Kansas City Leader Gretchen Moran – Master Organizer & Community Connector

[00:00:10.820] – Virginia Huling
Welcome back to another episode of the KC Leaders Podcast. Today, my guest is Gretchen Moran,
who is the newly minted Program Director at the Parkville Chamber of Commerce. Is that correct?
And a local business owner in her own right. Welcome to the podcast, Gretchen.

[00:00:29.940] – Gretchen Moran
Thank you so much for having me. It’s exciting. I love the new studio, by the way.

[00:00:33.670] – Virginia Huling
Thank you very much. We’re so excited to have you here. So give me, for our listeners, give me a brief
introduction. Who you are? What do you do here?

[00:00:42.080] – Gretchen Moran
Well, first of all, I was born in Kansas City, born and raised, went to high school here, have friends
here, raised my family here.

[00:00:49.740] – Virginia Huling
You’re a ‘local” local.

[00:00:50.540] – Gretchen Moran
I am a supreme local and a local of the Northland, so tried-and-true Northlander. I started a business
back in 2018, and my path has led me on so many different journeys, all definitely intertwined and
connected and started my business. It just started to grow. It has led me into all different sorts of
networks and connections. I’m super excited to see this path ahead of me. It’s not just one path, it’s
like all these other little paths that stream up. You get to be able to do all sorts of cool things.

[00:01:33.430] – Virginia Huling
Our lives are a tapestry.

[00:01:35.220] – Gretchen Moran
It’s amazing. It really is. I love that, tapestry. All of these things woven together that just make a
beautiful picture of your life.

[00:01:43.190] – Virginia Huling
So tell me what your business is, because I do want to give you a chance to introduce your business
to our listeners. You are a professional organizer.

[00:01:51.830] – Gretchen Moran
I am. I mentioned I started my business in 2018 as a professional organizer. And when I first started my
business, I thought I was just going to be organizing garages and kids’ rooms and pantries and
closets, which I did that for the first several years. And then actually had one of my business partners
through one of my networking groups come up to me after a meeting and said, You’re doing the
wrong business, don’t you? And I was like, What do you mean by that? And he was like, This is a room
full of people that really could use your help and could use your skills. And It’s like, Okay, tell me more.
What do you envision? Yeah, what are you seeing that I’m not seeing? Exactly. That was the beautiful
thing that I didn’t see in myself. Definitely had the experience of my background, but seeing what a
potential that I could take from that and bring it into my business and be able to help business
owners, not just people at home, but helping people get organized in their business. I see so many
people, people in the trades, people in the service industry, they’re doing the work out in the field, but
not necessarily having the skills or ability or knowledge to be able to tap into, How do I do my filing?

[00:03:08.650] – Virginia Huling
You’re the technician.

[00:03:09.920] – Gretchen Moran
Absolutely. I want to go electronic. How do I do that? Like, what are software programs I can use to
help me streamline processes in my business? Or I want to onboard a new staff member. I don’t evenknow where to look. Can you help me with this? Or I’m starting a baby brand new business. I have no
idea what to do. Do I need a business license? Do I need an accountant or a lawyer to draw up
documents? I’ve been able to help people in a lot of different ways, either get started with a business,
just helping them with resources to get connected to the right people, or help them just sit in the
office and go through the paperwork and help them develop a filing system.

[00:03:52.840] – Virginia Huling
Okay, so people who are dealing with chaos of sorts need to reach out to you, Gretchen, and you will
help streamline their lives.

[00:04:02.600] – Gretchen Moran
Exactly.

[00:04:03.130] – Virginia Huling
Okay. How are you bringing that to the Parkville Chamber of Commerce? Because I know you’re in a
powerful position over there. And as a program director… Well, actually, let me back up. First of all, so
once upon a time, I was a young entrepreneur and fumbling through the business world trying to learn
things. For our listeners who maybe are just starting or maybe they’re not in the business world, could
you talk to us a little bit about what the Chamber of Commerce, what the purpose of the Chamber of
Commerce is and how it contributes and is a part of the community?

