Sisterhood of entrepreneurs: World Cup small biz effort forged unexpected bonds between founders

Business owners backed by the City of Entrepreneurs initiative are getting more than they bargained for, said Jackie Nguyen, describing the scene during the FIFA World Cup when she looked around Union Station and found herself surrounded by a freshly connected sisterhood — a family — of entrepreneurs.

Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê, models a REP URS jersey reworked by Paige Beltowski at Cut & Sew Production KC inside Union Station; photo by Phon Wills

“This has been a moment of our businesses embracing the challenge at hand and stepping up to the plate,” said Nguyen, board member for Hella Good Deeds, which is among about 20 organizations and businesses in the City of Entrepreneurs’ inaugural Open Doors! cohort. “And for the people who are thriving the most, it’s because we did it together.”

In addition to organizing a high-profile, five-week marketplace inside Union Station that saw more than 120,000 visitors, City of Entrepreneurs’ Open Doors! program also is proving a success, she said, pointing to unexpected collaboration opportunities with fellow cohort members and other entrepreneurs.

Like Hella Good Deeds — a nonprofit that offers support services to Kansas City’s Asian community and business owners — other Open Doors! recipients earned short-term leases (three to six months), working capital grants to support build-out and operations, and technical assistance in legal, marketing, finance, access to capital and business development.

Tapping into like-minded human capital wasn’t as obvious, said Nguyen, who also is founder of Cafe Cà Phê, Kansas City’s first Vietnamese coffee shop.

The program helped open a line of communication between her and Paige Beltowski, owner of Cut & Sew Production KC (another Open Doors! cohort member), who reached out to Nguyen with an idea. Beltowski wanted to use Cafe Cà Phê’s just-released soccer jerseys to create reworked fashion pieces that would offer female fans more options for attending World Cup games and watch parties.

 

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Brothers Atticus and Alexander Sloan model Cafe Cà Phê jerseys with City of Entrepreneurs-branded pedicabs outside Union Station; photo by Phon Wills

(The seamstress’ custom work already was on display thanks to reworked REP URS jerseys she’d crafted in partnership with City of Entrepreneurs.)

Within 36 hours, Nguyen said, the duo was wrapping up a photoshoot with live models outside Union Station. The effort immediately became a viral collaborative marketing piece for both businesses.

“It all came together really quickly,” she said. “It felt like a really amazing opportunity to work together, amplify each other’s businesses, help our communities — all through the lens of fashion and design.”

The flurry of activity also showcased the crossover of founders — like those at EZ Pedicabs —  involved in City of Entrepreneurs, the REP URS campaign, and Nguyen’s own network.

“People talk a lot about serendipity. And this is a serendipitous collaboration, but none of these intersections would be happening without us having a common force or common language behind us,” she said. “It might seem like we’re just throwing together a fun little art project, but it’s bigger than that.”

Beltowski echoed gratitude for City of Entrepreneurs’ placemaking through Open Doors! and other World Cup initiatives.

Paige Beltowski, Cut & Sew Production KC, and Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê, pose together as Beltowski models a Cafe Cà Phê jersey and Nguyen sports a reworked REP URS jersey by Cut & Sew Production KC; photo by Phon Wills

“My background is mostly in events, live entertainment on TV, and in film, but seeing the World Cup bring all of these small businesses together — especially women-owned and minority owned businesses — building a place to connect and find each other is amazing,” she said. “Sometimes we’re just so busy, and it can be hard to just link up.”

“Jackie and I are both agile and ready to do the work,” Beltowski continued. “We’re really happy to have a platform to show our work and what we’ve been working toward for a long time. When the world is watching, we’re ready to show up.”

Click here to see more about the collaboration between Cafe Cà Phê and Cut & Sew.

“It’s a cool fusion of cultures, but I want to emphasize: this is what happens when the city shows up for us,” said Nguyen.

Evaluating impact

While work within the Open Doors! program is expected to extend throughout the year, organizers behind City of Entrepreneurs already are evaluating the impact of the Union Station marketplace, said Nia Webster, who led the years-long development of the initiative.

Nia Webster, assistant director of the neighborhood services department for the city of Kansas City, Missouri, stands with Brian Escobar, marketing and communication coordinator for the EDCKC — both core organizers of the City of Entrepreneurs effort — at a June 10 ribbon-cutting event for the marketplace; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

“The goal is to prepare for future major events in our city,” she continued. “We’re taking lessons from NFL Draft and now the FIFA World Cup to build the programs and maybe even the policies that can help change the landscape for all businesses in our city — entrepreneurs who are either birthed here or expanding here.”

