Bondfire Strategy is closing in on its first anniversary in business, but Jordan Walker is already making an impact in the local marketing scene. She shares with Don and Ebony how she builds relationships with her clients to deliver them great results. On this episode we discuss:

• Taking the clutter out of marketing
• Having a focus on people and relationships to build connections
• Not being afraid to ask for help
• The network connections the Chamber provides
• Connecting with and supporting in-house marketing teams
• Choosing Wichita

Learn more about Bondfire Strategy:

https://bondfirestrategy.com/

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Bondfire Strategy exists to take the clutter out of marketing, ignite inspiration and humanize results.

Through our partnership, businesses will see results through connecting with their customer and empowering their team to feel capable, confident and ready to grow the business.

Jordan Walker is the owner of Bondfire Strategy, a firm dedicated to helping companies plan, measure and optimize marketing efforts to yield greater results and form deeper connections with customers.

As a connector, Jordan loves meeting new people, building relationships, and is energized by engaging with her community where she champions local startup efforts with Wichita Startup Week and serves as the 2022 Vice Chair of W Young Professionals Impact Team.

When she's not at her desk, you'll often find Jordan tilling up dirt in the garden, hitting the road to one of our many state and national parks, or reading a book on the patio at one of our fine local establishments.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net

What happens when your business finances are in disorder, the IRS is coming after you and a negative article just came out in the press. Many would fold in that situation, but Mary Kate Denton regrouped with her team and shares with Don and Ebony how that forged a culture of thriving at Mary Kate and Company. On this episode we discuss:

• Her sister, “Company”
• Having a different kind of salon
• Never having to recruit new hires
• Forging ahead through financial headwinds
• Dealing with painful lessons in business
• Culture created through the refining process
• Being a “giving” company
• Having the “Norm” factor
• Stepping away from the day-to-day to lead the business
• Structuring the business so that one person’s success is everyone’s success

Learn more about Mary Kate and Company:

https://www.marykateandco.com/

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I’ve been blessed with a long, fulfilling career in the beauty industry.I remember knowing from a very young age that I was interested in hair and beauty. I love looking back at all I’ve learned and how much I’ve grown through it. My passion for learning and growing personally and professionally drives me to always reach for more. That led me to go big with my sister, Becky, and Mary Kate and Company was born. She had all the talents, qualities, education and experience that complimented mine. Together we make an awesome partnership. We started our company in December of 2006. I have transitioned into a new phase of business ownership serving behind the scenes. big picture visioneering, coaching and leadership along with making connections in our community and industry.

My life experiences have given me a unique perspective as a leader. I’ve picked myself up and dusted myself off numerous times. It’s funny how you grow more from adversity than you do from anything else. Because of that, I always coach everyone to embrace and even celebrate difficult experiences, negative reviews and embarrassing moments as the building blocks of character, strength and resilience. I am passionate about personal growth.

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net

Justin Eklund has one primary goal with Grove9: to help businesses and organizations focus more on the mission and good they provide our communities. He shares with Don and Ebony his journey through ministry and how it eventually led him to take a new approach in a profit driven world. On this episode we discuss:

• Valuing mission over profit
• From ministry to the marketplace
• Helping organizations tell stories that really matter
• Standing out from the crowd in an ad-saturated world
• Focusing on the one thing you can be known for to clarify your brand
• Defining success through your clients success
• Supporting mission driven organizations here at home
• Valuing internship opportunities to grow new talent in Wichita

Learn more about Grove9:

https://grove9.com/

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Justin Eklund is the founder and Chief Brand Strategist at Grove9. He brings over two decades of experience in marketing and advertising, both on the agency and nonprofit side. An equal blend of left and right-brained thinking, Justin loves strategy and planning brought to life by creativity and compelling storytelling. He’s passionate about helping Grove9’s amazing clients clarify their brands and grow their revenue to make a greater impact in this world.

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net

Josh Oeding and Mary Beth Jarvis aspire to grow the Wichita business scene through NXTUS by capturing the rapid change created by new startups. They share how all of us can be involved in supporting startup growth with Don and Ebony. On this episode we discuss:

• Josh’s transition from Koch to NXTUS
• Establishing the entrepreneurial mojo of Wichita
• Helping any business leader that walks through the door
• Taking inspiration from the local craft brewery scene
• How NXTSTAGE is Shark Tank without the makeup and cameras
• Wichita Startup Week
• How we can all be involved with local business startups

Learn more about NXTUS:

https://www.nxtus.io/

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At NXTUS, Inc, is a catalyst for the region’s startup ecosystem. At their essence, they serve as a nexus for entrepreneurs, investors, corporate partners, and the community at-large.

