Guest Authors Stories

Gooding: Narrow your focus to win on an exit

At the time it wasn’t quite so obvious, but now I realize that I was incredibly fortunate to spend the first part of my career in small-market mergers and acquisitions. Turns out it’s an arena where one can acquire an incredible depth and breadth of business knowledge. On an almost daily basis, I was learning…

busted bracket

Thomas: 3 investing lessons from your busted bracket

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. It’s here — the one month of the year where a single college basketball tournament costs employers a collective $1.2 billion for every hour of lost productivity. And it’s fantastic! I’m a big believer that we can find investing lessons in nearly every…

Stephens: It’s time to embrace Kansas City’s cowtown character

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. I get it. I do. Many of you moved to Kansas City from small Midwestern towns to get away. Kansas City is the big city. You are tired of the fly-over jokes, the rolling prairie, the Casey’s General Store. You want hip, cool,…

women entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurship: Miles to go and room to grow

I am an unabashed coffee fan, but conflicting research on my favorite brew has both raised and dashed my hopes. One study reveals that my two-cups-a-day may increase longevity, while another points to an increased risk of heart disease. Sipping a cup recently while reviewing data on women-owned businesses and entrepreneurship, it occurred to me…

Holt: Early-stage capital isn’t Kansas City’s biggest problem

Rack your brain and create a list of local tech businesses that have successfully raised early-stage capital in Kansas City. The list is actually quite extensive. Now try to list the tech firms that have raised later stage capital in Kansas City — defined as closing a round of $5 million or more. It’s going…