Joseph Pippins grew up in Kansas City, Kan. A restless kid, he spent many afternoons grounded and confined to his bedroom, unable to get his hands on essential childhood goodies. That is, until he started selling toys out of his window, creating a marketplace and filling his coffers with baseball cards, ice cream, video games and an entrepreneurial spirit to boot.(more…)
In films like “The Matrix” and “Blade Runner,” disruptive technology takes the form of rogue androids longing to be human or suffering from a Big Data glitch in their algorithms. Technology may not be as life-threatening as Hollywood portrays, but innovation is often disruptive. Consider the impact of email on direct mail marketers or of the internet on travel agents. What emerges is a cautionary tale that technology breakthroughs can be hazardous to your business.(more…)
Change is embedded in the DNA of Kansas City. Throughout the years, Kansas City has embraced various identities, including as a frontier trail town offering a gateway to the West, a Cowtown with bustling stockyards, the hotbed of jazz and, of course, the birthplace of the world’s best barbecue.(more…)
Kansas City has gained a reputation for entrepreneurship, but could it also become a Midwest hub to link aspiring business owners and investors seeking projects to fund?(more…)
Katie Petty turned to science for an easy way to keep her dog Sadie’s dirty tracks off the floors. Her invention ended up launching a business she is still running 14 years later.(more…)
Kansas City’s lack of a large body of water hasn’t stopped Brendan O’Shaughnessy from launching Ocean & Sea, a nautical clothing company with what he calls a “mid-coast twist.”(more…)