Their primary aim is to achieve the ‘next us’ by growing startups, strengthening innovation culture and building support systems.

Based out of Wichita, they collaborate with other entrepreneur support organizations, government agencies, economic development groups, corporate innovators, and, most of all, founders and investors to positively impact and advance the economy, culture and vitality in our Midwest region.

NXTUS currently manages Accelerate Venture Partners, a fast-growing regional Angel investor syndicate, the NXTSTAGE Pilot Competitions, aimed at connecting startups to mature businesses and regional partners looking to become customers for their technologies, and NXTCONNECT and AVP Insights, free monthly education series presenting wisdom and resources for our entrepreneurs and investors.

In 2014, a group of experienced entrepreneurs came together with a vision to reinvigorate the entrepreneurial spirit of Wichita. Thus, an organization then called e2e was launched in 2016, with the support of many passionate individuals and corporate sponsors. Here are some history and program highlights:

An initial e2e Accelerator class, launched in 2016 was made up of Appointment Launch, Buddy Brands, Knoxx / Alyss Analytics, KingFit, Reverie Roasters, and Tru-Building.

LaunchPrep, launched in the Spring of 2017 as a partnership between the Wichita State University Center for Entrepreneurship and NXTUS, is a 90-day mentor driven accelerator program for early stage entrepreneurs.

In 2018, Accelerate Venture Partners was formed to broaden the base of angel-stage capital investment in the region. By the end of 2019, AVP had become one of the fastest-growing angel syndicates in the U.S.

In January 2020, e2e became NXTUS, continuing its vital work to support founders and their young, growing companies. NXTUS launched the NXTSTAGE Pilot Competition, and a new era of community-wide innovation began.

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net

Half of the guests on the podcast have mentioned her and now we get to hear directly from the legend, Christina Long. Don and Ebony explore with her how CML Collective and the Create Campaign have lifted other minority-owned businesses in the community. On this episode we discuss:

• Starting out in journalism through the Wichita Eagle, covering the ethnic and minority communities
• Small beginnings with a t-shirt company and evolving
• Becoming a creator and not just a consumer
• A time of homecoming
• The critical need to create a flow of capital and mentoring for minority-owned businesses
• The risk of missing the opportunity we currently have
• “I am because we are”
• Having birthday resolutions
• A rising tide lifts all boats
• What she learned from a red rubber ball

Learn more about CML Collective:

https://www.cmlcollective.com/

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Proudly located in the heart of Wichita, Kansas in the e2e Incubator/Accelerator, CML Collective is an award-winning company that takes projects from conceptualization to completion at highly-competitive rates. Their company executes using a streamlined service delivery model that keeps us nimble, responsive and able to provide excellent services at maximum value for their clients. They also prioritize maintaining a supply chain, vendor base and partner network that is nearly 100 percent Wichita-based.

Christina Long is an entrepreneur and community-builder who is passionate about diversity, inclusion and economic development through entrepreneurship. Long is a native of Wichita, Kansas; Wichita State University graduate and owner of CML Collective, LLC, an inclusive communication and design firm. She is also the Founding President/CEO of Create Campaign, Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit she established to help urban entrepreneurs in Kansas to launch, innovate and grow.

Long leads the Wichita Urban E-Community, has served on the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and is an author of her debut book, “For the Greater Success.” Her numerous honors include being named among 50 Kansans Who You Should Know by Ingram’s Magazine; earning the Chamber’s Exceptional Young Leader Award; receiving a Wichita Business Journal Leaders in Diversity Award and being named the Kansas Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development. Long is married to Jonathan and the couple has three brilliant children, Amarah, Malcolm and Jordyn.

