Minority-Led

Sleeping on the job: Why a power nap at work isn’t such a bad idea (and how to get away with it)

By Tommy Felts / April 3, 2023

Kharissa Parker is a news producer, writer, certified health coach, and columnist for Startland News. For more of her self-care tips on how to keep your cup full, visit kparker.co. If there’s anything to be said about Millennials and Gen Z, it’s that we’re changing the entire structure of what a 9-to-5 looks like. With…

16 small businesses in 60 seconds: Did you spot your favorite entrepreneur in the Royals’ new campaign?

By Tommy Felts / March 31, 2023

It’s a new season, but longtime connections fly deep into the outfield for the Kansas City Royals and a fandom that’s supported them for decades. Among those most impacted: entrepreneurs whose stories run along the same baseline as the championship-winning baseball club. “It might sound crazy, but I honestly credit a lot of our growth…

KC record label disrupts music industry with incubator studio concept that gives artists more freedom, ownership 

By Tommy Felts / March 31, 2023

Casio McCombs’ most creative ideas come to him during “dream hours” — late at night and early in the morning when a majority of people are asleep, he shared.  “That’s when all these new ideas for music and how to structure the label would really hit us,” said McCombs, who co-founded the Kansas City-based record…

It’s the ultimate stash: How an exclusive cannabis collaboration is bringing smokeware out of hiding

By Tommy Felts / March 30, 2023

Working with acclaimed fashion designer Whitney Manney is a bucket list collaboration, shared Wandering Bud founder Riley Brain. The handmade ceramic smokeware maker has teamed up with the KC-based fashion label WHITNEYMANNEY to create a limited edition collection of cannabis accessories and stash bags. “I’ve always just really admired Whitney’s work and aesthetic,” Brain said.…

Just funded: Four new Digital Sandbox KC companies scaling products beyond survival mode

By Tommy Felts / March 30, 2023

Freshly announced funding from Digital Sandbox KC is expected to help four Kansas City startups scale their innovations to market with additional access to investors, resources and a growing network of fellow entrepreneurs. Among the first-quarter Sandbox recipients, Basehor-based Mpruv Sports plans to use the new backing as it releases a series of peer-to-peer, on-demand,…