The Toolbox

What The Toolbox does

The Toolbox is a nonprofit small business resource center headquartered at 726 Armstrong Ave, Kansas City, KS, serving entrepreneurs throughout Wyandotte County, Kansas. Founded in May 2021 as an outgrowth of the Kauffman Foundation-funded Kansas City ESHIP Communities initiative (2019), the organization provides free one-on-one consulting, recurring workshops (e.g., Essential Steps to Launching Your Business in English and Spanish, Google Sheets/Excel for Business), multi-session cohort programs (Kauffman FastTrac Dreams to Reality), the annual Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge for high school students, and the Food Biz Conference for food entrepreneurs. The core product is private small business coaching delivered by a small staff led by Executive Director Gabe Muñoz and Small Business Navigator Norma Loya.

The Toolbox does not sell a product or technology platform; its underlying "infrastructure" is a network of community partnerships with Downtown Shareholders (primary office host), El Centro KCK (bilingual venue), KCK Community College (YEC venue), the Kauffman Foundation (programming and funding), Arvest Bank, and the Kansas City, Kansas Unified Government. Service delivery is bilingual (English and Spanish), culturally competent, and explicitly designed to address four identified barriers for local entrepreneurs: trust deficits with service providers, lack of cultural competency among support organizations, absence of multilingual programming, and limited awareness of existing resources.

The business model is a freemium nonprofit model: all services are provided at no cost to entrepreneurs, and operating revenue (grant inflows from foundations, corporate sponsors, and government partners) is not publicly disclosed. The organization has no proprietary software, no API, no patents, no app, and no digital product; its core assets are community trust, partnerships, and the ability to convene local entrepreneurs around free programming.

Name

The Toolbox

Legal name

The Toolbox

Website

https://thetoolboxkc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Toolbox is a free, nonprofit small business resource center serving Wyandotte County, Kansas, providing bilingual (English/Spanish) one-on-one consulting, workshops, cohort programs, and an annual youth entrepreneurship competition to local and minority entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based) (EDAAAFAM)

Keywords

• Small business consulting
• Entrepreneur education
• Youth entrepreneurship
• Nonprofit business services
• Bilingual workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Services (Non-profit): All services are provided at no cost to local residents and businesses. The Toolbox operates as a non-profit resource center funded by grants and community supporters. Revenue comes from foundations (Kauffman Foundation), corporate sponsors, and government partnerships rather than from service fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Toolbox is a free small business resource center that delivers one-on-one consulting, cohort-based training (Kauffman FastTrac), youth entrepreneurship programming (Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge), educational workshops in English and Spanish, and an annual Food Biz Conference. Services are aimed at aspiring and current small business owners in Wyandotte County, Kansas, with explicit outreach to minority and Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs.

Product overview

The Toolbox is a free small business resource center serving Wyandotte County, Kansas. The organization operates as a service-based hub offering one-on-one consulting, workshops, and programs. Its core offering is private small business coaching, supported by recurring workshops (Essential Steps to Launching Your Business in English and Spanish, Google Sheets/Excel for Business) and longer cohort programs (Kauffman FastTrac Dreams to Reality). The Toolbox also runs signature programs including the annual Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge competition and the Food Biz Conference. All services are provided at no cost to local residents and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-on-One Small Business Consulting Free, individualized advisory sessions in which a Small Business Navigator guides an entrepreneur through starting, formalizing, or growing their business. Available to aspiring and current small business owners in Wyandotte County, Kansas.
• Essential Steps to Launching your Business Workshop English-language group workshop covering the essential steps to launch a business, targeted at aspiring entrepreneurs in Wyandotte County.
• Pasos Esenciales para Lanzar su Negocio Workshop Spanish-language group workshop covering the essential steps to launch a business, targeted at Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs in Wyandotte County.
• Como usar Google Sheet/Excel para su Negocio Workshop Spanish-language workshop teaching small business owners how to use Google Sheets and Excel for their business operations.
• Kauffman FastTrac "Dreams to Reality" Program Structured, multi-session entrepreneurship education program delivered in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, guiding participants from concept to launch.
• Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) Annual entrepreneurship education and competition program for youth in Wyandotte County, providing hands-on business experience and pitch opportunities.
• Food Biz Conference Annual conference organized by The Toolbox for food entrepreneurs, providing networking and education in the food business sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully helped entrepreneurs secure EDIL and PPP loans
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCKCC serves as the venue for the annual Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) competition. The college provides facilities at the Jewell Building for the multi-day event where high school students compete in business competitions.
• El Centro KCKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEl Centro KCK hosts Toolbox workshops and programs at their location on Minnesota Ave. This partnership helps reach Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs and provides culturally appropriate venue space for bilingual programming.
• Downtown ShareholderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDowntown Shareholders hosts The Toolbox's primary office location and serves as a venue for workshops and one-on-one meetings. This partnership provides the organization with physical space to operate its programs.
• Kansas City, Kansas Unified GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Unified Government is a community partner that supports The Toolbox's mission to serve Wyandotte County entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SCORE: National nonprofit network providing free small business mentoring, workshops, and resources. Directly comparable mission of free, volunteer-driven small business advisory services, though SCORE operates nationally rather than at a county level.
• Women's Business Centers (WBC): SBA-sponsored centers providing free business training and mentoring to underserved entrepreneurs, often including bilingual services. Closely comparable in offering targeted free advising to underrepresented small business owners.

Others

• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Primary funder and programmatic partner rather than a service peer. Comparable as a funder of entrepreneurship ecosystem initiatives and the source of FastTrac curriculum that The Toolbox delivers.
• Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC): Initiative supporting small businesses in under-resourced communities through training and capital connections. Comparable focus on minority and underserved urban entrepreneurs, though oriented more to capital readiness than grassroots advising.

Regional players

• Goodwill of Kansas: Regional nonprofit operating small business and workforce development programs for underserved populations. Comparable as a community-based provider of free entrepreneurial and vocational training in the Kansas City area.
• NetWork Kansas: Statewide Kansas nonprofit connecting entrepreneurs to resources, capital, and mentors through community partners. Comparable mission of free, community-based small business support, though operating statewide rather than county-level.
• Local Startup Junkie: Entrepreneur support organization serving the broader Kansas City region with community events, workshops, and founder resources. Comparable mission of grassroots entrepreneur support within the same metropolitan area as The Toolbox.

Direct peers

• Small Business Development Centers (SBDC): Federally funded network of local centers offering free consulting and training to entrepreneurs. SBDCs operate the same free one-on-one advising and workshop model, with local Kansas SBDC partners serving overlapping Wyandotte County businesses.
• Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Centers: Federal centers providing free business consulting and access to capital for minority entrepreneurs. Highly comparable target population and service mix, including multilingual and culturally competent support.

Emerging players

• Communities Creating Economic Opportunity (CEO): National network of local collaboratives focused on inclusive entrepreneurship in underserved communities. Comparable approach of locally rooted, barrier-focused small business support programs targeting minority entrepreneurs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheToolboxKC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-toolbox-kc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Toolbox