How to Grow Ideas That Can Get You to the Funding Bag

I remember the day “The Blarterry” came to me. Some time between 2018-2021 I orchestrated an event for Women Artists. This event was centered around creating a gallery for Black artists who had not been in the spotlight, but had been creating consistently. It started as an idea, yet grew into a tangible, impactful event funded by Maryland State Arts Council. 

The WHY of it All

It showed me how a centered “why” aligned with a strategic “how” can take a bean and nurture it into the green. The “bean” of the Blarterry came when my mom decided to start painting.

She had attended a Sip + Paint event and realized that she loved creating. She quickly grew a portfolio of portraits, abstracts, and color palettes full of inspiration and expression. But she was shy and had not let the world see these creations.

Later, I realized that she was not the only one that I knew with this story and convinced her to agree that if I got a grant, she would become a part of a gallery.

The Right SOIL for the Bean to Grow

These simple moments birthed ideas or “beans” that needed to be planted in the right “soil” and grounded in the right “why” in order to be nurtured to grow. 

People swear they don’t have good ideas, but I promise you’ve had at least three million-dollar thoughts while sitting in traffic or scrolling on your phone.

The problem isn’t the idea. The problem is we don’t slow down long enough to plant it, water it, and give it the sunlight it needs.

That’s what this Bean-to-Green mindset is about. Turning those quick sparks into something you can touch, measure, and eventually get paid from.

Then you flow into your framework with relatable examples.

The SOIL Framework

After I got her to agree to participate, I started to build out the event. The venue. The audience. The marketing. The intended impact. I spent hours orchestrating what the event would be, detail by detail.

That’s when I realized we don’t grow ideas by accident. We grow them by intention. And intention lives in the soil. The idea phase is just the bean; the build out phase is its soil.

If the soil isn’t right, the water won’t matter.

Before the water, before the sun, before the growth… the soil decides whether the bean even has a chance. Your idea’s soil is built from four things: 

S – Systems

You need structure before you need excitement. Systems are the calendars, budgets, templates, processes, and workflows that keep chaos from stealing your momentum. Without systems, ideas stay cute. With systems, ideas become real.

O – Opportunities

Opportunities are the sunlight. They’re the rooms, the platforms, the partnerships, the invitations, the open doors. You don’t wait for opportunities, you create them. The Blarterry worked because I didn’t wait for permission. I built the opportunity.

I – Intentionality

Intentionality is the anchor. It keeps you aligned with purpose instead of performance. It helps you say yes with clarity and no without guilt. It makes sure you are growing in the right direction and not just growing for show.

L – Leverage

Leverage is what multiplies your impact. It’s the people you collaborate with, the tools you use, the networks you tap into, and the skills you already have but may not be fully using. Leverage takes work off your back and puts power behind your idea.

Understanding the SOIL Framework

Systems keep you organized. Opportunities expand your reach. Intentionality keeps you aligned with your why. And leverage helps you scale without burning out.

If the soil is misaligned, not packed correctly, or lacking in true nutrients, the bean won't stand a chance in the watering phase. 

I want to emphasize this part. Your SOIL is what determines how well you can even hold or attract “water,” which is your funding. Without a clear, mapped-out idea, funders will skip right past you. Ideas are beautiful, but no one wants to give money to something that doesn’t look sustainable.

Funders want to know: How will this grow outside of the money? Will there be marketing? Evaluations? Impact reports? What will you track and how? SOIL answers all of that. SOIL is the foundation. SOIL is the part nobody sees but everybody feels.

Plant Your Bean With Confidence

If you’ve got a bean that’s been sitting in your brain for a while, it’s time to plant it.

Visit AskBeans.org/resources to download the SOIL worksheet and start building the groundwork your idea deserves. Your growth starts the moment you prepare the ground.

Let’s be clear: we all want to get to the “green.” And the green isn’t just funding. Funding is a tool, not the whole tree.

The real green is growth. Sprouting. Bearing fruit. Becoming something real enough to feed somebody. The main purpose of that is to GROW in general. 

The SOIL should be planned with intention in order to grow to the “green” of its life cycle. As a word of advice, remember that some plants start in one type of soil, but over time they may need more nutrients added or a whole new pot altogether.

Ideas are the same. You may have to revise your SOIL, rework it, water it differently, or replace pieces of it so it fits the idea you truly want to grow. Flexibility, clarity, and intentional steps will carry your bean into its green season.

Why Using SOIL Framework is Important

The Blarterry showed me what happens when an idea is planted in the right SOIL. Four artists walked away with exposure and sales they never imagined. People saw their work, felt it, valued it.

That was the green. The growth. The proof that intention grows impact.

When we brought it back in 2023 for youth artists, the community that sprouted from the first event showed up again. That wasn’t luck. That was the outcome of planting sustainable roots. That was the foundation. That was SOIL doing what SOIL does.

Your ideas deserve the same chance. They deserve structure. They deserve sunlight. They deserve intention. They deserve support.

Because the truth is simple: beans don’t turn green by accident; they turn green because you prepared the ground.

So plant well. Build your SOIL. Water with strategy. And watch what grows.

Every idea has a season. If yours is ready to grow, take a moment to visit askbeans.org/resources to build its SOIL and book a 15 minute Discovery Call with Ask.Beans for FREE . If you haven’t already, download the worksheet and give your bean the foundation it needs to turn green!