Ask.Beans

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Ask.Beans Ask.Beans works with purpose-driven leaders and creators through systems, storytelling, and support to turn ideas into impact!

08/10/2026

We’re proud to share what happens when community partners build together.

Ask.Beans, Innovation Works Baltimore, and Akiva' Rooks, PMP of I'll Keep Her co-created Social Impact Co-Work & Connect: Focus, Flow & Finish, a space for social entrepreneurs to get focused work time, reset, and build real relationships.

It grew out of the connections we made at Oasis 2026. Everyone who completed our feedback form told us:

🗣️ It was absolutely worth their time (5 out of 5)
🗣️ They made a meaningful new connection
🗣️ They left with something they can apply right away

What stood out most to them: building systems and scaling, managing time and stress, and self-care with community. One attendee left with the reminder that action creates clarity.

It’s a small first group, and we’re building from what they shared. Orgs like Innovation Works show what it looks like to support the whole person behind the enterprise.

Thank you to everyone who came. Our next gathering is in December. Stay tuned for registration links and flyers.

📍EXCLUSIVE: only for Innovation Works Entrepreneurs 🌱

Tomorrow, we're talking about the 3 edges every plan needs.Time: when we work, and when we don't.Access: when people can...
08/10/2026

Tomorrow, we're talking about the 3 edges every plan needs.

Time: when we work, and when we don't.
Access: when people can reach us, and how fast we respond.
Scope: what the work includes, and what it doesn't.

Boundaries aren't rejection. They're the structure that keeps the plan alive.

Live tomorrow at 12 PM ET. Then at 4 PM ET, we're keeping the momentum going in Keeping It a Bean | Unfinished Business. Bring one thing you want to move, and leave with the next step decided.

Catch the Live in The Founder's Room:

Save your seat for Keeping It a Bean at 4 PM ET:

ans :)

Your last retreat had great energy. Who owns item 3? Most teams leave a strong session with a list of good ideas and no ...
08/10/2026

Your last retreat had great energy. Who owns item 3?

Most teams leave a strong session with a list of good ideas and no clear owner, timeline, or check-in. That's not a people problem. It's a structure problem.

We design facilitation that ends with decisions, owners, and a follow-up plan, so the energy turns into work that actually moves.

If you're planning 2027 sessions now, let's build the follow-through into the plan from the start.

We’re getting close to our October Keeping It A Bean session.If you’ve been looking for funding opportunities but haven’...
07/10/2026

We’re getting close to our October Keeping It A Bean session.
If you’ve been looking for funding opportunities but haven’t felt ready to apply, this is your invitation to start working through it.

If you’ve applied before and want to strengthen your approach, this room is for you too.

On October 9, Joyson BaLisamore will share practical lessons from his experience securing more than $60,000 in non-dilutive funding and resources.

We’ll talk about:
• Finding opportunities that fit
• Connecting your story to funder priorities
• Strengthening applications and pitches
• Communicating your impact
• Learning from both acceptance and rejection

Most importantly, you’ll have time to apply the strategies to your own business.
Bring your laptop and an opportunity you’re considering.

Get Funded! Winning Strategies for Pitch Contests, Grants, and Accelerator Programs
October 9 at 4 PM ET.

Register here: www.luma.com/keepingitabean

Things that were "supposed to be quick":A 15-minute call that ran an hour."Can you look over this real quick?"A pick-you...
06/10/2026

Things that were "supposed to be quick":

A 15-minute call that ran an hour.
"Can you look over this real quick?"
A pick-your-brain coffee.
The text that turned into a project.
The meeting that could've been a decision.

Which one got you this week? Drop it in the comments.

None of these are bad people asking for bad things. The plan just didn't have edges, so everything got in. Friday, we're talking about how to change that.

Live this Friday, October 9 · 12 PM ET

Join The Founder's Room so you catch the Live:
The Founder's Room

ans :)

Keeping It A Bean brings builders together from wherever they are.Pre-entrepreneurs.Solo-preneurs.Creatives.Nonprofit le...
06/10/2026

Keeping It A Bean brings builders together from wherever they are.

Pre-entrepreneurs.
Solo-preneurs.
Creatives.
Nonprofit leads.
Professionals planning their next move.
Founders working through questions that don’t fit neatly into one industry.

On October 9, we’ll come together to talk about funding opportunities and how to build a stronger story around the work you’re already doing.

Our guest, Joyson BaLisamore, has secured more than $60,000 in non-dilutive funding and resources through pitch competitions, grants, fellowships, accelerators, and other opportunities.

You’ll learn from his experience and have time to work through your own next step.
This is what happens when different builders bring fresh eyes, lived experience, and a willingness to help each other move.

Get Funded! Winning Strategies for Pitch Contests, Grants, and Accelerator Programs
October 9 at 4 PM ET.
Join us from wherever you’re building.
Register here: www.luma.com/keepingitabean

A funder may not know your business as well as you do.They may not immediately understand:• The problem you’re solving• ...
06/10/2026

A funder may not know your business as well as you do.

They may not immediately understand:

• The problem you’re solving
• Who your work serves
• Why your solution matters now
• What makes your approach different
• What the funding would help you do
• How your work connects to their priorities

That doesn’t mean your work isn’t valuable. It may mean your story needs more clarity.

Our next Keeping It A Bean session will help early-stage entrepreneurs think through how they communicate their business to funders, reviewers, accelerator programs, and pitch competition judges.

Join Joyson BaLisamore on October 9 for:
Get Funded! Winning Strategies for Pitch Contests, Grants, and Accelerator Programs

You’ll have a chance to apply the conversation to your own business and begin strengthening an application, pitch, or entrepreneurial story.

Free virtual session. October 9 at 4 PM ET.
Register here: www.luma.com/keepingitabean

It was supposed to be a quick call.A quick review.A quick "can you just look at this?"Then the afternoon was gone.Quick ...
06/10/2026

It was supposed to be a quick call.
A quick review.
A quick "can you just look at this?"
Then the afternoon was gone.

Quick favors aren't free. They cost time, attention, and the decision we were in the middle of making. And when a plan has no edges, every request gets to rewrite the week.

This Friday, we're going live to talk about the Quick Favor Tax: where our week really goes, and the 3 edges that protect our time, energy, and priorities.

Friday, October 9 · 12 PM ET · Facebook Live
We'll be live on Facebook. Join The Founder's Room, our free community for builders, so you don't miss it:
The Founder's Room

Ask.Beans :)

Meet our October Keeping It A Bean guest, Joyson BaLisamore.Joyson is a Baltimore-based social entrepreneur, speaker, an...
03/10/2026

Meet our October Keeping It A Bean guest, Joyson BaLisamore.

Joyson is a Baltimore-based social entrepreneur, speaker, and Founder and Chief Hydration Officer of Jay’s Watermelonade, a mission-driven beverage company promoting healthier hydration, community wellness, and opportunities for young people.

He has secured more than $60,000 in non-dilutive funding and resources through:
• Pitch competitions
• Grants
• Fellowships
• Accelerators
• Other entrepreneurial opportunities

Joyson is also currently pursuing his MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Baltimore.

His work centers on helping founders communicate not only what they’re building, but why it matters.

On October 9, he’ll bring those lessons into the room for:
Get Funded! Winning Strategies for Pitch Contests, Grants, and Accelerator Programs

Come ready to ask questions, think through your story, and work on an opportunity that could help move your business forward.

Register here: www.luma.com/keepingitabean

We’re glad to have you with us, Joyson.

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