Originally posted on WASHBURN UNIVERSITY KANSAS SBDC:
The Winged Lion, LCC is a home décor and gift boutique located in downtown Manhattan, Kansas. Its loyal customers turn to owner Ralph Diaz for all kinds of decorating and gift-giving advice … and advice on life as well! Ralph opened The Winged Lion in August of 2014…
Originally posted on WASHBURN UNIVERSITY KANSAS SBDC:
A couple of years after I opened my small business, one of my customers – a gentleman who, prior to his retiring, had been a top executive at a major corporation – asked me what my exit strategy was. Confused about why he should make such an enquiry,…
Originally posted on WASHBURN UNIVERSITY KANSAS SBDC:
On Tuesday, March 14, the Kansas Small Business Development Center honored 17 Kansas small businesses for their 2017 Existing, Emerging and Exporting business awards. Among those honored includes Topeka’s own Sprout Communications, taking home the title as the Washburn University SBDC Emerging Business of the Year. “It was…
When Life Throws You A Curve Ball: Women’s Specialists of Liberal Kansas SBDC at SCCC Mike O’Kane Dr. Lamberto Flores’ employment with Southwest Medical Center was terminated in January 2011, only eight months after being recruited by the hospital to meet a great need for OB/GYN services in a town of 20,000 residents with only one…
The Right Blend: Velo + Maps Coffee Kansas SBDC at JCCC John Adessi Bikes + coffee and sometimes beer is the fun and somewhat intriguing message that will greet you when you visit velopluskc.com – the website of Velo+ Maps Coffee. Vincent Rodriquez originally came to the Kansas SBDC at Johnson County Community College with…
The Better Choice: Kingsbury Service Kansas SBDC at FHSU Ron Newman Sometimes the first opportunity is not always the right opportunity. When the father/son team of Marty and Rhett Kingsbury were presented with an opportunity to buy a small business they were excited about the prospect of striking out on their own. Both had years of…
Rethinking Retail: The Merchant Kansas SBDC at Washburn University Consulting Team For Lisa Boyd the idea for a new business venture bolted into action after visiting a friend in Winchester, Tennessee. Lisa had recently toured a merchandising business that was buying pallets of overstock clothing and accessory items traditionally sold at Sears, Kohl’s or Target and…
Research Guides Decisions: CS Gas, Inc. Kansas SBDC at FHSU Allie Kastens When Karen Horinek had an opportunity to expand her propane business in 2011 she already knew about the Kansas SBDC at FHSU in Bird City, Kansas. And Horinek already knew about the propane delivery business. As owner and operator of CS Gas, Inc. in…
Pumpkins To Profit : Walter’s Farms (formerly Walter’s Pumpkin Patch) Kansas SBDC at ESU Dean Claycamp When strangers meet Becky Walters she often hears the same comment, “I wish I had a job where I only had to work six weeks out of the year.” Someday she’s going to be able to laugh and say, “So…
Persistent Passion: Flint Hills Music Kansas SBDC at ESU Lisa Brumbaugh Thomas Silkman had a good grip on what he wanted to do from a young age. “I’ve always been entrepreneurial minded. And when asked what I was going to do with my life, I have always had only two answers – make a living…
On Being Nimble: Art In Iron Kansas SBDC at PSU Tom Byler Mike Hill has a love for metal art which he developed into a business idea— Art In Iron. As he began his ornamental ironwork business in 2012 in Garnett he realized he needed assistance in getting pointed in the right direction from the beginning.…
New To Market: Kansas Regenerative Medicine Center LLC Kansas SBDC at WU Daryn Soldan In the medical field you run into regulation after regulation. When you are creating a medical business and the only stand-alone facility of this type in the country you can run into walls. The team of Ken Woods and John Farley didn’t need…
Learning About The Business of Business: Cat Clinic of Lawrence Kansas SBDC at Kansas University Will Katz Veterinary medicine was a life-long dream of Dr. Jennifer O’Driscoll. In 2010 Jennifer attended a small business startup seminar led by the Kansas SBDC at KU in Lawrence. She knew her specialty but needed to know how to turn…
Filling A Need: Enhanced Home Care, LLC Kansas SBDC at JCCC Elisa Waldman After listening to the frustrations faced by close friends while caring for their aging parents, Randy Block decided to create Enhanced Home Care, a company specializing in the highest quality of senior in-home care. Randy’s formula for success includes three key components:…
Evaluating Expansion: Garden City Propane Kansas SBDC at GCCC Cheryl Schmale Expanding your small business can be quite a balancing act. How do you keep the quality of service high while adding new services without hiring more employees to manage the service load? These were some questions that Dennis and Risa DeVaney were wrestling with…
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