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Prairie Portraits: Adriana Cisneros Basulto
We’re relaunching Prairie Portraits and asking the same 5 questions to community builders, founders and funders to get their perspective on the Nebraska startup ecosystem. Check it out!
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SPN interviews Mike Draper of SMASH
It took moving out east for Mike Draper to realize the benefits of the local business climate for entrepreneurs in Des Moines. Mike’s endeavor, SMASH, is part retail T-shirt merchandiser, part screen printer and part web designer. Mike came back to Des Moines and opened the doors at SMASH in 2005. He’s grown his operation…
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SPN interviews Jessica McKay of Birdhouse Interior Design
Sitting down with another creative entrepreneur in our city always excites me! More so when that person is relatively new to our city and has an amazing sense of passion and focus for what they want to do. The rest is on us to support that creativity and build the support network they need. I…
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SPN interviews Jay Wilkinson of Firespring
A few weeks ago, I met up with Jay Wilkinson, founder and CEO of Lincoln-based Firespring. Firespring provides its clients with marketing strategies, business consultation and custom-made websites. Now, after 17 years in business, Wilkinson has announced the Firespring brand is set to franchise. Check out the video below for a brief overview of the…
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SPN interviews Emily Kaminski of Emily’s Project
When Inc. magazine’s January issue hit the newsstands with the cover story “And the Money Comes Rolling In,” I didn’t wait a day to share it with my friends. “Check out the subheading,” I’d exclaim, “[Plenty of Fish founder] Markus Frind works one hour a day and brings in $10 million a year. How does…
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SPN interviews Grant Stanley and Tadd Wood of Contemporary Analysis
When I asked Grant Stanley, co-founder of Contemporary Analysis, what his parents thought about him starting a business right out of college, he replied, “My parents do not like that I’m an entrepreneur, yet they molded me for that.” At age 10, Grant could be found selling produce at Hy-Vee in order to save up the…