GLC_Plan – Strategic Business Action Plan

1. Business Summary

Grow Leavenworth County (GLC) is a countywide entrepreneurial support initiative connected to Network Kansas. It brings together representatives from local governments, school districts, lenders, educators, chambers, and business owners to support entrepreneurship and small business growth across Leavenworth County.

GLC serves as a front door for small business support by helping entrepreneurs understand available resources, connect with lenders, and navigate flexible capital tools such as e-community gap financing. The organization also manages youth-focused programs like the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC), creating a pipeline of future entrepreneurs.

Key characteristics:

Countywide, collaborative, multi-city structure (Leavenworth, Lansing, Basehor, Tonganoxie, and rural areas).
Board made up of city officials, bankers, educators, business owners, and economic development staff.
Roles include gap financing support, program coordination, event facilitation, and youth entrepreneurship development.
Operates with a volunteer board, relying on local partners to execute school, business, and community engagement.
Seeks to strengthen visibility, consistency, and structure so more businesses and students can benefit.

2. Needs & Pain Points

Board Structure & Representation

Appointment processes for board members are unclear and inconsistent between cities.
Seats for cities such as Leavenworth and Lansing are not always filled promptly after elections.
Tonganoxie representation is not firmly established; outreach to groups like the Tonganoxie Business Association is needed.
At-large roles (such as a county commissioner serving on the board) can create confusion about voting rights and expectations.
New members are not always given clear orientation, expectations, or background information.

Operational & Governance Challenges

Overlap exists between the board chair’s responsibilities and loan packaging duties.
Conflict-of-interest boundaries are not always well-documented, especially when board members are also lenders or service providers.
Committee responsibilities and decision-making authority are not always clearly defined.
Meeting time is often consumed by procedural or clarification questions that could be handled between meetings.
Documentation (agendas, minutes, templates) is not consistently stored in an easily accessible shared location.

Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) Issues

Teacher and student awareness of YEC is uneven across schools and districts.
Some teachers do not receive or fully understand YEC information or materials.
Participation fluctuates from year to year due to schedule conflicts, weather, and competing priorities.
Backup plans for weather or unexpected closures are not always clearly communicated.
There is an ongoing need for judges, mentors, and volunteers with real-world business experience.
Sponsorship for food, prizes, and day-of logistics must be rebuilt each year, creating uncertainty.

Branding & Marketing Gaps

The current GLC logo is low-resolution and not suitable for large-format signage or professional materials.
No single, unified tagline or concise explanation clearly communicates what GLC does.
Materials look inconsistent across documents, slides, flyers, and presentations.
GLC lacks a simple, modern digital presence that educators, entrepreneurs, and lenders can easily find and share.
The organization’s impact and value are not widely known outside of those directly involved.

Events & Engagement

The previous Lenders Lunch format is no longer effective at attracting new lenders or engagement.
There is a need for new outreach formats, such as entrepreneurial expos, incubator-style events, or resource fairs.
GLC needs a predictable annual calendar with key events, deadlines, and outreach windows clearly defined.
Entrepreneurs and community members often do not know when or how they can engage GLC for support.

Funding & Sponsorship

GLC needs reliable sponsorships for YEC events, potential expos, and marketing initiatives.
There is a need for dedicated resources for branding (logo redesign, signage, professional materials).
Budget clarity is needed for venue costs, food, awards, and promotional materials.
Grants through Network Kansas and other sources are available but require clear plans and supporting documentation.

Communication & Outreach

Communications between GLC, teachers, chambers, and city staff are not always consistent.
There is no single, simple one-page explanation of GLC that partners can easily distribute.
Gap financing is not always well understood by business owners or newer board members.
Follow-up after meetings and events is inconsistent, leading to missed opportunities.

3. Improvement Blueprint

GLC can increase its impact and stability by focusing on a small number of high-leverage improvements:

Board Structure & Governance

Standardize appointment processes and term expectations with each city.
Create and distribute a simple board member orientation packet.
Clarify at-large roles, voting rights, and conflict-of-interest policies.
Define basic expectations for attendance, communication, and follow-through.

Programs & Operations

Document roles for chair, loan packager, and committee leads.
Centralize board documents in a shared, secure digital location.
Create a predictable, recurring agenda structure that prioritizes decisions and strategy over routine updates.
Develop simple process maps for key workflows (loan referrals, YEC preparation, event planning).

Youth Entrepreneurship Pipeline

Build a teacher-facing YEC toolkit with timelines, instructions, templates, and promotional materials.
Establish consistent communication channels with CTE and business teachers across all districts.
Engage more community judges, mentors, and sponsors with clear expectations and recognition.
Identify and promote YEC success stories to motivate participation.

Branding & Visibility

Redesign the GLC logo into a scalable vector format with a clear visual identity.
Select and consistently use a short tagline that captures GLC’s mission.
Develop unified templates for slides, flyers, handouts, and letterhead.
Launch a simple one-page website or digital landing page as a central information hub.

Community & Business Engagement

Replace or evolve the Lenders Lunch into more engaging formats, such as an entrepreneurial resource expo.
Involve chambers, SBDC, higher education, and service providers in shared events.
Create a basic business resource guide that can be handed out at events and meetings.
Encourage board members to be ambassadors in their own networks using shared materials.

