TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL SMALL BUSINESS INCENTIVES

Hey, small business owners in Topeka and Shawnee County, we’ve got some exciting news for you!

2023 Small Business Award Winners

Congratulations to the 2023 Small Business Award winners! Your hard work, dedication, and innovative spirit have made a significant impact on the Topeka community. As dream chasers, opportunity makers, and success creators, you have demonstrated that anything is possible with passion and perseverance. Your entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence serve as an inspiration to us all.

Dialogue Coffee House Young Entrepreneur Award

Civium Architecture & Planning Micro-Entrerprise Award

Yes! Athletics Emerging Innovation Award

Customskin Medspa at His and Her Salon & Day Spa

Woman-Owned Small Business Award

Chavez Inc.

Minority-Owned Small Business Award

Ricks Advanced Dermatology & Radiance Medical Spa

Veteran-Owned Small Business Award

Bimini Pet Health

Small Business Manufacturer Award

Supersonic Music/ Treehouse Drums

Small Business Exporter Award

Senne & Company

TopCity Small Business of the Year

Scan below for more on the Small Business Award winners and see how you can prepare to take your business to the next level!

Are you looking to take your business to the next level but need a little extra help to get there? Well, you’re in luck! GO Topeka is here to provide you with some awesome incentives to support your growth and development.

And the best part? It’s free money, people! That’s right, free money for your business to use and grow!

We’re talking about everything from marketing and construction to professional services and even global markets matching grants. So if you’re interested in getting in on this action (and why wouldn’t you be?), just head on over to the GO Topeka website and fill out the online application form. Let’s make your small business dreams a reality!

“Any time they offered overtime, I was the first to raise my hand,” Randy said. “It didn’t matter what the job was or where, I took it. Sometimes it meant I was working 20-hour days, but I never minded the hustle.”

Because of Randy’s willingness to go above and beyond, Debbie shared some of the financial aspects of the janitorial business with him and opened his eyes to the benefits of entrepreneurship. In the middle of all those numbers, Randy discovered an untapped niche business opportunity: carpet cleaning.

“I said to myself, ‘I can do this,’” Randy said. “The problem was, I had no equipment and no paying customers.”

Undeterred by what he didn’t have, Randy concentrated on what he did have: belief in himself. He found a portable carpet cleaning machine for sale for $1,500, but he only had $500 at the time. He convinced the seller to put him on six-month payment plan and then informed Debbie that he was in the carpet cleaning business (in his spare time). She gave him so much work that he paid off the machine in less than two months.

Motivation

The carpet cleaning business began to take off, and like most entrepreneurs, Randy had a decision to make—stand still in the safety of the known or take a risk and move forward. Randy chose to leap.

“To take my business to the next level, I needed bigger jobs. To get those bigger jobs, I needed a bigger machine,” Randy said. “I needed a truck-mounted machine.”

That meant coming up with $15,000. Rather than asking for a loan, Randy put his head down and put his hustle to work. Still working his regular shifts for Aldersgate Village and Lutz Janitorial, Randy picked up every carpet cleaning job he could find, often working late into the night. Within 90 days, he had the money he needed.

“I starved for 90 days only eating ham and bologna sandwiches,” Randy said, “but I hustled that money up.”

Randy picked up the new machine in Kansas City and was already working his first water job on a flooded basement that same day.

Growth

As his reputation for reliability and quality work began to grow, Randy knew he needed to turn this side hustle into his primary business. Looking for additional revenue streams that would provide more consistent income, he bought a truck and a snowplow and added snow removal to his list of services. Then came lawn care, and eventually he began picking up some of his own janitorial clients as well.

Things were humming along pretty good, but never one to be satisfied with the status quo, Randy saw a new opportunity in owning rental property. Once again, he approached this venture from a different perspective. He purchased the house he was renting and moved into the upstairs so he could rent out the downstairs. With the rent money paying the bills for that house, he used the money he saved to buy another one, and then another. These houses needed a lot of work, so he was able to purchase them for a fraction of their value and, through a partnership with Ron Harris, fixed them up and turn them into viable housing.

At one time, Randy and his partners owned as many as 25 houses before eventually selling most of them and recouping their investment.

Vision

When Randy once again needed to upgrade his equipment with the addition of a $50,000 cleaning machine and a $25,000 van, that same hustle came into play. He amazed his banker by paying off the loan in 30 days. But it wasn’t easy.

“We happened to have a big flood right at that time,” Randy said. “I worked 20-hour days for a week to handle all of those flood jobs,” Randy said. “Other people said ‘no’ to after-hours work. I always said ‘yes.’”

That willingness to put his head down and do whatever it took to move his business to the next level once again set Randy apart from those around him because he viewed things differently. He didn’t see the impossible workload; he saw beyond it to the future of a business he was building.

Mentorship

Randy built his business on hustle and creativity, but he is the first to admit that he wouldn’t be where he is today without the example of some key mentors in his life. Before he even thought about starting the business, Randy spent hours talking with Alonzo Harrison about business ownership and how to build something from the ground up.

“I am so inspired by what Alonzo has achieved, not only personally but for what he has done for the Black business community,” Randy said. “In the minority business community, he is the one I look up to the most.”

The appreciation he has for those who helped guide him as an entrepreneur has Randy looking for ways he can give back to the community and mentor those coming up behind him. Randy plays an instrumental role in the annual Community Dinner and serves as vice president of Juneteenth.

He hopes to one day see one of his three children take over the business he has created.

“I started with $500, hustle and a dream,” Randy said. “I set the walls up. All they have to do is keep the roof on.” TK