Learn how local entrepreneurs have turned their love of barbecue into full-fledged companies. Every fall, hundreds of competitors crowd into Kansas City’s West Bottoms for the annual American Royal Barbecue—the World Series of Barbecue. Most of them are perfectly content to pursue their love of ’cue strictly as a hobby. But if someone has a hobby they love and they’re good at it, it’s probably inevitable that at some point…
LeAnn Carlson and Lauren’s Hope make medical IDs that keep people safe—and look amazing, too.It all started in 2001 with 13-year-old Lauren Philips, a fashionista with Type 1 Diabetes who wouldn’t wear her unattractive medical ID bracelet. “My family had just moved to Kansas City, and the last thing I wanted was to draw attention to my diabetes,” remembers Philips, now 25 years old and a successful cosmetologist in Dallas….
How one of KC’s most prolific entrepreneurs continues to find great business opportunities. ENTREPRENEUR Benny Lee COMPANY INFORMATION DuraComm Corp. 6655 Troost Ave. Kansas City, MO 64131 (816) 472-5544 www.duracomm.com TYPE OF BUSINESS Manufacturer of switch mode power supplies, solar panels and custom LED lighting solutions YEAR FOUNDED 1993 EMPLOYEES 23 KEYS TO SUCCESS “You will never know everything, so don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Keep asking…
Jeanette Prenger and her team excel at finding the right people for the right job. Entrepreneur Jeanette Hernandez Prenger Company Information ECCO Select 1301 Oak St., Ste. 400 Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 960-3800 www.eccoselect.com 1750 Tysons Boulevard, Ste. 1500 McLean, VA 22102 Type of Business Consulting services Year Founded 1995 Employees 33, plus more than 200 consultants nationwide Keys to success “Learn from your mistakes, hire people smarter than yourself and make…
LillyBit makes stylish, functional bags for mothers with young children. Entrepreneurs Lyssa Surface, Jessica Schifman Company Information LillyBit www.lillybit.com Type of Business Designer diaper clutches and on-the-go accessories Year Founded 2008 When she had her first child, Lyssa Surface found herself with a problem common to many young mothers: regular purses aren’t really built to hold baby-related gear, and she didn’t want to constantly haul around an enormous diaper bag either. Nobody was…