KYLE JOHNSON | Audio Anywhere

Back in 2008, amid an explosion in mobile technology, Kyle Johnson looked at two problems and identified correlations that could spark a new business. Since then, the 28-year-old has been busy solidifying his business model, raising capital and defining a market position for AudioAnywhere, based in Lawrence. With an e-commerce platform to monetize free content, AudioAnywhere is attacking an issue that has dogged the music industry for more than a decade—by some estimates, 95 percent of digital downloads are illegal, crushing the revenues of artists. But Johnson is also going after the static audio experience of people on the go, who lack fully personalized, interactive options presented by traditional radio, satellite radio and podcasts. “The future of music will be based on free, ad-supported services,” Johnson says, “but the ads need to generate more money per song.” By his calculus, ads from AudioAnywhere can meet the music industry’s needs, yielding 20 times the revenue of today’s online audio ads. With projected earnings of one cent per online song—and an estimated 1 trillion of them to be played annually by 2016—AudioAnywhere envisions a huge potential market. “I’m an entrepreneur because I love to solve problems,” says Johnson. “To me, nothing else is more enjoyable” than finding creative solutions to vexing issues.

ASHLEY MATHENY | Northwestern Mutual

Not many companies with $23 billion annual revenue are family businesses. But Northwestern Mutual has been part of the McTighe family for four generations, including its latest: 24-year-old Ashley Matheny, a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual’s RPS Financial Group in Overland Park. F.B. McTighe, Matheny’s great-grandfather, “was a Northwestern Mutual representative who believed that we write our own life story and are in control of our own destiny,” Matheny says. She seized control of her own destiny right away at Northwestern, earning a company Pacesetter 40 award with nearly five times the number of policies written, and nearly three times the premium volume, as the next closest representative during her first six months in that role. How? In part, by tapping into what her grandfather (a former managing partner of the office here) had told her: “Do what is best for your clients, and your success will be endless.” “For me,” Matheny says, “this is more than a career; it is a calling,” and she says she’s most excited by the endless opportunity in her line of work. “I enjoy being an entrepreneur,” Matheny says, “because I am able to get paid for the impact and value that I provide to my clients in the Kansas City community.”

JOE ORSCHELN | CB Richard Ellis

“When it looked as though a deal was about to crater, Joe surprised me and resurrected it with a creative solution” that benefited all parties. So says attorney Sean Ervin, addressing the commercial realty negotiating skills of 29-year-old Joe Orscheln. A Kansas City native, this Rockhurst High School graduate came back home after earning his degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Orscheln joined CB Richard Ellis in 2006 and has developed a specialization in industrial real estate, representing both tenants and landlords. He is responsible for deals that have placed tenants in properties covering an aggregate 2.5 million square feet, drawing on what his bosses say is deep knowledge of the local market that helps his clients achieve their goals. Orscheln is also a member of the company’s life science group, focused on biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device and related industries. “An entrepreneur,” Orscheln says, “is someone who has a vision for a new enterprise and seizes the opportunity” to make it a complete success. He tries to apply that vision to his work in commercial realty, and says successful entrepreneurship flows from an understanding of not just one’s strengths, but one’s weaknesses, and tapping into resources that offset the latter.

SCOTT SACHSE | McInnes Group

Anybody in the health-care sector will tell you that last year’s federal reforms were game-changers. Scott Sachse’s take on that? “When the game changes, the score goes back to zero, and it is an excellent opportunity for a young entrepreneur to stand out from the crowd.” As one of the top young producers for the McInnes Group, specializing in employer benefits consulting, Sachse is suited up for that new game. Because benefits have become such a major line item on company books, he says, business owners have taken harder looks at how their plans are structured. Offering advice to clients twice his age hasn’t been without challenges, but Sachse has been able to overcome suspicions about his analytical competencies by doing his homework and applying superior knowledge. “My business plan is quite simple,” he says. “I identify a specific need and offer a new and creative solution.” By focusing on areas where potential clients are exposed to new levels of benefits-design sophistication, Sachse has steadily increased his client base at McInnes. At 29, he has built a premium block of business that runs eight figures deep. How? “Successful people must be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses,” Sachse says. “You must lead the charge in areas of strength and surround yourself with partners that complement areas of weakness.”