Multicultural Entrepreneurs

Carolina and Pedro Morales of Quality Framing and Art in Mission, Kansas

How a Master Framer Grew a Thriving Kansas City Business from a Garage

Quality Framing & Art started out like many successful ventures: in a garage. “That time in the garage was crucial for us,” says Pedro Morales, owner of the Mission, Kansas, based business. It was that time in the garage when Pedro and his wife, Carolina Rodriguez, connected with the Kansas City-area...

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ScaleUP! Kansas City Cohort 13

ScaleUP! Kansas City Reveals 13th Cohort of Scaling Business Owners

The ScaleUP! Kansas City program announced its 13th cohort of 20 local companies who will get the coaching, perspective and connections to scale, create new jobs, open new locations, develop resiliency for the future and strengthen the regional economy. The program, now in its eighth year, is the longest running...

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Fahteema Parrish of Parrish and Sons Construction

How Parrish & Sons Became the First Black Woman-Owned Firm to Win the Mr. K Award

Fahteema Parrish had a unique path into the construction industry and entrepreneurship. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Fahteema obtained an up close and personal view of what hard work really looked like. Her mother and father were entrepreneurs and owned their own HVAC business. Growing up, she remembers going on...

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A collage of 5 Kansas City social media experts

How Any Business Can Grow with Influencer Marketing: 5 KC Social Media Experts Share Top Tips

Want to expand the reach of your business? Working with a social media influencer to create sponsored content can be a powerful way to attract new customers, advance your brand’s exposure and gain credibility. Research shows 50% of millennials trust recommendations from influencers and have bought a product based on...

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Kansas City Black Entrepreneur Success Stories

11 of the Best KC Black Entrepreneur Stories to Inspire You during Black Business Month and Beyond

August is National Black Business Month. It’s a time to celebrate these companies that help drive our economy and enrich our communities. According to the U.S. Census, there were more than 140,000 Black- or African American-owned businesses in the U.S. in 2020. Those ventures employed 1.3 million people and boasted annual...

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Chris Goodwin of Insurance Pros

ScaleUP! KC Helped Insurance Pros Find a Growth Spurt, Power through the Pandemic

Chris Goodwin had a pretty good idea of what he was doing when he started Insurance Pros in 2002. But the training and networking available in the Kansas City entrepreneurial ecosystem helped him realize he doesn’t know it all — and that’s more than fine. These opportunities for KC business...

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Presenters on a stage at Global Entrepreneurship Week - Kansas City

We Want Your Ideas: Lead a Session at Global Entrepreneurship Week – Kansas City 2023

Kansas City’s business community is invited to lead and submit sessions for this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week - Kansas City (Nov. 15-17, 2023), a three-day interactive educational experience driven by community members. The community is invited to submit session ideas through Friday, Aug. 25 at gewkc.com. “Global Entrepreneurship Week - Kansas...

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ScaleUP! Kansas City Cohort 12

ScaleUP! Kansas City Seeks Top-Tier Small Business Owners Primed to Scale for 13th Cohort

ScaleUP! Kansas City — a selective, game-changing program, offered at no cost to selected participants — is now accepting applications. Its 13th cohort runs from Aug. 24, 2023, to Dec., 14 2023. Applications are accepted through Aug. 14, 2023, at scaleupkc.com. “For nearly a decade, ScaleUP! Kansas City has helped KC...

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Fahteema Parrish of Parish and Sons Construction

See Which Kansas City Small Business Owner Won the 2023 Mr. K Award

Kansas City-based Parrish & Sons Construction has been crowned the Mr. K Award winner for 2023. As part of its annual small business awards program, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce honored the company with the award during a luncheon June 14. Founded in 2015 by Fahteema Parrish, Parrish & Sons...

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Kansas City, Missouri, at night

How KCSourceLink and Its Resource Partners Are Moving the Needle on Economic Development

Economic development is a vital ingredient to move every community and region forward, and often the catalyst to spark economic growth comes from institutions within the community, like universities. The Economic Development Administration’s University Center program enables organizations within universities, like the University of Missouri - Kansas City Innovation Center, to...

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