Posts by Tommy Felts
Kritiq to KC fashion designers: Don’t wear a label — create your own (Photos)
As the Kritiq fashion show came to its booming, music-filled conclusion Sunday, the crowd, designers and models meshed into a sea of energy on the runway — fueled by the MADE MOBB and an interactive experience like no other in Kansas City, said Mark Launiu. “Street wear and hip hop — they just blend together.…
Read MoreEpic Aloha: KC startup opens interactive, photo-ready experience in Hawaii’s biggest hotel
Surrounded by lush Hawaiian scenery, Epic Aloha waves to vacationers with an unexpected ask: Trade the Waikiki sunshine for another kind of island escape. “It’s a really hard concept to talk about. It’s such a visual thing,” said Matt Baysinger, searching for words to describe the 6,000-square-foot Epic Aloha experience space. “Is it a selfie…
Read MoreOpening KC to black entrepreneurs begins with teaching startup lingo, tearing down walls
Most entrepreneurs operate within silos, said Adrienne Haynes, noting that black-run startups face particular — though not insurmountable — challenges becoming embedded in the Kansas City startup scene. Seemingly approachable community events and coworking spaces aren’t always as open as organizers think, added Quest Moffat, founder of Project United Knowledge, joining Haynes and Donald Hawkins,…
Read MoreFacing failure? Think about the bad ideas first
Entrepreneurs need to stop glamorizing the startup world, and recognize the inevitable burnout or failure involved, said Danielle Lehman. Lehman, founder of Kansas City-based consulting firm Boxer & Mutt, knows about failure, she told a crowd Friday at Global Entrepreneurship Week, noting a list of startups that she was involved in, including MySpace, that didn’t…
Read More‘Don’t shut yourself off’: Seniorpreneurs reveal power in age, experience, savings
Figure out what you love to do and monetize it, Ann O’Meara told a room of entrepreneurs looking for advice on starting their second act after retirement. Seniorpreneurs — entrepreneurs over the age of 50 — are working to turn their lifelong hobbies into cash flow, O’Meara, CEO of Fantastic 55, revealed during a Global…
Read More