[00:04:39.550] – Gretchen Moran
Well, I’ll talk to you about the first part and then a new addition part that we just recently that I was
actually brought into to help them with. The Chamber of Commerce, I think in most towns are there to
help bring business owners together, help provide a way for them to network, to learn, to be educated
so that they can go into their workplace and serve their customers well. Some people we find join the
Chamber just because they want the little sticker on their business just to say, Hey, I’m a Chamber
member. So it’s just like a token piece that you do when you start a business. But then we have other
people who are super small business owners. Like, today I just met with a lady who just opened her
practice. She’s a physical therapist. She left an organization. She wanted to go out on her own and
just opened up shop. She’s been doing business for a year, and she just took the leap of faith. And I
love meeting people like that that just go out on a limb and just do a complete faith walk going, I have
no idea if this is going to work. She didn’t have a book of business that she could bring with her
because she was not tied to a non-compete, but she wasn’t able to solicit business when she left
there. But she’s like, I’m brand new at this. We just moved here. We were military. And my husband got
a job here. We got the kids in school. We’ve been here for a year, and I need a place to start. She
actually came to ACA, and that’s where I met her.

[00:06:13.130] – Virginia Huling
Awesome!

[00:06:13.600] – Gretchen Moran
So I met with her today because her business is in the Parkville area where we service. And so I met
with her, got to see her new office and learn more about her. And I’m like, These are the ways that you
can get connected. So here are some networking opportunities to help you get started in your
business where you can meet people. I have five people I can think about right now that I want to
connect you with that would be great referral partners for you. So that was just a beautiful way for me
to meet with her, see what her needs were, and be like, Okay, how can I, not just this chamber, but just
as a human, how can I help connect you and make you feel more a part of this community? I feel like
that’s what the chamber really is all about, is meeting where you are, finding out what your needs are,
and we can help plug you into the resources that are here so that we can help you be successful.

[00:07:06.350] – Virginia Huling
I’m starting to see why Park Valley is super excited to have you there. Oh, yeah. Because this dovetails
exactly into what you’re already doing. Yeah.

[00:07:19.750] – Gretchen Moran

Wow. I love it. It’s so fun.

[00:07:22.360] – Virginia Huling
Okay, so what can we look forward to as the Program Director at the Park Valley Chamber of
Commerce?

[00:07:28.050] – Gretchen Moran
Okay, so this is the new news. And as of, I think, July 1, we merged with the Parkville Economic
Development Council. Now we are called PACE, which is Parkville Area Chamber and EDC. Okay.
What they found was last year, their boards met, the chamber met, and then the EDC met, and they
thought, What would it look like if we merged these two organizations? Because we have so much
crossover with we had members that were part of the EC who were also members of the chamber.
How can we bring these two groups together? It’s a fairly small community. Parkville is not very big.
It’s growing, but it’s not a big city. It’s not like Kansas City is or the size of Liberty. It’s the smaller
community. How can we pool our resources to help these businesses to grow and to make a
difference in the community? July 1, we’ve been going through this merger process for the last
several months. And so now we’re able to bring both of these together and be able to have a greater
impact.

[00:08:33.600] – Virginia Huling
Yeah, that’s really exciting. So that’s an excellent resource hub for business owners that are in
Parkville, that are in the city of Parkville. And the area of it.

[00:08:43.170] – Gretchen Moran
And the area of it. Just the area around it, too.

[00:08:46.500] – Virginia Huling
That’s an important distinction because not everybody realizes that they have access to some of that.
And those could be grant programs, state funding comes through a lot of those programs, and just
the general awareness of maybe contracts that are up for bid.

[00:09:02.300] – Gretchen Moran
Yes. Okay. Yeah. It’s a pretty significant opportunity for us. I mean, we have relationships with the
Platte County EDC. So when there’s new things coming to any part of Platte County, we have firsthand knowledge of it because we get to sit in on those board meetings and be like, Oh, this is the
new… They knew that the Facebook facility was coming probably before anybody else did. So any
new business that’s coming, first of all, our office is located in City Hall, so we have a relationship with
the city. And so business licenses people are coming to apply for, and when they’re opening a
business, we have first-hand knowledge of when new businesses are coming and meeting with them,
talking with them and seeing how we can better support them. What resources do you need? Let us
help you get connected.

