LHS held another Professions Connection roundtable on February 17 in the LMC, this time featuring a panel of highly successful business owners ready to share their advice to future entrepreneurs. Students from Sports Marketing and Entrepreneurship classes attended the roundtable, including a lineup of businesses, Niles Media Group, Morning Day Café, Hostel KC, Social Change Nation, My Main Street Shop, Starrek and the Roastarie.
“We’re very fortunate to live where we do. Kansas City is a great place to live for entrepreneurship,” Guidance Counselor Kathy Alagna said, “It’s cool to see how it has evolved into what it is today.”
After introductions, students gathered around a speaker, ready to listen to professional’s advice on the world of an entrepreneur.

Morning Day Cafe
Morning Day Café is only in its seventh month of business, but owner Miranda Barchers is optimistic about the local café. Morning Day, located on Franklin St. on the Square, is an equal opportunity business that houses local and organic food labels.
“Everything we do is right in front of your eyes,” Barchers says, “that’s something that I want to keep when we begin to expand. As an entrepreneur, you are constantly finding ways to innovate, grow, and change in the eye of the consumer.”
The café features one artist every month, filling the walls with artwork that is available for purchase.
“All 100% of our tips go to charity. If we’re going to be the change, then we have to vote with our dollars,” Barcher said, “That’s definitely something I fight for.”

Social Change Nation
Josh Schulkman of Social Change Nation makes it his goal to help out cause-based entrepreneurs.
After introducing himself, Schulkman asked students if they have ever heard of social entrepreneurship. After silence, he began his explanation.
“Yes we’re entrepreneurs, we’ve got business smarts, but that’s not what fundamentally drives us,” Schulkman states, “we got into this business because we have a social cause that we care deeply about – one that burns so fully inside us that it was impossible for us to ignore.”
Besides his website, socialchangenation.com, Schulkman also hosts an online radio show and makes interview podcasts with caused-based companies. He hopes these interviews serve as a helpful aid for other cause-based entrepreneurs, so they can get a glimpse at how other companies practice and succeed.
“Everything I do is online, I don’t have a physical product,” Schulkman said.

Hostel KC
Hostel KC is said to be the first of its kind in the area, and is something creator Brittain Kovac hopes will continue to grow and expand.
“At a normal hotel, you check in, go to your room and you’re cut off from everything and everyone. You go to the lobby, but you most likely don’t interact with anyone,” Kovac said “A hostel is a social hotel; you check in, meet your roommate from a different corner of the world and you explore with them. In the end, you’ve made friends with people you originally would have never met.”
On top of housing people from all over the world, Hostel KC also serves another purpose; for every 300 beds booked, they build a home for a family in need in the Caribbean.
Opening in October of 2014, their loft in downtown Kansas City has already had 67 beds booked, and is on a steady path to their goal.

Niles Media Group
Niles Media Group is familiar to students on the LHS Broadcasting crew. The company is based right here in the Metro.
Niles Media Group has gone coast to coast doing television productions and focuses on sports production and a media business.
“We put our own money together to start this business,” co-creator John Sprugel said “we like to say we’re only as good as our last day, as our last production. We don’t call ourselves successful because that could all change. It’s sort of like a House of Cards, everything can topple down in a second.”
Niles is partnered with UMKC, NFL Network, Kansas State University, Fox Sports, ESPNU, and many more.
Sprugel shared his advice on entrepreneurship with students, sharing his thoughts on the business world.
“Everything you see out in the world was an idea at one point. Just have confidence in yourself. Each one of you is unique and has a great set of skills. Go out and conquer, just be fearless and do it,” he said.
My Main Street Shop
Chris Ihle went through a pivotal moment, one that changed his life and lead to the creation of his business, My Main Street Shop. My Main Street Shop is a way to take a business to the people, a portable shop that can pop up anywhere.
While on his way home from his job at Wells Fargo in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, Ihle noticed an elderly couple in their car, trapped on train tracks. As the train approached, Ihle pushed the car off the tracks, missing the train by inches. After that event, President Obama issued him a Medal of Honor, and Ihle received a check from a company for a reward.
After taking a trip to India, and being featured in Men’s Health Magazine, Ihle decided to use the money to create his own business.
“I spent a lot of time teaching myself. There’s this thing called the Internet, and apparently you can figure stuff out on it,” Ihle said.
Ihle, who previously worked a nine to five job at Wells Fargo, admitted his mind used to be on the money. He shared advice jokingly with the students. “Enjoy being poor, enjoy being young and dumb,” Ihle said “Find something that you love to do. Take a chance and let your creative side out.”

Starrtek
Starrtek is a web application development program created by Mary Moeller.
“Our goal, first and foremost, is to provide you the answers you need to have a successful website and web supported business,” Moeller’s website states.
Moeller, who has written multiple books and traveled the US speaking, admits business has always been on her mind.
“I started my first business when I was 16 years old,” Moeller said, “I’m the most entrepreneur-y person I know.”
Including Starrtek, Moeller has created Starrtek Express, a company that provides quality, cheap website designs for businesses.
Moeller’s advice to students is to find something that you enjoy doing. “Figure out what you loved doing as a kid because it’s probably what you’re going to still love doing when you grow up.”

The Roasterie
A company that is familiar to LHS students is the Roasterie, a company that travels the world in search of the world’s best coffee.
The Roasterie website states, “Coffee isn’t just a beverage — it defines who we are and how we live. And for us, that means living life to the fullest and savoring every second.”
Creator Danny O’Neill is very passionate about his business.
“Some people say, ‘Oh, I just drink coffee because it is caffeine,’” O’Neill said, “But I don’t have those kind of people in my life. I’m surrounded by people that love coffee as much as I do.”
When senior Zack McCubbin asked his advice is for a successful business, O’Neill shares what is, in his opinion, the most important attribute.
“Curiosity is probably the single most important thing in business,” O’Neill said, “Many mindless clerks repeat all this information: coffee is bad for you, tea has antioxidants and coffee has none. But scientists are starting to figure out that it is the opposite. Don’t be a mindless clerk, be curious,” he said.
The Roasterie coffee is sold at The Nest, and will be featured in the new Nest, currently being built in the Library.