4. Actionable Roadmap

Immediate Fixes (0–7 Days)

Confirm current board membership list, including city seats and at-large positions.
Resend YEC information and VentureDash links to all board members and key teachers.
Identify a communications coordinator or small team to manage teacher and school contact lists.
Draft a simple one-page description of GLC’s mission, programs, and contact information.
Assign a point person to obtain quotes or options for logo redesign or vector recreation.
Create a shared digital folder and move the most recent agendas, minutes, and forms into it.

Short-Term (1–4 Weeks)

Work with city staff to move pending appointment forms forward in Leavenworth and Lansing.
Reach out to the Tonganoxie Business Association and other local groups to secure representation.
Confirm YEC date, venue, and backup plans and communicate them clearly to teachers and administrators.
Begin recruiting judges, mentors, and sponsors for YEC.
Review and select an approach for branding (logo refresh vs full redesign).
Draft a basic budget estimate for branding and event needs to support grant or sponsorship requests.
Develop and approve a one-page “What GLC Does” handout for partners and public use.

Medium-Term (1–3 Months)

Develop and launch a teacher-facing YEC toolkit with timelines, classroom materials, and communication templates.
Convene a meeting or listening session with teachers and CTE leaders to better understand their constraints and support needs.
Plan a pilot entrepreneurial expo or resource fair, including format, audience, and potential partners.
Finalize and implement the new logo and branding elements across slides, documents, and forms.
Build a simple digital landing page that houses key information, links, and contact forms.
Create a basic business resource guide and make it available in both digital and printable form.

Long-Term (3–12 Months)

Establish a recurring annual calendar: YEC milestones, board meetings, expo, outreach campaigns.
Expand mentorship and support networks by recruiting more local business owners and professionals.
Track participation and outcomes (YEC entries, businesses assisted, loans supported) and share results with partners.
Strengthen relationships with county and city leadership by providing periodic impact updates.
Explore additional events such as themed workshops (marketing, finance, technology) for small businesses.
Evaluate and refine board structure and governance based on the first cycle of improved processes.

Operational Enhancements

Document core roles and responsibilities for key positions and committees.
Introduce a standard meeting format with time-boxed sections and clear decision points.
Keep the shared digital space updated with current versions of all materials.
Create a simple process for onboarding new board members, including a short meeting or orientation call.

Marketing & Visibility

Implement consistent use of the new logo, colors, and tagline.
Use signage and branded materials at all GLC-sponsored events and presentations.
Capture and share stories of successful loans, YEC participants, and business growth.
Coordinate messaging with chambers, schools, and city communication channels.

Financial & Partner Alignment

Develop defined sponsorship tiers for YEC and other events.
Pursue Network Kansas branding/marketing support and other grant opportunities.
Clarify expectations for ongoing local funding for branding, events, and outreach.
Track costs and outcomes so funders and partners can see the return on their support.

5. ThriveKS Action Plan

ThriveKS can support GLC by:

Designing and maintaining a simple, professional website or landing page that clearly explains GLC’s role and programs.
Creating cohesive branding assets: vector logo, templates, signage-ready files, digital graphics.
Building digital forms and workflows for YEC registration, event signups, and contact requests.
Providing teacher-facing communication templates and automation where appropriate.
Helping produce sponsor decks, one-pagers, and recap documents that tell GLC’s story.
Supporting pilot events such as entrepreneurial expos through registration tools and digital promotion materials.
Assisting in creating and maintaining a digital resource library for local businesses.

6. Grants & Programs

GLC can leverage:

Network Kansas e-community tools for gap financing and flexible capital solutions.
Network Kansas branding/marketing grants to support logo redesign and outreach efforts.
Youth entrepreneurship and CTE-related grants through education channels.
Partnerships with local chambers, SBDC, and regional organizations for program support and co-hosted events.
City and county support where GLC’s work aligns with broader economic development goals.

7. How ThriveKS Supports GLC

ThriveKS complements GLC’s mission by providing technical, branding, and systems-building capacity that the volunteer board may not have time or expertise to manage alone. By handling design, digital infrastructure, communication templates, and simple automations, ThriveKS enables GLC to present a more professional front, communicate more clearly, and operate more efficiently. This in turn helps GLC attract more partners, reach more entrepreneurs, and demonstrate tangible impact.

8. Follow-Up Plan

Confirm current board roster and pending appointments and finalize representation from each key city.
Decide on branding direction and assign a small working group to manage the process with ThriveKS support.
Reconfirm YEC logistics, including venue, date, backup plan, sponsors, judges, and teacher engagement plan.
Establish a quarterly check-in rhythm focused on progress against this action plan.
Identify a target timeframe for launching the first entrepreneurial expo or resource event.
Begin capturing and organizing data on businesses assisted, events held, and students reached.

9. Questions for Next Meeting

Which branding option (refresh vs redesign) best supports GLC’s long-term identity?
What tagline most effectively tells GLC’s story in one sentence?
What specific outcomes does the board want to measure and report (e.g., deals supported, students engaged, events hosted)?
What format should the pilot entrepreneurial expo take, and who are the priority audiences?
How much automation and digital infrastructure does the board want ThriveKS to implement in the first phase?
What level of sponsorship and funding targets should be set for YEC and other events?

10. How We Can Help GLC

ThriveKS can help GLC move from a well-intentioned, hardworking volunteer board to a highly visible, clearly understood, and structurally supported countywide entrepreneurship hub. By clarifying the story, modernizing the brand, building basic digital infrastructure, supporting key events, and providing practical tools to teachers, lenders, and partners, ThriveKS can amplify GLC’s existing strengths and help secure its place as a central driver of small business success in Leavenworth County.