[00:09:52.200] – Virginia Huling
Okay, so that needs to be an important contact to have in your list of power people.

[00:09:58.300] – Gretchen Moran
To get to know. Absolutely. Okay. Yeah. And I’m meeting all those people, so it’s fun.

[00:10:03.750] – Virginia Huling
That’s awesome! So I want to take some of that and ask you some of our questions that we normally
ask our guests here. What are some of the ways that you can stay up to date with that information?
Usually, it’s a later question that we ask. But for people looking to have the chamber as that resource
hub, do they need to follow you online? How can they get updates for these different events?

[00:10:29.730] – Gretchen Moran
We have a website. And so all of our events that we are going to have are all listed on our website. We
have staple events that we do. So we do a monthly lunch, we do a monthly happy hour, we do amonthly coffee. Those are our staple events.

[00:10:45.416] – Virginia Huling
Yall are really active!

[00:10:45.560] – Gretchen Moran
Yeah. We have all sorts of other events. We have a big gala that we do that’s a big, huge fundraiser for
the Chamber in February. And then we have a big, huge golf tournament, which we just finished out,
which was at the National, which was a fantastic event. It was super fun. Congratulations. It was
super fun. We had a great turnout. Yeah, it was awesome. So that’s in June. And then our next event
coming up is a Croquet tournament. So if you did not know, there is a couple that lives in Parkville that
are international Croquet champions. No, I did not know that. Did not know this either. They actually
have built a Croquet field. I mean, it is like the whole backyard where this field is where you play looks
like a putting green.

[00:11:36.530] – Virginia Huling
This is the one where you put the ball in your foot and you whack it

[00:11:40.220] – Gretchen Moran
And you push it through the wickets! Yeah.

[00:11:42.740] – Virginia Huling
That’s awesome.

[00:11:43.950] – Gretchen Moran
I had no idea that this was like a thing. This guy, they have traveled the country, they’ve traveled the
world and played professionally. Right here in Parkville. That’s fun. Yeah, super fun. It’s super cheap.
It’s like $10 a person. We’re making an event out of it. It’s going to be super fun. Bring your kids. You
can. I mean, for us, it’s going to be a networking event. Bring your business partner, bring your staff,
bring your husband, whatever. But the other cool thing is that we’re having a margarita competition.
All right, don’t burn your kids. We have three amazing Mexican restaurants in Parkville. We’ve invited
them, the three of them, to come and have a margarita off, which we are going to have trophies and
prizes and… Yeah, so just another- When is this? September sixth. Okay. That’s phenomenal. Yeah.
Non-members can come, too. You can just go right to the website to the event and register. You can
sponsor. You can sponsor with a banner. You can sponsor the food or beverage or whatever you want
to do and can be a part. Yeah, it’s going to be fun. That’s wonderful. Yeah. And then in November, we
have a trivia night. So we have the people that come and do the trivia question thing and we have a
contest. So that’s another event we have and then we’ll have a holiday party.

[00:13:03.230] – Virginia Huling
Y’all are active!

[00:13:04.090] – Gretchen Moran
All kinds of fun things to do.

[00:13:05.790] – Virginia Huling
All right, so the KC Leaders podcast needs to go check out the Parkville Chamber of Commerce.

[00:13:09.960] – Gretchen Moran
Yes, please come on over. We would love to have you.

[00:13:12.970] – Virginia Huling
Wonderful.

[00:13:13.810] – Gretchen Moran
Get connected.

[00:13:14.650] – Virginia Huling
So there’s a lot of ways that you are contributing to Kansas City here in this sense. For you, Gretchen,
where people think of Gretchen Moran and they’re talking about local business leader and involved in
the bigger fabric of our society, what ways are you contributing to make Kansas City a better place to
live, play and work?

