make an effort to continue building and fostering my relationships.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love reading business books, but it is important to only read as fast as you can implement. If you constantly consume new information about running a successful business but have no time to put those practices to use then it will make absolutely no difference to know the information. I recommend reading: How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie), Good to Great (Jim Collins), and Built to Last (Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://projectseedmoney.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectseedmoney/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/projectseedmoney/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@projectseedmoney

Image Credits

Rachael Rantz