About KCSourceLink

KCSourceLink 2018 Year in Review

No matter if you’re looking to start your very first business (or nonprofit) in Kansas City or if you want to grow your operation, KCSourceLink can help. We’ve connected thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners like you to the right and relevant resources in our network of 240+ business-building organizations to help you clear that obstacle or reach that next milestone.

So, yes, we help entrepreneurs and business owners do their thing better, faster—the numbers below will show you how. But we also work with that resource network to improve Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. And so, yes, because we work in KC entrepreneurship and on it, even if you’re not an entrepreneur. If you’re a corporate leader, investor or mentor, there’s a role for you to play in making Kansas CIty America’s most entrepreneurial city. Just reach out to KCSourceLink, and we’ll help you get involved and get connected.

Let’s dive into these numbers and see how we’re helping entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, corporate leaders build a better Kansas City Quick note on the figures below: We pulled data from our hotline calls, emails, The Resource Navigator®, online searches, web visits and surveys.

Explore what happened last year.

KCSourceLink Year in Review 2018 Entrepreneurship Facts, Statistics and Figures

Top 5 Requests for Assistance

Entrepreneurs and business owners can reach out directly to KCSourceLink when they need help. We staff a hotline/help desk to field those calls and emails, and we also offer folks a DIY search of relevant resources via The Resource Navigator. With a phone call or a few clicks in The Resource Navigator, aspiring and established entrepreneurs can find their next step and next resource on their entrepreneurial journey.

Here's the kind of help KC entrepreneurs asked for most in 2018.

Marketing/sales
Startup assistance
Business plan assistance
Loans
Mentoring

Want help with some of these areas or with something else business-related? Call us at 816-235-6500 or use this form to tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll match you with the resources, coaches, investors, mentors and opportunities in Kansas City that can help.

Some of the Top Client Outcomes

Sometimes, the entrepreneurs and business owners who call us find the next resource to reach that next milestone. Sometimes, they find a mentor or investor or meet with a coach and finally get that idea down on paper in the form of a business plan. And sometimes they discover that they need to go back to the drawing board, refine their processes, reassess their vision and maybe even take a class to better vet their business idea.

After talking with our Resource Navigators, here are just a few actions our clients decided to take:

Started a business
Improved their business
Increased sales
Expanded their business operations
Went into business
Solved a problem

We’re here to help you clear your obstacles and reach your milestones. Is there something we could do better? Is there a resource you need that you couldn’t find? Is there an opportunity that you think KC is missing? Or maybe you just have something awesome to tell us? Hit us up here.

What You're Reading

We work hard and write a lot to help make sure you have the information you need when you’re ready to start or grow a business in Kansas City. We’ve written hundreds of blogs and Entrepreneur in Action stories (aka entrepreneur profiles), and we regularly assess our guides to make sure we’re giving you the tools and inspiration you need. In 2018, we had nearly 200,000 users visit our website. Here are the top five pages that caught their eyes:

Forms of Business Organization help entrepreneurs understand the difference between, say, an LCC and an S-Corp. Check out the handy definitions, advantages and disadvantages.
KCSourceLink home page is your jumping off point to connect with entrepreneurship. Call us if you need help: 816-235-6500.
Global Entrepreneurship Week is Kansas City's largest annual celebration of entrepreneurs. Catch the free weeklong event every November.
The KCSourceLink calendar is the metro's most-comprehensive business calendar of events, networking opportunities, business classes and all happenings in KC entrepreneurship.
The Resource Navigator is your starting point for resources. Enter a few things about your challenges and industry, and it will filter KC's more than 240 entrepreneurial service organizations into a handy, doable list.

But wait! There’s more! When you’re ready to dig into even more great content around starting or growing a business in Kansas CIty, check out our ebooks and worksheets:

Start your very own business.

Learn how to create an innovative business to disrupt an industry.

Turn your maker/artistic/crafter/inventor passion into a business.

Use the seven best questions to ask potential hires.

Map your entrepreneurial journey.