10 Inspiring KC Female Entrepreneur Stories for Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month. And women entrepreneurs make history every day in Kansas City.
Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community is chock full of women starting businesses, leading ventures and guiding other business owners. And they’re not alone. According to the Small Business Administration, women own more than 12 million businesses nationwide. That means they employ more than 10.1 million workers. Women really do make the world go ‘round.
Here are just a few of the women founders and entrepreneurs that KCSourceLink has featured recently. Check them out! And to support more women-owned ventures, visit BuyKC.org to find the businesses that meet your needs.
Carmona’s Chamoy
Paley Carmona saw chamoy all over TikTok and decided to make the treat for herself, family and friends. But those family and friends kept requesting it. So Paley and her husband, Erik, decided to start a business. Now, Carmona’s Chamoy is flourishing, serving candies and aqua frescas at events and selling online. Support from loved ones, the Hispanic Economic Development Corporation and the Latino Arts Foundation helped make it happen.
Cenetric
It’s like a movie: A young mom is passionate about IT but doesn’t have education or connections, so she teaches herself everything. Act 2: She starts her own business, but things don’t go well and she loses her house and her car. Act 3: Success! Brittany Fugate’s journey may have been more complex, but you get the gist. Now, she’s CEO of Cenetric, her own IT company, and employs nearly 30. ScaleUP! KC and the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program (HEMP) have provided mentoring and guidance.
CJ Industries
Construction runs in Mindy Rocha’s blood. Her dad and grandfather were pipefitters by trade, and she started writing quote letters when she was 13. Now, Mindy owns CJ Industries, a growing KC construction firm. MBE and WBE business certifications have helped her build her business. And guidance from ScaleUP! KC, Missouri SBDC at UMKC and the National Association of Women in Construction has been invaluable, too.
Cupcake Joy
Alisha Graham loved to bake, but it had always been a side hustle. When she moved to Kansas City, she knew it was time to turn that side gig into a full-time job. With the help of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Kansas City, Alisha created Cupcake Joy. Because she had run all the numbers, she was able to jump at business opportunities just six weeks after she moved to KC. Now, Alisha’s sweet treats are all over town.
Greenhouse Studio
Talicia Brown had a wild dream. This loctician started doing hair for fun, but her side gig turned into a full-time business. Greenhouse Studio is a one-woman enterprise, but she asked God and the universe to help her reach her goal: to do the locks of Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. Talicia did the legwork and worked social media; she had high hopes and then doubted it would ever happen. Learn how she manifested her dream.
Health Partners MD
Sometimes people become entrepreneurs by accident. That’s what happened with Courtney Younglove, M.D. She opened a women’s health practice and then an obesity clinic, but didn’t consider herself an entrepreneur. It was only when she created startup Health Partners MD to make obesity medicine available to more people that she finally realized she was an entrepreneur. Guidance from Missouri SBDC at UMKC, Comeback KC Ventures and Digital Sandbox KC has helped along the way.
Interplay
Jonaie Johnson started her first business in elementary school. In high school, she identified a unique pet care need. As a college student, she developed plans to address this need. Now, she’s founder and CEO of startup Interplay. Developing an interactive dog crate has been full of surprises, but Jonaie is taking it in stride — and learning along the way. She’s pitched Digital Sandbox KC, graduated from Pipeline Pathfinder and worked with InnovateHER KC, finding opportunity wherever she goes.
Love Is Key Food and Dessert Innovation
A business can make a real difference in a community. Tameisha and Cameron Martin wanted to do just that — and break the cycle of poverty within their own family. They started Love is Key to nourish their neighbors, provide employment for those in need and go the extra mile with programs, like toy drives. Getting involved with the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce, Porter House KC, GIFT and the Urban League of Greater Kansas City has helped the Martins stabilize and grow their venture.
Open Minds Child Development Center
Opening an early childhood education center had long been a dream of AbdulRasak and Alicia Yahaya. So they did the work. Years of planning, saving and fundraising prepared them to create Open Minds Child Development Center. Advisors at the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College have helped the couple, and their entrepreneurship has had a ripple effect. Now, several family members have started businesses, too.
Parrish & Sons Construction
After working in IT for 20 years, Fahteema Parrish had an idea for a construction company. Launching that venture meant working two full-time jobs for nearly two years. But the hard work paid off. Parrish & Sons Construction has been part of some of the biggest projects in the KC area, and it won the KC Chamber Mr. K Small Business of the Year award. Missouri SBDC at UMKC’s GROWTH 360 program, the Missouri Apex Accelerator and AltCap’s NeXt Stage KC program have helped.
Build your Kansas City business
Kansas City is full of experts and programs that support entrepreneurs. Whether you’ve got a business idea, need help scaling your existing business or want to exit your business, there’s free or low-cost guidance available to you. KC is home to organizations that specialize in working with women entrepreneurs, too.
Whether you’re looking for community, guidance or funding, make the KCSourceLink Resource Navigator your first stop. Our monster database includes more than 230 local Resource Partners that are ready to guide your entrepreneurial journey.
If you don’t even know where to start, KCSourceLink’s Network Navigators are here to guide the way. Just answer a few questions, and they’ll create your very own free Personal Action Plan. It’s an individualized checklist of what to do and the experts to meet so you can start making your business goals a reality.
