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…
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…
Discovering Opportunities: ReJuvv’ Spa Kansas SBDC at WSU Jason Cole Opportunities present themselves as consumer demand changes. After ten years in the day spa business, Tracie Gordon began noticing a pattern of change – patterns of opportunity that kept presenting themselves to her small business. Several times a day she would hear clients say, “I wish…
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