‘City Entrepreneur’: Single Mom Rosana Polanco Finds KC Entrepreneurship Can Break the Poverty Cycle
KCSourceLink is proud to partner with “City Entrepreneur,” a video series that showcases and uplifts Kansas City’s founders, innovators and investors.
As the oldest of seven kids with a mom who worked two to three jobs, Rosana Polanco was often left to care for herself and her siblings. With that executive experience and a long history of multitasking, it’s no surprise that she’s now an entrepreneur leading multiple ventures.
Except that the in between was pretty complicated and, at times, terrible. Learn how this single mom of three decided to change her life.
Entrepreneurship as a path to financial security
Rosana had been working since she was 15. But she wasn’t getting where she wanted to be.
“I wanted to figure out a way to take care of my children physically and financially and no longer have to choose between the two,” says the mother of 17-, 12- and 8-year-old girls. “I always caught myself working paycheck to paycheck, and I no longer wanted to live like that.”
In March 2021, Rosana decided to bet on herself. Now, she braids hair on weekends with her venture SanaBraids. Rosana is also the founder and CEO of nonprofit Embrace Your Shine, which aims to provide stable, transitional housing for young adults who have ambition to make a difference in the world. And she started KC Micro Campers, which plans to transform box trucks into travel homes or custom food trucks. Oh, and she cleans post-construction commercial buildings on the side, too.
The transition from employee to small business owner
Rosana’s hustle is different than what she saw her mother do juggling multiple jobs.
“It was really important for me to show my kids that to be an entrepreneur means they’ll be able to take control of their own life,” Rosana says. She wanted her family to forge a new path.
Rosana shared her entrepreneurial journey with our friends from Firedup Studios as part of their City Entrepreneur series. Learn more about her experiences and how KCSourceLink’s Network Navigators and the Keystone Innovation District are helping along the way.