City of Entrepreneurs — led through a partnership between Kansas City, Missouri, and the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC) — was created to help founders build and grow businesses across Kansas City, said Webster, who serves as assistant director of the neighborhood services department for the city of Kansas City, Missouri.

Additional programming is expected to continue being rolled out as organizers study what worked and which elements need improvement.

The metro now has a foundational support infrastructure in place ahead of opportunities tied to the Royals new ballpark at Crown Center, Webster said, as well as potential major sporting events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Rugby World Cup — both of which are now in play thanks to Kansas City’s host performance during the summer games.

Intentional programming like Open Doors! and the marketplace are collaborative by design, she said, likening the Union Station activation during a massive international event to an industry conference for professional services businesses.

“The goal is exposure through new collaborations, introducing new ideas to the public for feedback and connections to resources that advance and grow your business,” she said. “It’s an investment in the business. The same way the city invested in the World Cup to bring international exposure and economic opportunities to the Kansas City region.”

Rita Strickland, an Open Doors! committee member, introduces Open Doors! entrepreneurs to gathered media, content creators and influencers during a May spotlight event at The Distrikct; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

A key piece of capturing the world’s attention: leveraging the in-person aspect of the Union Station marketplace with the potential opportunities of social media, said Rita Strickland.

“The absolute best part has been the opportunity for participants to showcase their products on a global scale and connect with different cultures who might otherwise not know about their businesses,” said Strickland, a business consultant who helped coordinate social content behind the scenes (and in front of the camera) once the marketplace launched.

“I have also seen many businesses truly understand the power of content, grace, and social media through consistent posting and highlighting,” she added.

Simone Curles, second from right, and small businesses supported by the Prospect Business Association at the City of Entrepreneurs marketplace at Union Station; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

An interconnected story

For Strickland, an Open Doors! committee member, a major marketplace highlight was seeing diverse Kansas City businesses gathered in one hub, ranging from veteran-owned businesses to emerging startups, she said.

The subsequent collisions sparked collaborations and a renewed feeling of community, vendors told Startland News.

Rissa Knighten, Rissa’s Artistic Design; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

Rissa Knighten, founder of Rissa’s Artistic Design, which operates a studio at InterUrban ArtHouse in downtown Overland Park, quickly found her people at the marketplace. Her business was one of several small businesses hosted in a space curated by the Prospect Business Association.

“Right here at the entrance … three of us have been here for all of the weeks, and we just gelled together,” Knighten said amid a burst of activity in Union Station’s Grand Hall. “If I step away, someone else is watching my space; they’re selling for me; they know my story; they know about the product.”

The self-taught jewelry designer’s work ranges from sculptural, museum-style pieces to runway and everyday artistic pieces — like one-of-a-kind bracelets and earrings, many of which incorporate buttons and tree branches.

“We all share in the experience of being right here together, supporting each other,” Knighten said of her fellow vendors. “And we’re thinking about what we can do in the future to help one another as small businesses.”

 

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A few booths away, Keisha Jordan said she quickly realized that the marketplace wasn’t about competing with other small business owners in the space.

“Complex Flavors does not have a huge following here in Kansas City, but that’s OK,” she said of her design studio which focuses on creative wallpaper and decor. “This experience has helped give us the exposure that we need. People had the opportunity to come to our booth and touch and experience our wallpaper samples. They were really amazed by the colors and vibrancy.”

“They also had a chance to be introduced to our new collection, the Sanctuary,” she continued. “They saw our pillows, our mugs, and most importantly our new incense line. But the biggest takeaway was the number of entrepreneurs who worked really hard, who showed up and showed out.”

Jordan most notably was surprised by the concentration of Black women business owners showcased at the marketplace, she said.

“I just couldn’t believe how many sisters were out there,” Jordan said. “And speaking of sisterhood, the community we built in a short amount of time, the way we got to know each other, our products, our businesses, the love and greetings that we gave each other every morning we opened up, and even the goodbyes … We all were rooting for each other and wanted each other to grow.”

It’s a spirit of cooperation she wants to see continue alongside City of Entrepreneurs.

“I hope and pray that we just walk in the same mindset and the same victory,” Jordan said. “I want Kansas City to continue supporting small businesses because we are the backbone of this community.”