[00:13:40.140] – Gretchen Moran
I am just a connector of people, and I think that is what I enjoy the most. It comes naturally to me. I
didn’t realize it until after I got into the networking world and realized how valuable that is. Then I
started to think back to how I’ve just been a connector, even in my church world, because I’m a part of
a faith community also. And just I’ve always loved connecting people like, Oh, you do business here?
Well, I have a friend that does that same business. You guys need to meet. Even before I got into the
business world, I was just a connector of people. And so it’s just been a natural, organic move for me
to be able to find a way to connect people. So being a part of ACA and being a part of BNI and now
part of the chamber, it’s like all of these three worlds all collide. And it’s truly amazing. I was just
meeting with a realtor who I met through BNI a few years ago, and his brother is Dr. Ripby. No, Dr.
Ripby through ACA. I’m in Ed’s office, his brother, who’s a realtor, and he’s walking me around the
office and introducing me to some people because he wants me to redesign his office for him. So
that’s why I was there. We’re walking around the office and I see he introduces me to the broker there.
The broker is the son of the elder of the church that I grew up in, who has passed away 10 years ago.
And he was like a pillar in the community and so knew all of these people. And I was standing there
and I’m standing there with Ed and Mr. Vick and his wife was there because she’s also a realtor. I’m
just like, this was just like four worlds just collided into one of how this meeting ever took place. But
it’s because I’m connected in all of these different areas and being able to put all of these pieces
together. So it’s just like, it’s not six degrees of separation in the northland. It’s like two, maybe two.

[00:15:44.140] – Virginia Huling
That’s a great skill to cultivate and have. That’s difficult for me. I’m an introvert, so I got to work at that
one. But being able to see where those connections are and the potential connections there and just
matching people up and turning that around and making the introduction for them to take that and go
with it. You’ve mentioned ACA a few times. Could you take a second and let our listeners know about
that organization and what the ACA is?

[00:16:15.360] – Gretchen Moran
Yeah. So ACA is American Club Association. I was introduced to them. I was invited by Rebecca.
Gosh, two and a half years ago. So I’ve been two years ago February.

[00:16:26.870] – Virginia Huling
This would be Rebecca, our first guest on the KC Leaders.

[00:16:30.330] – Gretchen Moran
She was! Okay, exciting. Okay, Rebecca is my friend. Okay.

[00:16:34.360] – Virginia Huling
Two degrees. Look at that.

[00:16:36.940] – Gretchen Moran
That’s right. So she invited me to come check it out, and she was like, literally, I’ve got a room full of
friends I want to introduce you to.

[00:16:46.240] – Virginia Huling
I get an invite, right?

[00:16:48.270] – Gretchen Moran
I’d love to come and meet your friends. I had no idea what I was walking into. And I walk into this
group and I was just like, This is really cool. People just standing around, having coffee, having
relationships. I was like, This is fantastic. What this group is, which is very different from BNI still in
the networking world, but less structured, a little more free spirit, but just an opportunity to meet likeminded people who are trying to grow their business. They’re not necessarily there to sell you
because that’s not what this group is about. We’re not there to sell to each other. We’re there to build
business or build relationships with each other.

[00:17:27.360] – Virginia Huling
Very rarely do people even talk about business at those meetings. It’s more of a how are you and
what’s going on in your life thing.

[00:17:35.530] – Gretchen Moran
Yeah, exactly. One of the other things that I loved about this group was the teams. And then there’s
also some interest groups, which I could talk about in a second, but the team is what really spoke to
me. I think the very first meeting I went to, Kelly Kennet, who she is one of the ambassadors, and she
stood up and said, Hey, we have teams. Like, if you want to be a part of a team, our team meets After.
There’s a couple of other teams to be a part of. And these are really like your mastermind group. You
get in its seat specific. So one realtor, one real estate agent, or one insurance agent, and one
mortgage person. So we don’t want people to compete for those kinds of things because business
naturally happens when you’re building relationships with people. So they wanted that parameter to
be set. But that was what really spoke to me. And so as I started meeting with them and I was like,
we’re like-minded people and it’s a faith-focused group, I would say. And so that’s what this group, as
their team name is, it’s more of a faith-focused. And so we look at the world through a faith filter, but
still being able to share what are my wins for the week? What are the challenges? So we all go around
the table every single week. And this is where I’m winning? Celebrate with me. This is where I’m
having a challenge. And do you have some advice or experience? Maybe they could help me with this.
Do you know someone that you could connect me with to help me in this area? Can I tell you how
many times. I mean, all of us have sat around that table and cried about something that’s happening.
You got really upset or you’re angry or you’re like, Oh, I’m so stressed. Or you’re celebrating like, I just
had a huge win in my business and I want to share it with you. Or something happened with your kid.

