Freaked About Unemployment Fears? Start Your Entrepreneurship Path at GEWKC.
Worried about unemployment? Feel stuck in a tight job market? Don’t want to “hug” your job forever? Entrepreneurship offers a pathway to take control of your future. Global Entrepreneurship Week – KC's wealth of resources, workshops, and speakers can help you prepare and get started.
Times are freaky. Break the norms.
Let's be honest. Times are freaky and tough in the job market.
Slow Hiring - A low unemployment rate means the U.S. job market is tight. Lately, companies are slow and super selective with hiring in an uncertain economic climate.
Layoffs - Major employers in industries like tech, finance, retail, and media, not to mention government, continue to layoff and shed jobs like autumn leaves dropping from trees.
Competition - Unemployed workers with experience compete against recent graduates eager to start and build a career. Job huggers are clinging tight in the face of job-hunting competition. Fewer opportunities exist to advance and earn more.
Impersonal Search - Job hunters run into the hurdles of AI, algorithm-based screening tools, and automated hiring systems that make it hard to break through and interview.
Are you ready to be your own boss?
Entrepreneurship enables you to start your own business and control your path forward. GEWKC is your training camp, your much-needed support network, your access to inspiration and resources to finally get started and grow.
Pick your must-attend events from the GEWKC programming schedule.
Find out instead of freak out.
GEWKC is for people eager to start a business they can call their own. Register and attend more than 80 workshops, events, and presentations. Meet speakers and network with others who share similar dreams of owning and running a business. You’re not alone. Don’t freak out. Find your people, take proactive steps to transform your dream into a plan.
Navigation Station at GEWKC - Meet with Community Network Navigators from KCSourceLInk. Learn about 230+ nonprofit resources available to you and let Navigators help you find the right resources.
Get Inspired - Visit this year’s Maker Fair. Not only will you find cool locally made products, but you’ll also meet entrepreneurs who made the leap to start their own business. It’s a fun and low-key way to connect with the startup community, shop, and support small businesses.
GEWKC is also for people who already own and operate a business. Now you’re ready to grow. You need help with capital, strategy to make growth decisions, marketing, breaking into new markets, or other areas of need. We got you.
Level up. Find information, resources, and connections that can help you work smarter, manage risk and build your business. Network with fellow entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders. Build relationships that could lead to partnerships, collaborations and future opportunities.
Learn from experts like Jillian Wenburg of Crux and Clayton Funk, who present “From Zero to Branded: The Startup Launch Playbook.”
Thursday, November 20, 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM, Planetarium
This session is designed for entrepreneurs, innovators, and early-stage founders who are ready to move from idea to launch and want to get it right the first time. In this talk, M&A advisor Clayton Funk and CMO Jillian Wenburg will break down what it takes to successfully launch and brand a startup. Together, we'll walk through a real-life case study of building a company from scratch ”including research, logo development, core messaging, brand strategy, and launch tactics.
Already operating and ready to grow? For example, Jennifer Felten of Urban Prairie Consulting will present “From Hustle to Headaches: Why Growth Feels Harder Than Starting (and How to Fix It).”
Tuesday, November 18, 10:15 AM – 11:30 AM, Planetarium
Most entrepreneur stories celebrate the startup phase the idea, the hustle, the excitement. But growth? It's often messier and harder. As you add revenue, your old systems break, stress spikes, and profit can vanish. This session exposes the real reasons scaling feels harder than starting and what to do about it. We'll bust 5 big myths (and share 5 truths) and share real-world strategies to clean up the chaos, and give you practical tools to survive the messy middle with more clarity, profit, and calm.
Not sure how much to charge for your professional services? Shaila Ortega’s got you. Her presentation “How to Price Your Services and Build a Business That Scales” delivers information you can use now.
Thursday, November 20, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM, Chamber
The wrong pricing strategy can quietly stall your growth, drain your capacity, and leave revenue on the table. In this interactive workshop, you'll learn how to confidently set and raise your rates using a practical framework rooted in value, capacity, and business goals. We'll cover mindset shifts, simple pricing math, and offer positioning so your pricing supports the business you're building. You'll walk away with a clear next step tailored to your business stage, plus actionable pricing templates and reflection prompts to help you package your services, set aligned rates, and grow with profitability, confidence, and long-term sustainability.
Attend GEWKC and leave feeling inspired and equipped to tackle new challenges. You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Don’t let another year pass by without seizing this free opportunity. Don’t hold yourself back.
Learn from industry experts and take your entrepreneurial efforts to the next level.
Register for FREE today, and start adding sessions to your GEWKC schedule.