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net

A desire to be an entrepreneur took this air traffic controller into the world of bartending. Hear how Pat Pelkowski moved from side gig work to creating a thriving business with a unique position in the market. On this episode we discuss:

• An Air Force and Air Traffic Controller background brought Pat to Wichita
• Getting a degree in entrepreneurship and looking for that opportunity
• Bartending as a side gig
• Creating a business from the ground up, business plans, market studies and more
• Worrying more about creating good events than profit
• Receiving the Small Business Award from the Chamber
• Getting a new building to increase capacity and support growth
• Adding bar trucks (Tipsy Turtle and Mobiletini)
• The importance of being involved in the Chamber of Commerce
• Giving back to the community and the military at McConnell

Learn more about the Shaken or Stirred Bartending:

https://shakenorstirredbartending.com/

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Our local mobile bartending services came into existence with a simple love for entertainment and desire to explore entrepreneurship. Mix those together with my bartending background and a business is born!

At each party I have hosted, it seems that I have spent a majority of the time behind the bar stirring up a new cocktail creation. All the smiles made it worth all the shaking and stirring! I was an air traffic controller by day and a home bartender by night. I loved connecting with my guests in the comfort of my own home and realized the need for professional bartenders.

When a friend had a request for bartending services and brought this business idea to the forefront, I knew this could be a great opportunity! I had the entrepreneur knowledge and counsel to start what I thought would be a small retirement hobby- but I am pleased to say the growth has been exponential!

Shaken or Stirred Bartending has been in business since 2015 and we anticipate no end to our evolution as the premier mobile bartending service of Wichita and surrounding communities!

As we grow, we continue to train a professional staff of bartenders and bring forth more amazing experiences. We’ll work with your vision for any event to ensure you and your guests have a memorable experience!

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net

Andrea Hattan had an idea, a vision, for women to have their own place to collaborate and encourage one another on their entrepreneurial journeys. She talks with Don and Ebony how The Hive has created that safe space for women in the Wichita community. On this episode we discuss:

• Being a 5th generation entrepreneur
• All the coworking spaces seemed to be men in the tech industry
• Creating a “coffee shop” model that helps women have their own space to do business
• Collaborating toward a common goal while allowing members to have a safe space they can be vulnerable
• Creating a community from scratch while others watched and cheered her on
• Opening up in March of 2020
• How Wichita became cool before she came home
• Receiving the Exceptional Young Leader award from the Chamber
• Creating business courses to help women launch their own businesses
• Finding opportunities to get women paid for public speaking

Learn more about The Hive:

https://thehivewichita.com/

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Andrea Hattan is a fifth-generation entrepreneur and founder of The Hive, a membership community with its own coworking space in downtown Wichita, KS. Her mission is to empower women who run businesses to show up authentically by providing connections, support, and space to belong. Andrea is a regular speaker and panelist at events the caliber of TEDx. She's also an Innovation and Enterprise Award winner in the Startup category. Combining her background in education and marketing, Andrea built a trusted brand quickly and sustainably. She's passionate about modeling inclusive leadership, especially for her young daughter. When she is not helping start and grow businesses, Andrea enjoys discussing her latest hyperfixation over a cup of Earl Grey.

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net

When Brandon Gaide started the strategy and innovation firm Sevenfold, he found an unlikely partnership with construction firm Hutton. Brandon shares with Don and Ebony how that partnership has allowed the creation of something new to help businesses make work more human. On this episode we discuss:

• Helping organizations become more strategic
• Partnering with construction firm Hutton to build something new for businesses
• The meaning behind the Sevenfold name
• The marriage of strategy and innovation
• Launching change, not just talking about change
• How getting married relates to business strategy
• De-risking strategy
• Going beyond operational conversations to give leaders a place to belong
• Can Wichita handle new ideas?

Learn more about Sevenfold:

https://huttonbuilds.com/services/strategic-planning/

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A piece of paper can take flight when you fold it seven times, which takes both imagination and intention. Ben Hutton sees this as the perfect metaphor for the challenges many of our architecture and construction clients face at various times in their careers as leaders. They know they need to change and are looking for help to get there. So why not create a service to meet those clients’ needs? Enter Sevenfold, a Hutton Company.

Sevenfold is a strategy and innovation consultancy led by Brandon Gaide. He’s helping clients solve large-scale problems and design better futures by unlocking the genius and creativity in people. Sevenfold offers a fresh approach to strategic planning for companies and organizations of all sizes.

A former Presbyterian pastor, Brandon holds an MBA from Indiana University, an MDiv from Fuller Seminary, and a BA from the University of Texas. Brandon has lived in five foreign countries, learned and forgotten four languages, has two daughters, two Vizslas, and one wife. He lives in Wichita, Kansas.

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy. To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information visit ictpod.net