[00:19:27.350] – Virginia Huling
And nobody quite understands it the way somebody else does that has had the same experience as
you’ve had. They’ve had payroll or they’ve had long nights worrying about something business related.
So you got a whole support system built into that.

[00:19:43.370] – Gretchen Moran
It’s been fantastic. I mean, we’ve had the same group. We’ve had a few people filter in. We’ve had a
couple of people leave because they moved. But really, it’s like people come in and they stay because
you’re building these tight relationships and it just becomes your family. So we do life outside of
there. We get together and go to dinner and help each other when times are hard. I mean, we’ve taken
up money collections for… We’ve got a gal who is a single mom, had teenagers at home, and then she
wound up having some other friends come over and she was like, It was Christmas time. She’s like, I
have no money to buy these kids anything. And we’re all sitting around the table going, we’re
venmoing her money and giving her cash and go buy a present or whatever. So it’s like a cool little
community, family and a small group, whatever, church, whatever you want to call it. I don’t think that
you can’t have too many of those groups where you have those relationships. It just warms your
heart.

[00:20:45.760] – Virginia Huling
And this is part of that reason that we wanted to do this podcast is because it’s only in having these
conversations and speaking this experience out loud that other humans are aware like, Hey, you don’t
have to be out there struggling to make it on your own. There are groups of business owners. There
are groups of people that are trying to better their lives and there are communities there for you to be
a part of and meet awesome people like Bridget.

[00:21:16.860] – Gretchen Moran
Thank you. Well, I have just one other thing I would like to share. After I started my business, it
seemed like I just got the barrage of emails about, Oh, I’m a life coach. I’m a business coach. Come
and do my program and be a part of this Mastermind group, and you could pay $10,000 and be a part
of this Mastermind group. And I was like, I barely have two nickels to rub together right now. I can’t
afford that. But after coming to the ACA group and even with the BNI group, you get around these
professionals and you’re like, This is my Mastermind group. This is money right here. I don’t have to
pay thousands of dollars because if you’re a new business owner, you don’t have extra money to pay
for those kinds of groups. But man, if you can pay a little bit of money and be a part of this group,
which there’s so many other benefits to being a part of you have access.

[00:22:12.920] – Virginia Huling
You get access to so many other things.

[00:22:14.940] – Gretchen Moran
Exactly.

[00:22:16.080] – Virginia Huling
So while we’re talking about joining these communities, what steps would you suggest to someone
who wants to maybe make a difference here in Kansas City and they’re not sure quite how to do it.
They’re starting a business or they’re doing their own thing and they love the city and want to be a part
of it. What are some ways that they could get involved through the chamber or through some of these
business communities? I mean.

[00:22:41.660] – Gretchen Moran
You just got to show up.

[00:22:43.790] – Virginia Huling
That easy.

[00:22:44.650] – Gretchen Moran
Yeah, it is. I mean, there’s websites for every single one of these to find out where they’re taking place.
And if you’re connected with other business owners, that’s what I found is probably most helpful is,
who’s the business next door and go talk to them? Because we’re not lone rangers here. I don’t think
that we were put on this planet to do life alone. We were put here to live life in community and help
each other. So what a better way than just to go next door to your neighbor that’s been doing
business for 20 years. And hey, what did you do? How did you get started? What communities are you
in? And just start talking to people. I’ve talked to so many business owners. You mentioned you’re an
introvert, and I run into a lot of people who are introverts. But it’s like they’re the business owner.
They’re the mouthpiece for their business. So it’s like, okay, well, if I’m an introvert, what would I do to
help myself get out of my comfort zone and either go to a meeting, whether you just show up or
you’re calling someone and, “Hey, I’m going to go to this thing. Do you want to go with me?” And just
find someone to go with you. And it’s as simple as that.

