entrepreneurship

After a high school teacher told Maci Shaw she would be the best entrepreneur, the 19-year-old listened. Now, she sells her thrifted finds on Depop, Poshmark, Instagram and at popup events around Kansas City.

Good Karma Coffee was designed to be a welcoming space centered on the community, not just another cafe, says owner Brian Roberts. The Tower East coffee and wine space celebrates one year in business in February.

Brodric Carson's catering company B-On-Meatz offers all the traditional foods: ribs, wings, brisket and greens. But the former comedian is also adding foods for people with other dietary needs, like salmon and vegan patties.

The Littlest Library, which opened on Independence Square last week, offers romance and fantasy genres and books in Spanish. It also features a hidden event space.

The Strips Chicken and Brewing location in Lenexa boasts a garden where the restaurant's founder grows heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, spinach, kale and more. He uses much of the produce in his menu.

The city will fund entrepreneurs, artists and leasing support for landlords who open pop-up shops in vacant buildings for the thousands of people who come to Kansas City for the World Cup next year. $10,000 grants will be available through the newly announced Open Doors! Program.

The KC Game Plan is designed specifically for business owners in such high-engagement industries as dining, lodging, retail and entertainment.

At Ding Dong Dogs just west of UMKC, you can get The Roo-Up Dog, a jumbo dog topped with pulled pork, pickled red onion, sport peppers and barbecue mustard. Or bite into The Big Salvy, the same jumbo wiener smothered with caramelized onion, giardiniera, tots and mustard.

Mike King calls himself a chocolate maker as one of those who starts with the raw beans to create his boutique chocolate bars. The bars are featured at his one-man operation — Encore Coffee and Chocolate in Grandview.

Wendell Hooks Jr., spent 10 years catering parties and tailgates with his brisket, pulled pork and wings. His new brick-and-mortar restaurant, Off the Hook BBQ, opened this month in Gladstone — and almost immediately sold out.

Fifteen-year-old Halley Vincent has owned Seven Stories, a bookstore in Shawnee, for almost two years. But after the building was sold to a new owner, Vincent is now trying to raise money to move.

When a fan greeted Alan Wayne "The Pradagy" with a personal twist on a Buddhist phrase, it helped him through a dark time and inspired a T-shirt line. Now Pradagy has a thriving business with his Lincoln College Preparatory Academy classmate Andrew Beck.