Growing a small business in Kansas?

Are you growing a small business in Kansas?

You’re not alone.

Kansas has more than 56,000 businesses with less than 500 employees or $50 million in annual revenue. They are ‘small’ by U.S. SBA size standards, but we know they are a big deal to the people that own them, run them, and work in them every day.

Each year we work with approximately 2,500 small business owners. And while that might not put a dent in the total number of Kansas businesses, it does provide a big bump to our state and even Federal economy.

In 2016, the businesses we worked with had some amazing results.

They grew their businesses. And growing their businesses results in more tax revenue in the form of retail sales tax and personal income tax.

Our clients grew their sales by 30.9% year-over-year compared to all Kansas businesses that grew at a rate of 6.6%. If you’re a business owner, you know that’s a big gain.

Our clients kept employees in place and hired more. The jobs they were responsible for in 2016 generated $4,924,800 in individual income tax for the state of Kansas and another $52,909,741 in individual income tax revenue for the federal government in 2016. They kept us all afloat whether we knew it or not.

 

Recognizing our small businesses

Why are we making such a big deal out of Kansas small businesses? Because we know the people behind those dollars. We share their joy when they land a new sale. We share their frustration when things aren’t going just right. And we feel their relief when they secure capital to expand their businesses.

They are the unsung heroes of our story. So, even if for a day or two each year, we like to take just a few minutes to appreciate every single business owner and employee of every single small business in Kansas. We don’t think that’s too much to ask.

So, please join with us. As we talk about our small businesses, share their stories.

In March of 2018 we honored 17 businesses that had made a great impact on the lives of their owners, employees, and communities. We announced awardees the first week of March. We encourage you to read about them, learn about them, and do business with them. They are part of us. They are part of Kansas.

Shortly after we introduced this amazing group of Kansans, we joined with 62 SBDCs across the U.S. to celebrate #SBDCDay on March 21, 2018. America’s SBDCs did a great job focusing one day turning up the volume online and making the day all about small business.

 

Each time you are a customer of a small business let them know you are not alone.