Kan. (WIBW) – In recent years, Topeka’s seen quite a few new businesses
A lot of those successful start-ups come out of Omni Circle Group.
The nonprofit measures its success and impact on the capital city through Midwest Startups, which ranks Midwest cities across the region based on their startup ecosystems.
Topeka historically hasn’t ranked very high, but has seen a nine-spot jump recently, up to number 49.
That may be a sign that Omni Circle’s goal is coming into reach.
Licensed therapist, CEO and Founder of Elevate Mindcare Studio, Angelica Crowley, started her private practice at Omni Circle Group.
“In college, they teach you how to be a therapist, but they don’t teach you how to be a private practice therapist. They don’t teach you the business end of things,” Crowley said.
Omni Circle plays a key part in social and economic development in Topeka
“The cohort-based programs that we run give early-stage entrepreneurs an understanding of how to build and run a business,” Jessica Pauly, Omni Circle economic development director, said.
The organization acts as a co-working space, a presence that bumped Topeka’s startup score.
“While I know how to be a therapist, I didn’t know how to be an entrepreneur,” Crowley said.
Omni Circle isn’t doing it alone.
“We receive support from Network Kansas to be the e-community coach and organization for Shawnee County,” Crowley said.
Three different areas helped contribute to the nine-point jump:
- startup activity
- resource access
- business climate
“The biggest metric jump was in startup activity momentum,” Pauly said. “We’re just really excited that the startup activity momentum is really thriving here in Topeka, and we can point to the metrics that show that that is true.”
Nine points may not seem like a lot, but it’s speaking volumes for Topeka.
“The past four years we have been on a downward trajectory unfortunately, so this year jumping nine points is significant in and of itself, but it is the first upswing in four years,” Pauly said.
Crowley thinks Omni Circle’s role in the jump is clear.
“The more people feel comfortable with starting their own business,” Crowley said. “A lot of times people know what they want to do, but doing it as an individual siloed is a lot scarier than doing it with a group of people.”
More about Topeka’s ranking can be found here.
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