Spark helps people learn how to start a business in Manhattan, Kansas
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For Amy Shaneyfelt, starting her own business was almost inevitable. As the daughter and granddaughter of entrepreneurs in a small town, her experience in business began as early as she can remember. “Growing up in a small Midwestern town, I was shaped by my lifelong involvement in my parents’ businesses,” Amy reflects.
Her family businesses were more than a source of income; they played integral roles in her community, shaping her views of entrepreneurship,, and specifically, marketing. “With multiple generations of my family preceding me as small business owners, I bring a different perspective honed through first-hand experience of watching my parents and grandparents build businesses that became central to my hometown,” Amy explains. “This perspective has been foundational in my career so it’s no surprise that I find myself drawn to working with start-ups,” Amy adds. Read Amy’s entrepreneur story here.
Natalie Barlett, the visionary behind the unique business, Gifts by Natalie and a graduate of the Flint Hills Business Launch cohort in Spring 2023, embarked on her entrepreneurial journey fueled by a passion for gifting and a natural talent for curating the ideal present. “I’ve always loved gifting. And I love finding the perfect thing. That’s such a great feeling for me, when I’m like, ‘I nailed it,’” she shares, reflecting on her path to entrepreneurship.
Her return to Manhattan one year ago from Pennsylvania, where she and her husband taught for 15 years, marked a pivotal transition that momentarily stalled her business growth. However, her commitment to make new connections and establish herself in the community became the catalyst for the resurgence of her business. “It was a slow-growing process, and then I felt like the move froze the growth for a minute. And now, a year and a half later, we’re growing a business,” Natalie states, symbolizing her business’s resilience.
MANHATTAN, KS – In a collaborative effort aimed at nurturing local entrepreneurship, $350,000 in new capital is now at the fingertips of area entrepreneurs for the upcoming year. This financial boost comes through the launch of two entrepreneurial funding programs—the Elevate Micro-Loan Program and the NetWork Kansas Empower Fund. A consortium of key entrepreneurial ecosystem partners, including the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, Spark, Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills, K-State Innovation Partners, the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, and NetWork Kansas, have joined forces to make this initiative a reality.
To complement these new initiatives, the Manhattan region also benefits from existing NetWork Kansas E-Community and GrowKS loan programs, ensuring a comprehensive suite of resources for local businesses. Interested entrepreneurs can find detailed information and check eligibility on the Spark website at funding.sparkmhk.com, where an online Inquiry Form is available to start the process.
During #NationalVeteransMonth, we feature stories and interviews with Veteran entrepreneurs from across the Greater Manhattan and Flint Hills region. The following interview features Shawnette and Darryl Williams, Army Veterans and owners of Positively Soap and Candle Co., located in Manhattan. Customers can locate their safe, premium and ethnical products on their website, and at a number of retail locations throughout the Flint Hills. Read their Veteran entrepreneur story here.
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Flint Hills Business Launch proudly presents the Fall 2023 class of current and future entrepreneurs who have successfully completed Spark’s core business fundamental class, a 9-week program. The graduation ceremony and pitch competition, featuring 15 participating entrepreneurs and 12 businesses, took place Thursday, November 9, 2023, at the Union Pacific Depot in downtown Manhattan.
This season’s cohort was comprised of entrepreneurs from across Pottawatomie, Riley, and Geary counties in Kansas, who engaged in the twice-annual, virtual class designed for entrepreneurs who are pre-launch through the first three years of operations. The class was facilitated by serial entrepreneur, owner of MHK Caravan Co and K-State Entrepreneurship Instructor, Tara Geiber.
Since starting her pie business in 2019, entrepreneur and self-labeled “pie lady”, Tiffany Oppelt has made significant strides in her entrepreneurial journey with the growth of her business, TheraPie, with a recent opening of a retail location in downtown Manhattan. The storefront is an addition to the two other collaborative retail locations in which her pies are sold: Brothers Coffee and Galaxy Girl Coffee, located at Manhattan Town Center mall.
For the past three years, TheraPie gained rapid traction in the Manhattan community, becoming a unique, local favorite for desserts. “We were to the point where people were Googling ‘best dessert in Manhattan’ and our home bakery address would show up. They would knock on the door and be very confused since it was our home.” says Tiffany.
Flint Hills Business Launch, an 8-week immersive course designed for entrepreneurs in their first three years of operations, kicked off this March with 15 participating businesses from Pottawatomie, Riley and Geary counties in Kansas. The course curriculum is built on the nationally-recognized, Kauffman FastTrac, with additional support for participating business owners in the form of small group discussions, expert Q&A, mentor matching and additional visibility and preparation for capital for their business during and after the course.
In this series, get to know the participating entrepreneurs committing to start and grow their businesses on strong foundations in the Spring 2023 Flint Hills Business Launch course.