[00:23:57.260] – Virginia Huling
Get your networking buddy.

[00:23:58.170] – Gretchen Moran
Yeah. Just find a friend, another business owner, maybe that is looking for that same support and do
it together.

[00:24:06.430] – Virginia Huling
And a lot of times, I’m going to jump in real quick here. A lot of times these groups have people who
are greeters. They’re there at the door, they’re looking for new faces, they’re going to help walk you
through the ropes, show you the ropes.

[00:24:21.790] – Gretchen Moran
Yes. That’s one of the things I love. I love seeing people that are the wall flower because obviously I’m
an extrovert. So you see somebody that’s off in the corner, they’re not sure who to talk to, and I just go
up to them and introduce myself. She’s super proud. Who are you? What are you doing here? How did
you find out about us? And, Hey, I want to introduce you to so-and-so that’s my friend, and I think you
guys would be able to have a good connection. So you got to get out there and get outside of your
box, meet people, find a way. Everybody has a website nowadays, so even if you just have to get on
and send an email to the info at whatever and get some information if you don’t know of anybody. I
found that there’s a lot of people who are brand new to the community. They have no idea where to
start, so they call the chamber. Hey, I’m new to the community. I heard that there’s this farmer’s
market thing going on. Where can I get information? What a great way to just call.

[00:25:27.580] – Virginia Huling
What do you love about Kansas City and what do you think makes it stand out from other cities?
You’ve been here your whole life.

[00:25:36.630] – Gretchen Moran
Well, I haven’t been here my whole life. But I’m from here.

[00:25:39.990] – Virginia Huling
You are from here.

[00:25:40.760] – Gretchen Moran
I was born and raised here, went all the way up through high school, actually went away to college in
Florida. Then I went to Kentucky. And then I came home.

[00:25:50.310] – Virginia Huling
You got perspective.

[00:25:51.570] – Gretchen Moran
And then met a boy and went to Oklahoma. So did the Oklahoma thing for a while back and forth
between Oklahoma. And then I’ve been back here. So I’ve had an opportunity to live in Florida, live in
Oklahoma, live in Kentucky, been in other places, other cultures. Exactly different places. Very
different cultures. Right. Very different traffic styles. Very different weather styles. But I think what I
love most is the four seasons as much as I loathe winter because I am clearly a summer girl. I do
enjoy the four seasons. Having the spring and then the summer and then the fall and the winter and
just all of the changes and coming with that just because it reminds you of how… It reminds me of
how just life evolves and life changes. And sun’s always going to come up the next day. Spring is
always going to come. So it’s just that reminder to me of how life renews and we renew. And I just
think it’s beautiful. I think it’s beautiful. It’s fun. I mean, not even just the weather and the seasons, but
the culture we have here. I think there are so many people that are amazed that we have an arts
district. We have art galleries, we have museums, we have local artists that have stuff down on the
West Bottoms. We have fantastic food here. You can literally go to any part of the city, whether it’s in
Parkville or you’re going way up north to some little bitty town and chill a coffee in Missouri, or you’re
going down south to Olathe. We have fantastic restaurants all over. I feel like there’s people from all
over the world that come here and they plant here and they bring their food with them. And so you can
get a little taste of Jerusalem or you can get a taste of some Thai or you can get some really great
Mexican food.

[00:27:39.140] – Virginia Huling
I saw an Ethiopian restaurant down by the River Market. Can’t wait to try that. Blue Nile Cafe, I think.

[00:27:46.430] – Gretchen Moran
Literally any style of food you would want to try and enjoy it.

[00:27:51.200] – Virginia Huling
This big, wonderful, melting pot.

[00:27:53.350] – Gretchen Moran
Absolutely. We have some of the finest restaurants. We have four star restaurants in the city. And we
also have really cheap restaurants and the seven-minute Whataburger’s are going up everywhere.

[00:28:03.910] – Virginia Huling
And then we have, which brings us to our question.

[00:28:09.230] – Gretchen Moran
Food!

[00:28:11.180] – Virginia Huling
Where is the best barbecue in Kansas City, Gretchen?

