Black business advocate GIFT wraps holiday markets to close visibility gap for entrepreneurs
The holiday shopping season offers many retail-focused entrepreneurs a gift of their own, said Kharissa Parker, describing opportunities for emerging Black business owners to meet customers in-person at events like Kansas City G.I.F.T.’s Small Business Saturday Black Business Market.
How Polsinelli stepped onto the national stage without walking away from its KC roots
“We’re not just a national law firm that happens to have an office in Kansas City,” said Greg Kratofil. “We’ve been helping build this city’s technology ecosystem for decades while also building a national practice capable of representing some of the most innovative companies in the world.”
GEWKC returns to Union Station with maker fair, packed lineup of startup, small biz speakers
“Every year, we think we can’t possibly top the previous year; and yet every year, our attendees, speakers, makers and supporters blow us away,” said Callie England, director of GEWKC. “This event is one of the highlights of our year because it shows everything the Innovation Center and our partners do for entrepreneurs, all in one place.”
Sports-wellness tech cohort adds two more Kansas City companies in time for tip off
An intensive week of programming opened Monday at ShotTracker’s headquarters in Overland Park as a small cohort of founders — including two just-added Kansas City area innovators — began an immersive new experience led by Endeavor Heartland an Keystone Innovation District.
Hydrangea House grows into long-vacant, Tudor-style Brookside police and fire station
Mother-daughter duo Jessica Carpenter and Abigail Gaughan have been deep cleaning the 6,265-square-foot space — putting in new ceiling and floor tiles, upgrading plumbing, and hanging one-of-a-kind chandeliers. Three trucks of merchandise await, filled with homegoods and vintage and antique furniture.
‘Shark Tank’ is TV (not reality), founders say; Students urged to prepare for the grind, think like entrepreneurs
“You can work for the biggest company in the United States and can still be an entrepreneur within those walls of that company,” said Mathes, a namesake for the Mathes Innovation Center at William Jewell College. “So, if you want to be successful in whatever career you’re in, you need to at least think like an entrepreneur.”
How this KC-area college turned entrepreneurs’ ventures into a fast-growing MBA program
“People don’t want to study theory,” said Taras Polik, founder of London-based startup OneDay. “They can watch videos online on YouTube. They really want to do practical things with their own hands and learn this way.”
Kids Tech Day exchanges screen time for innovation immersion, a future coded with hope
“They’re already using tech, iPads, and watching TV,” said WeCode KC’s Isha “Ice” Williams. “So why not teach them how to do the things that they’re watching, that they’re using, and they can make money from it? Exposing them early just piques their interest and then just guides them through a path of success.”
He put the tee in Kansas City; now this ambassador of KC pride is closing his City Market outpost
A small storefront next to the famed Arabia Steamboat Museum at Kansas City’s City Market is closing its doors after nearly a decade — selling close to $2 million in T-shirts over the course of its run, the owner said, and becoming a de facto visitor’s center for people sharing Dave Lindahl’s passion.
Beyond translation: How new Spanish-only biz resources combine access with cultural relevance
“A lot of the community … they won’t believe that there’s resources that are free for them,” said Citlali Valdez Dominguez. “They always think, ‘Where’s the catch? What do I have to do?’”
KC coffee company’s refresh comes as next generation of family owners brew strength at new downtown HQ
New headquarters for one of Kansas City’s premier coffee operations came with more than a change of address when it relocated to the Power & Light District this spring; the family-run company has a new name as it pours more energy into brewing wholesale business with national chains. Paris Brothers — the long-running specialty food…
KCK kicks off its first Black Restaurant Week; these are the spots to try
“We really have more entrepreneurs now that have gone through the process of getting brick-and-mortar stores so that’s where we are right now,” said Ken McClaine, organizer of KCK Black Restaurant Week, which runs Sept. 7-13. “We just wanted to shine some light on them, get some exposure to them, and help them out.”
Coffee shop owned by KC Current veterans relocating to riverfront neighborhood near stadium
Pitchside Coffee’s new location will be just a goal kick away from CPKC Stadium, said co-owner and retired women’s soccer standout Kristen Hamilton, brewing plans to relocate the popular coffee shop to the heart of the Kansas City Current’s riverfront game days.