To meet the critical need for business education and enhance the long-term success of emerging businesses in the Greater Manhattan region, Spark, a Manhattan, Kansas-based entrepreneur support organization, will host its fifth entrepreneur education cohort starting March 2023. The course, titled Flint Hills Business Launch, is an 8-week, immersive experience designed to provide foundational business education to entrepreneurs who are pre-launch through the first three years of operations.
The online course is hosted for two hours, one week night a week for eight weeks, and includes Q&A with regional service providers, small group breakout discussion and teaching on business fundamentals, as well as in person events, mentorship and peer support. Class size is kept small to optimize engagement and facilitator to student ratios.
Kaisha has always wanted to help people feel better, and her newfound career in massage was fulfilling that dream. She saw the opportunity in this field and the need in her community, so she took a risk and in 2008, Lotus Healthworks was born. However, she wanted to help people beyond massage. “Through my work as a massage therapist, I realized that I wanted to go deeper with people. My business is called Lotus Healthworks, and the reason that I used the word “Healthworks”, rather than Lotus Massage, was because I knew I wanted to offer more,” says Kaisha.
Keeping spaces organized came naturally to Caryn Weber, owner of Organized Chaos, but it wasn’t until friends and family asked for her organizing services that she realized she had a genuine business opportunity sharing her gift for creating clutter-free environments with others. Caryn’s non-judgmental approach allows her clients to relax and get comfortable with the process, which is rooted in Caryn’s ability to embrace “the mess” rather than getting overwhelmed by it.
As part of our #ShopSmall series in December, get to know Manhattan-based owner of Organized Chaos, Caryn Weber, learn how she got started in her business and hear discover her unique process for taking her clients from overwhelmed to peaceful in their homes and offices.
Just over 20 years ago, Kamala “Khae” Collins discovered her unique path to entrepreneurship as she looked for ways to “make people feel good” beyond her work as a nurse. She discovered her love of long-lasting candles was an experience many of her friends and family shared with her, and a business was born: Pampered Senses Candles.
With over two decades of entrepreneurship experience, Khae has been able to develop multiple avenues for reaching new customers, including a Farmer’s Market stand, e-commerce purchasing on her website, and in the last year, her products were added to shelves at Hy-Vee in Manhattan. A member of the Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint HIlls, Khae has a number of supportive connections in the community that have helped her get established and grow. Khae also involves her son in her business, and he can often be found at some of her vendor set-ups at the Farmer’s Market.
Starting a business was a longtime dream for Tonya Winston, owner of clothing retailer, B.Royal Boutique. When Tonya moved to Chicago to begin a career working for a city bank, she and her best friend often took shopping trips to trendy yet affordable boutiques on the north side of Chicago. Tonya was always on a mission to find unique pieces of clothing in order to create a style different from her peers. “It was so neat because I could find unique pieces that not everybody was wearing,” says Tonya of her shopping excursions.
Around that same time, Tonya started doing personal shopping and styling for some of her friends. However, she noticed a disturbing trend in many of the stores. “I wouldn’t be able to shop for [my friends] at these cute boutiques because they weren’t offering the sizes that would accommodate the average-sized women, which is an average size of 12.” She also noticed a similar trend in media, advertising and television, that most brands were not inclusive in their sizes. Tonya wanted to do something to address this gap in the clothing market, sparking a new business idea. “I was beginning to think, ‘Oh, how cool would it be to have my own store, and to be able to curate the goods and have them be inclusive’,” says Tonya.
Long-time Manhattan residents and serial entrepreneurs, Rachel and Ben Motley, have spent over a decade creating welcoming and relaxed environments for Manhattan area residents. This year, the two food, drink and experience connoisseurs took on a new challenge when they reopened the restaurant space in the lower level of the Wareham apartments, formerly Harry’s until 2020, along with a beloved deli which closed years earlier.
They first opened Arrow Cocktail Lounge earlier this spring, reinvigorating the restaurant space with a midcentury modern theme while keeping much of the bones and architecture. Their latest project, Arrow Cafe and Bodega, opened this fall, serving as a restaurant and micro-grocer. The couple share what makes this playful Bodega special, and why it stands out among other shops and eateries downtown.
One of Kasey’s most meaningful partnerships to date is with Pacheco Beef, another local women-owned business and small cattle ranch operated by Wrenn Pacheco. “To me, coming from an agricultural background, meals are the most important part of the day. Bringing food in allows families to play, eat and gather. The connection opportunity, especially for children, allows families to put the screens away and connect with each other.” She adds, “With our partnership with Pacheco Beef, we are offering their grazing cups and boxes, featuring Pacheco sausage and Alma cheese. We are trying to keep it local and look for ways to support the community and other business owners.”
