Explore perspectives on the issues impacting business in Kansas City.
Hear from local entrepreneurs, innovators and community leaders as they share insights and commentary on topics impacting business and innovation.
The TAM Scam: Why the next economy won’t need your pitch deck’s market-size slide
For most of modern business history, directly observing economic activity was slow, expensive, or impossible. We developed proxies to compress uncertainty into numbers that executives, lenders, and investors could use. But as technology makes economic activity more observable, the proxies we built for an earlier era become harder to defend.
I was wrong about sports: Why KC’s ‘escape velocity’ keeps pointing back to 18th and Vine
Sports, music, and barbecue are not three separate Kansas City brands, writes urbanist and entrepreneur Kemet Coleman. “They are one story, and it starts at 18th and Vine,” the Vine Street Brewing co-founder explained.
300 pitches later, GIFT founder offers a cheat sheet for selling your vision (hint: it starts with the pitch deck)
“What does your business do? Tell me directly, clearly, and avoid unnecessary fluff,” writes Brandon Calloway in an open letter to entrepreneurs. “As someone making a snap judgment about your business, I need to quickly understand what it offers.”
Smart glasses at work: How employers using (or banning) the tech could face legal challenges
AI-enabled smart glasses take a step further than the traditional “body camera” surveillance footage, given the technology’s ability to retain and assess information, such as biometric information. That creates new concerns for employers who might want to implement the devices — or even keep them out of the workplace altogether, writes a team of attorneys from Polsinelli.
Missouri founders need rules for crypto, digital assets that protect infrastructure and consumers, advocate says
Congress should act quickly, writes Ryan Wright. If the United States waits too long, other countries will continue setting the standards for digital assets, AI provenance, and the next generation of financial infrastructure. Missouri should not be left reacting to that future. We should help build it.
Royals chose Crown Center; KC now must decide how 18th & Vine stays in the game
The Royals ballpark announcement was still eye-opening, because moments like this reveal what a city is actually willing to organize itself around, writes Kemet Coleman.
How can 90 days fix 18 months of revenue? Make trust and consistency your currency
Many leaders start buying marketing the same way they buy any other solution .. one need at a time. It’s not uncommon for one company to have a web vendor, a PR partner, a graphic designer, an email vendor, and so on. The hire is based on need, not strategy; and the real cost shows up in places most leadership teams don’t calculate.
Ben Gruber: Kansas City is ‘tipping the cow town’
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Nearly every day I open my email to see a report telling me that Kansas City is on its way to reaching its goal of becoming the most entrepreneurial city in America. The “City of Royals” has been crowned everything from a top…
What ‘Brexit’ can teach us about startups
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Zach and Andrew are both financial tech professionals at blooom. If you watch any financial news or follow anyone besides the Kardashians on Twitter, you probably heard that the U.K. faced its own version of armageddon when it recently voted itself out of…
Joshua Montgomery: KC poised to be IoT-powered smart city leader
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Most of the people I ask about the Internet of Things — or IoT — respond with visions of network-connected light bulbs or water sensors for their basements. They talk about fitness trackers or connected thermostats that help reduce energy costs. To me,…
Darcy Howe to fellow investors: Embrace 21st century investing
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. The future of Kansas City entrepreneurship and business looks brighter than ever. And I am really excited! That’s because after helping manage the private wealth of some of the area’s most affluent families for more than 30 years, I’m beginning to see a…
How local founders manage startup disappointment
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Fail fast. Fail forward. Startup failure may be educational, but it’s a lesson delivered by a very expensive teacher who exacts a steep emotional and economic price. The space between the Big Success and the Big Failure is where entrepreneurs live and…
Startup life and marriage: A spouse’s perspective
Editor’s Note: Dan and Gina Schmidt agreed to share their experience of how startup life has changed their relationship and family. This is Gina’s perspective; see Dan’s here. Opinions expressed this commentary are the author’s alone. A little over six years ago, my husband, Dan, approached me with a business idea. “Emerging Business CFO. That’s…