Woman-led Stories

New book from KC heavy hitters: Keep your pitch firmly in the feels; avoid being forgotten before you leave the room

Editor’s note: The following contains an excerpt from “Go Big or Go Home,” a new book by Diana Kander, Kansas City serial entrepreneur, and Tucker Trotter, CEO of Overland Park-based Dimensional Innovations (DI). Click here to learn more about “Go Big or Go Home,” available March 28. The secret to a winning pitch isn’t necessarily…

Tech sector eyes job cuts to stem losses: Why layoffs are just one option (and should be a last resort)

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Jennifer Libby is a district manager with human resources provider Insperity’s Kansas City office. Click here to read more from this contributor. Economic turbulence can be daunting for both business owners and their employees. In times of financial uncertainty, layoffs can soar. While…

Brian Roberts, The Black Pantry, right, showing artwork to the store's first-ever customer Thursday

She started by getting Black art into Black spaces; now Natasha Ria El-Scari wants all of KC to know what they’ve been missing

A Renaissance woman, Natasha Ria El-Scari — gallerist, curator, poet, spoken word performer, educator, and life coach — has surrounded herself with art throughout her life. However, as the Kansas City native watched her hometown’s art scene flourish and thrive, she noticed not everyone was included. “As the city started to change, and the Crossroads…

Travel on tap: How a KC couple built a self-serve port for international wine lovers north of the river

Grab your wine passport, Russ Johnson said, because this self-serve wine bar allows customers to taste the world one sip at a time. And the technology that makes the business possible? Johnson — a software developer-turned-entrepreneur — built it himself. “Our brand is really focused on going on a vacation and having this world experience —…

Don’t like cookies? Your new favorite weirdough baker hungrily accepts the challenge

Tierney Larson is on a mission to bake the perfect cookies for those like herself with a not-so-sweet tooth, the Outliers Baked Goods owner shared. Each month, the self-taught baker and New York native experiments, developing four new adventurous flavors to please the taste buds of the outliers or weirdoughs of the dessert community —…