Kansas City is a great place to start and grow a business. What was missing was an integrated system that provides entrepreneurs with a highly identifiable, reliable source that provides connections to the right resources when and where they need it. KCSourceLink® was created in 2003 to help simplify the process and efficiently link small business support organizations to people starting and growing businesses.
Today, KCSourceLink connects a network of more than 140 resource providers in the Kansas City region that offer business-building services for small business success in the 18-county Kansas City region.
Across the network, resource partners assist businesses in gaining access to education, technical assistance, new markets, capital and social networks. This results in new businesses, new jobs, increased revenue and additional wealth for the Kansas City community.
Thousands of aspiring and existing small business owners have accessed the network via phone or using The Resource Navigator to find the services they need to make their business grow and prosper. The Resource Navigator makes it easier for entrepreneurs to find the resources they need to succeed.
Serving the greater Kansas City metro area, KCSourceLink was the first implementation of the SourceLink model and served as the incubator for further network development.
U.S.SourceLink evolved from the successful vision and implementation of KCSourceLink, when other areas began adopting the model in 2004.
KCSourceLink founding partners are the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at UMKC and the Small Business Administration.