Tag: UMKC Student Venture Series

Why executing even the greatest startup idea first requires sales (and beyond-superficial curiosity)

By Tommy Felts / April 22, 2025

That sexy pitch alone might not get your startup its first customer, said Lee Walter, noting that lasting success relies heavily on jumping outside the vaunted “ideation” phase to truly question a venture’s value. Walter’s revelation — born from a sales career that stretched from selling school lockers and coffee beans to commercial espresso machines…

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How a toy car can recapture a moment (and put a little cash in this student’s pocket)

By Tommy Felts / March 14, 2025

Collecting toys is in Andrew Bates’ blood, the UMKC senior said — and now it’s in his wallet. A supply chain management student at the university, Bates was exposed to the hunt for nostalgia early, he said; his father was snagging Hot Wheels for him before Bates was born. “I was (slow) to embrace it,” the…

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‘People pay for value’: How a young mom’s plan to hold passion tight drives her baby apparel side hustle

By Tommy Felts / February 11, 2025

Coming from a family of business owners, Riley Rhoads knew she wanted to pursue entrepreneurship: starting her own business — but with a goal to help others, the founder of Hold Tight Baby said. “When I hear people talk about, ‘Oh, I want to be an entrepreneur; I want to start and own my own…

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