Entrepreneurs Find That Overland Park Is a Great Place to Do Business

Ben Anh/Linkplus Marketing

Overland Park, Kansas, is dedicated to helping small businesses expand and succeed by providing resources and support. From tax incentives to expert advice to networking events, the community offers entrepreneurs everything they need to thrive.

Ahead, hear from a pair of local business owners who share how they got started, the resources they utilized and the journeys to their success.

Grace Anh

Founder and CEO, NvisionKC

Grace Ahn came to the U.S. from South Korea in 1998 with just $200 in her pocket. When she was laid off from her IT job in 2019 just as the pandemic hit, she was afforded time to think about what she wanted to do next. That led her to launch NvisionKC, an IT consulting firm specializing in process automation, data analytics, and health and safety solutions.

What resources did you utilize to start your business?

I bootstrapped NvisionKC. I borrowed $70,000 on a credit card to get started, and through hard work and careful planning, paid it back within a year.

Equally important were the local support systems I leaned on, like the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College, the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program and a network of experienced local mentors who helped me with business planning, finance and operations.

How has your company grown since you started?

We recently celebrated our five-year anniversary. NvisionKC has grown from $0 to $1.1 million in revenue over four years and is on track to reach about $1.7 million in 2025. Our 12-person team has delivered 85-plus projects, and more than 50,000 unique users now benefit from the solutions and products we’ve built. We’re proud of that growth and remain focused on scaling our impact while keeping service and quality front and center.

What have you learned as a business owner?

This journey is really about learning more about myself, serving others and solving meaningful problems. Leading NvisionKC has stretched me in ways I never expected, with every challenge pushing me to grow as a CEO and human being. It’s taught me to stay grounded in my principles, especially caring deeply about the customer experience and prioritizing our employees’ well-being and empowerment.

Courtesy of Justin Hubbard

Justin Hubbard

Owner, Tiger-Rock Martial Arts

Justin Hubbard started tae kwon do when he was just 5, and by the time he was a teen, he was working part time as an instructor at his dojang.

He decided to pursue martial arts as a career and connected with Tiger-Rock Martial Arts founder Grandmaster James Bailey, who became his mentor. Tiger-Rock Martial Arts has over 100 franchise locations in 20 states, one of which is Hubbard’s Overland Park location, which opened in 2015. He recently took over a second studio location in Iowa, as well.

What resources did you utilize to start your business?

As soon as I moved here, I got involved with the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is the hub that helped me get plugged into other avenues, like the Kansas Small Business Development Center, which offers free business consulting.

That was a huge help in 2015 when I moved here, and in 2020, when COVID hit, I had to renew my lease and buy out my business partner. They introduced me to my lawyer and my accountant, and I was able to educate myself, so I could get a fair deal in the buyout.

How has your company grown since you started?

We opened in 2015 and now have between 230 and 250 students at the Overland Park location. I just opened another location in Iowa that came on the market this summer. They needed a buyout, so I have been going there teaching classes and teaching instructors how to manage and teach classes.

What have you learned as a business owner?

You start with a business plan, but you must be OK with throwing it out the window and adjusting. A lot of businesses that fail stick to their business plan to their detriment.

Shawnee Mission School District: Building Future Entrepreneurs

Some students who attend school in the Overland Park area are preparing to be the entrepreneurial leaders of the future, thanks to unique programming focused on student-owned businesses.

The Shawnee Mission School District and Overland Park Chamber of Commerce have partnered to adopt the Kauffman Foundation’s Real World Learning Initiative, a regional high school improvement project that provides schools, businesses and community organizations with ways to connect and create learning opportunities for students.

What began as an assignment for students to create a website for their own businesses led instructor Dr. Tiffany Dixon to see if they could turn their classroom efforts into full-fledged businesses. With the help of the district and Oak Park Mall, she opened a virtual storefront called Real World Learning, where shoppers use a QR code to access students’ business websites.

“We have businesses that sell stationery and stickers, jewelry, lip balm, a barber who made his own hair products, a bookstore, T-shirts. What they’re interested in is what has driven it,” says Laura Harsch, business to education program officer for the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation, which works to help students achieve their potential.”

“We connect them with experts in the retail industry, merchandising and marketing, so the door is open for what students want to do,” Harsch says.

Due to its success, the Shawnee Mission School District formed the Student Chamber of Commerce in 2022, which is run by student business owners from schools across the district. The chamber has quarterly meetings, committees, officer roles and even hosts events. It invites business owners from the community to come and give presentations, and students go on field trips to learn about local businesses.

“The intent is to teach students how to grow their business, whether that’s with financial understanding with a business plan, marketing or social media,” Harsch says. “We try to hit all the different parts of a business and what would be important for students to learn on this journey.”

Last year, students hosted the first-ever Startup Showcase in April. The event gathered student entrepreneurs, business leaders and community supporters for a Shark Tank-like pitch competition. Students had three minutes to deliver their business plans in front of a live audience. Beyond getting real-world experience, the Startup Showcase resulted in local business owners offering to collaborate and mentor students.

“I’m thrilled if we can connect students with something they like,” Harsch says. “I want our kids to be doing what they enjoy, what gives them satisfaction and feel like they’re making a difference and not just punching the clock.”