News

Sara Kharatyan, Crown & Heart

Art teacher-turned-maker: You don’t need to be in a museum to be a ‘real artist’ (or full-time to be an entrepreneur)

By Tommy Felts / July 1, 2020

Amid the hustle and bustle of raising a young family and teaching elementary school art, Sara Kharatyan sneaks away to her kiln.  It’s her quiet place; a spot just for her, tucked away in her Parkville home. And what started as a hobby is now padding her family’s bank account in unexpected ways.  “The business…

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Crossroads Community Kitchen; photo courtesy of The Rieger

Chef Collective KC cooks up plan for long-term sustainability as pandemic, hunger persist

By Tommy Felts / June 30, 2020

The global pandemic didn’t create Kansas City’s food insecurity challenges, said Jon Taylor, but COVID-19’s impact did expose how quickly the line can be blurred or even erased for those looking for their next meal. “There are a substantial number of people who [because they lost their jobs] went from having what they viewed as…

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Potential innovation district site, Go Topeka

Developers plotting innovation district sites in state capital as Go Topeka creates animal health, ag hub

By Tommy Felts / June 29, 2020

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. TOPEKA…

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Photo courtesy of Venture Legal

Pivoting to freelance: Create a brand that speaks for you when you’re not in the room

By Tommy Felts / June 29, 2020

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column — originally published by Venture Legal and part of a limited series on freelance entrepreneurism — is intended to be general in detail and does…

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Stone Cole, Jasmine Baudler, Amber Baudler, and Cassie Florido, Stellar Image Studios

Double exposure: How quick action streamed a stellar survival story for sister-led film studio

By Tommy Felts / June 26, 2020

When Kansas City’s event scene went dark in the early days of the pandemic, Stellar Image Studios seized a lights-camera-action opportunity to add new value to a suddenly virtual world, said Jasmine Baudler.  “I encourage people not to cancel their virtual events or their fundraisers or galas because — even though it’s hard — it’s…

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