[00:28:13.340] – Gretchen Moran
Well, I’m going to go a little un-PC here because there has been a name change to my favorite
barbecue place in the last few years. Okay. So to me, it will always be Oklahoma Joe’s barbecue, even
though it’s Joe’s KC or whatever it is now. No, it’s still Oklahoma Joe’s, and it’s the one in the gas
station. They have the best burnt ends of all time. I’ve eaten barbecue all over this country and no one
has better barbecue than Oklahoma Joe’s. Sorry, guys, but it’s Oklahoma Joe’s. Okay, we’re going to
have that to the list. Hands down. We’re going to check it out. You bet. Okay.

[00:28:49.350] – Virginia Huling
You have an opportunity based on just who you are and the circles that you’re involved in. You see a
lot of things that are happening in Kansas City. What are some unique opportunities or challenges
even that you see for Kansas City in the coming years?

[00:29:10.850] – Gretchen Moran
I mean, for the city as a whole, I think the greatest challenges that I’m hearing just from a business
perspective is rising cost of everything. I mean, if you looked at the gas pump, it’s crazy and it doesn’t
look like there are signs of it coming down. So cost is a huge factor. And then the other thing is labor
shortage. So the other part of my business I didn’t mention earlier is that I recently brought my
husband into my business. He retired from his union job last year and I brought him on as a
handyman because we go hand in hand the work that we do. And it’s really hard to find good help. Of
all of the groups that I’m a part of, I think that’s the biggest challenge we’re all facing. Anybody in the
trade, not even just the trades like retail and restaurants, anything in the service industry, people are
really struggling right now to find good help. I’m not sure what the answers are, but I definitely see the
challenges. I think we have some great opportunity with working with the schools, the colleges, the
high schools, and building together some mentoring programs, some apprenticeship programs. I
know that some of the schools here in the Northland are already working on that with the Northland
Caps program, and I think has their own program.

[00:30:32.100] – Virginia Huling
Which I’ve heard really great things about those programs.

[00:30:35.520] – Gretchen Moran
Yeah, they really are.

[00:30:36.560] – Virginia Huling
Like impressive for high school programs.

[00:30:38.800] – Gretchen Moran
Absolutely. So I think there’s some great opportunity to help bridge the gap of the kids coming out of
school, trying to get into the workforce. I know that there’s a lot of really smart people. I’d love to be a
part of that conversation. I’m not the answer.

[00:30:55.000] – Virginia Huling
You’re in the right places to have those conversations.

[00:30:57.140] – Gretchen Moran
Absolutely. And I think these are conversations that are being had, like places like the EDC because
I’ve heard it around the table at our EDC and also the Platte County EDC, they’ve been having these
conversations because one of the representatives from Metropolitan Community College has been
there talking about the programs that they have, that they’re working with local businesses to try to
get people in the colleges into the business world. How can we help alleviate the labor shortage?

[00:31:26.460] – Virginia Huling
Well, and keep good talent here.

[00:31:28.950] – Gretchen Moran
Right, exactly. Instead of kids going away to school and then not coming home because we need that
here. So we’ve got to be able to build some good infrastructure here and some good programming,
building these relationships between the education system and the workforce to be able to bring kids
right into a good job and to keep it right here in Kansas City.

[00:31:50.480] – Virginia Huling
Definitely. Are there any local leaders are or influencers here in Casey that inspire you? Who inspires
you, Gretchen?

[00:32:01.470] – Gretchen Moran
Oh, gosh. A few years ago, I got introduced to a lady named Jennifer Allwood. And she started out
with a painting business, just painting people’s homes. I think she did cabinetry and maybe did some
specialty work and just started her little painting business. And she did that successfully, I think she
said for like 17 years. And I got introduced to her not in person, but just online and started following
her on Instagram and Facebook and listening to her podcast. And she decided to lay down her
business. I think she may have sold it, but then she started to step into this place where she found
that there was an online presence of people who were looking for direction on, Hey, you started this
successful business, and how do I learn what you did? And so she’s built this incredible coaching
business where she is coaching brand new baby business owners and has developed this amazing
coaching program. You can ever get a hold of her and reach out to her. She is an amazing person. She
has put on a couple of women’s conferences here just helping women in the work world find the
resources that they need and help them to find their voice online. And so I have truly admired her,
even though I’m not in the online space, just to see what she’s been able to do starting her own little
business, having a family, being married. She’s also a Christian too. So she has got her hands in all of
that too. But then seeing her grow this amazing business. And she has six, seven-figure earner. I don’t
even know how much money she’s making now. So she’s making a huge difference.

