Looking to start a business in Wichita?
If only there was a crystal ball for what ends up being the key the success, or — perhaps more importantly — what ends up being a mistake.
These four business operators answer the question: What's one thing you wish you knew before starting a business?
Business Startup Guide: Insights to help entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground in 2024
Robert Feeney, president and chief vision officer at Knowledge as a Service
- What the business is: KaaS markets the Ringorang software and other solutions to turn learning into habits.
- When it launched: Knowledge as a Service formed around the Ringorang solution in 2019. Ringorang Worldwide, a holdings and development company for the Ringorang software, was founded in 2015. Feeney also founded Vergence Entertainment, a multimedia company that focused on media convergence on mobile and PC formats.
"The world’s best business idea is a waste of mental effort until it solves a customer’s problem in real life. (Actually someone DID tell me this but I didn’t listen.)"
Dan Barnard, CEO and president of B&B Airparts
- What the business is: B&B manufactures thousands of airplane parts for Honda Jet, Gulfstream, Textron Aviation and Spirit AeroSystems.
- When it launched: 1995
"The biggest thing we've learned, through Covid, is to be diversified in multiple programs and not to be heavily debt ridden."
Jennifer Ray, owner of The Monarch
- What the business is: A fixture of the Delano District, The Monarch is restaurant and bar open for lunch and late nights.
- When it launched: 2012
“I did not have a great accountant. In fact, I did not have an accountant, and no matter how good you are in your industry and no matter how much you know about your craft, adding having to pay taxes into how you manage your day-to-day life is so tricky. I thought they would send me bills for my taxes. I learned the hard way they do not, and my life has been so much better having a good accounting firm. That is a hard expense for people that are starting out in business to swallow, but it will pay back in dividends. It will also really ruin your life if you try to go up against the government.”
Carolina Freeman, Argentina's Empanadas
- What the business is: A food truck and catering business serving hand-made, savory Argentine empanadas.
- When it launched: Freeman started selling empanadas in 2020 after getting laid off during Covid and operated as a brick-and-mortar space inside The Anchor's Meat Market until earlier this year.
"I wish I knew that having your own business is a lifestyle, a journey, a mentality, a path where at the end of the day it is not just about money, it is about CREATING who you are every single day."
