Blog

By Jamie Hofling | October 20, 2014 --- As I become more familiar with E-Community leadership teams, I’m recognizing the importance of certain elements of the team that help them be proactive in their approach to building an entrepreneurial culture. It can’t be overlooked that the leadership team and others involved in building the culture are primarily made up of volunteers therefore it is crucial that the right people be on the team and that there be a common thread, a shared purpose among members.

By Lois Kirkpatrick | July 3, 2014 --- As an entrepreneur, you're excited about the product or service you've created. You're thrilled to have a growing number of customers. Money is coming in, but you haven't put a system in place to formally track who owes you how much, and by when.

By Sarah Mote | May 1, 2014 --- I’ve invested in a lot of Kansas City-based early-stage ventures. One of the first companies I invested in raised a quarter of a million dollars to take advantage of a purchase order that would ultimately make them millionaires over the course of five years. Without getting into intricacies of the business, the product they were selling was marketed to youth soccer players. We spent months coming up with ideas, whiteboarding strategies and building a roadmap.

By Erik Pedersen | Apr 23, 2014 --- I crossed through about 3 different weather patterns as I drove from Wichita to Goodland on April 13th, each pattern getting colder, windier, and snowier; and I complained (to myself and the windshield) all the way. I had been invited to participate in a meeting with some passionate Goodland community leaders addressing the issue of business transition. As the snow pelted my windshield, it was easy to wish I were warm at home instead, but once I arrived, I was glad I had braved the snowy drive to join this courageous and forward-thinking group.

By Kristine Dickson | Mar 13, 2014 --- I am definitely not an extreme Mardi Gras go’er. I do enjoy attending one or two parades during the Mardi Gras season, but I am the type that if the weather looks like it won’t be sun-filled and warm, you’re more likely to find me at home catching up on work and relaxing, which is how I'm celebrating this Fat Tuesday. This puts me in the lightweight division as Mardi Gras followers are concerned.

By Sarah Mote | Mar 06, 2014 --- A plan in your head is good. A plan on paper is even better. Writing a business plan doesn't have to be intimidating or complicated.

By Lois Kirkpatrick | Jan 28, 2014 --- Despite budget cutbacks and sequestration, the federal government awarded $83 billion in contracts to small businesses last year, and plans to spend about the same amount in 2014. One way to gain access to federal contracts is to participate in a federal Mentor-Protégé Program.

If you haven’t read E-Myth by Michael Gerber, it’s worth picking up. The main idea is that many startups are very technically oriented in their business- whether that be cake baking or software development- but they are not so skilled on the other end of spectrum, entrepreneurship and management.

The SBA offers a really nifty tool to benchmark your business against others in your area, identify competitors and plan your advertising. SizeUp can also help you map customers and suppliers.

Whether you own a small business, manage a large one, or even just work in a setting with two other employees, chances are you are going to run into conflict in the workplace. Others may be depending on you to help solve the problem.