[00:33:50.750] – Virginia Huling
In turning it around and helping others do that for themselves.

[00:33:54.600] – Gretchen Moran
Exactly. So she totally inspires me, but she’s fantastic. My best friend that I grew up with has been
doing my hair since we were probably 13. She is also Jennifer Allwood’s hairdresser. Oh, okay. Yeah.
And I just found this out a couple of years ago because Tiffany was telling me about it. I was just like,
Wait, you do her hair? What? This is so wild. Anyway, we share the same hairdresser.

[00:34:19.960] – Virginia Huling
You and your circles, Gretchen.

[00:34:21.490] – Gretchen Moran
It’s so crazy. I told you, the northland, two degrees of separation.

[00:34:24.990] – Virginia Huling
You’ve made it a small world, though. You really, you got to work at that. So closing this off, can you
recommend any local events or organizations or places that people should just know about? Like,
keep this in the back of your pocket. You should always know about this place.

[00:34:48.090] – Gretchen Moran
I mean, for me, it started in the networking world when I first started my business. And because I’m
just a solopreneur, I wasn’t looking for the great big, huge places to network. The chamber wasn’t
even on my radar at all. I was talking to other small business owners. I was like, Well, what are you
doing? And, Hey, I’m in this BNI chapter. Come check this out, or, Here’s this ACA thing and come and
check this out. So it started out really small for me and just little small groups of people. And then it
was just like then I was introduced to the bigger opportunities, the online group. So there’s a lot of
great online Facebook communities that you can be a part of. If you’re in the online space, I highly
recommend you to find there’s some great, I think it’s KC Women Entrepreneurs, that they’ve got a
huge group. I mean, there’s probably thousands of people in that group. There’s other amazing people
that have all kinds of conferences all over the city that are just locally focused. I would just say
whether you’re a solopreneur and find that small group and get connected. Then also, depending on
what I have found that whether you’re a structured person like I am or you’re a free spirit, one of those
kinds of groups are going to appeal to you. Usually it’s not both, but I think because I’m a left and a
right brain person, both of those worlds speak to me. I like the creative, free spirit of thing, but I like
the structured and accountability, and I like that thing too. Whether you just want to be a little bit a
part of something or you want to go all in and be fully connected. I think there’s a lot of different
groups out there. I don’t know that I would speak to just one of them because it may be different
depending on what their need is.

[00:36:42.600] – Virginia Huling
Well, and how you fit into that as well. That sounds like it’s a good opportunity to go and meet lots of
these places and find where you fit in. Gretchen, that’s one of the many reasons I was excited to have
you on the show talking about when you want to jump in like that and these kinds of questions that
we’re asking our guests and you’re living proof of it. You came out, you started your business. You
started in what you say is just a small little networking groove, but you’ve got massive overlap in three
or four really big areas in a really big city. I think that’s just phenomenal and thank you so much for
coming on the show. I know you’re busy woman and you do not have a lot of time to spare. I just
wanted to thank you for coming on here, letting our listeners know about all of the information going
on with the chamber. We’ll make sure that if… We’re Going to let our listeners know that if you go to
thekcleaderspodcast.com or look below the video here on YouTube, you can see the links out to the
Parkville Chamber of Commerce and some of the other communities that Gretchen mentioned here
on the show. And I just want to thank you again for being here with us.

[00:38:02.290] – Gretchen Moran
Thank you for having me! This has been great. Definitely enjoyed it.

[00:38:05.880] – Producer
Thank you for listening to the KC Leaders Podcast. Please remember to like, share, subscribe, and
leave a review wherever you listen. For more information about this podcast, you can visit
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