Grow Leavenworth County
Strategic Business Action Plan

1. Business Summary

Grow Leavenworth County (GLC) functions as a countywide economic development and entrepreneurship support organization, operating in partnership with Network Kansas, local banks, municipalities, and business-support entities. The board meeting focused on governance stabilization, execution of the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC), branding alignment, and development of new entrepreneurial engagement and incubation-style programming.

2. Needs & Pain Points

• Low student registration numbers for the upcoming Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.
• Unclear brand positioning and lack of a concise logo tagline explaining GLC’s purpose.
• Board composition misalignment with bylaw requirements across municipalities.
• Limited structured pipeline for early-stage entrepreneurs before formal business launch.
• Difficulty reaching potential entrepreneurs who are still in the idea or pre-launch phase.

3. Improvement Blueprint

• Stabilize board appointments and classifications to fully align with bylaws.
• Increase YEC participation through direct outreach to prior participants and school programs.
• Refine GLC brand identity with a clear tagline describing mission and services.
• Launch a multi-event entrepreneurial engagement series to create a pre-incubation pipeline.
• Coordinate more tightly with Main Street, SBDC, lenders, and marketing partners.

4. Actionable Roadmap

Immediate Fixes (0–7 Days)

• Confirm board member contact information and appointment classifications.
• Resend YEC invitations and VentureDash access to board members.
• Request last year’s YEC participant list from Network Kansas.

Short-Term (1–4 Weeks)

• Directly contact past YEC participants and educators to increase registrations.
• Finalize sponsorship receipts and reimbursement processing.
• Prepare January meeting agenda items: logo review and event planning.

Medium-Term (1–3 Months)

• Execute Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on February 4.
• Submit YEC event summary to Network Kansas by April 1.
• Finalize logo direction and approve updated branding assets.
• Plan and schedule first entrepreneurial engagement event for April.

Long-Term (3–12 Months)

• Develop a three-part entrepreneurial event series progressing from ideation to execution.
• Evaluate pop-up and transitional business concepts in partnership with Main Street.
• Expand countywide access to entrepreneurial resources beyond downtown Leavenworth.

Operational Enhancements

• Use structured rubrics to guide entrepreneurs through readiness stages.
• Create repeatable event formats to reduce planning overhead.

Marketing & Visibility

• Leverage targeted digital marketing to reach pre-launch entrepreneurs.
• Cross-promote events through partner organizations and lenders.

Financial & Partner Alignment

• Align budgets with Network Kansas funding guidelines.
• Seek in-kind venue support and sponsorships for events.

5. ThriveKS Action Plan

• Provide execution structure, documentation, and follow-through between board meetings.
• Assist in designing event frameworks and engagement workflows.
• Support marketing strategy and messaging clarity.

6. Grants & Programs

• Network Kansas Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge grant funding.
• Community loan and gap financing education through Network Kansas programs.

7. How ThriveKS Supports Grow Leavenworth County

• Transforms discussion into executable plans with owners and timelines.
• Maintains continuity between meetings.
• Supports program design, branding clarity, and operational discipline.

8. Follow-Up Plan

• January meeting: finalize logo direction and confirm April event logistics.
• February: deliver YEC event and confirm reporting requirements.
• April: launch first entrepreneurial engagement event.

9. Questions for Next Meeting

• Which logo concept best communicates GLC’s mission?
• What budget level should be allocated for the entrepreneurial event series?
• Which venues should be prioritized for countywide accessibility?

10. How We Can Help Grow Leavenworth County

• Provide structured execution oversight.
• Design repeatable systems for entrepreneurship programming.
• Strengthen coordination between partners, lenders, and educators.