WEMO + WBC: A Rural Success Story Featured on a National Media Tour

Rondle Dines

July 30, 2025

How WEMO Wagyu Launched with Help from Our Women’s Business Center

When Miranda Wheatley-Kassner and her husband launched WEMO Wagyu near Rich Hill, Missouri, a small town of about 1200 residents, they knew they wanted to do more than raise cattle—they wanted to build a business that connected people with high-quality Wagyu beef. But turning that vision into reality required more than hard work on the farm. It meant creating a real business strategy, developing marketing plans, and building confidence to grow. That’s where the New Growth Women’s Business Center (WBC) came in.

The New Growth WBC will feature Miranda’s story during the Association of Women's Business Centers (AWBC) National Media Tour event on August 12, 2025, at the Liston Center in El Dorado Springs. As one of only five WBCs nationwide selected for this spotlight, the event will celebrate and highlight how rural women entrepreneurs are building businesses that feed communities and local economies.

Join us! Show your support and help us celebrate at this event. Help us plan and RSVP here.

From Facebook Post to Rural Growth Story

Miranda first connected with New Growth when she saw a post about the Business Builder grant in her Facebook feed. The grant was offered through the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, which New Growth co-directs. This led her to connect with Jaclyn Carroll, a business counselor who specializes in working with farm businesses. Through this business assistance, the Kassners gained a structured plan and a clear focus for WEMO Wagyu’s future.

“Jaclyn helped us step back and really see what we wanted,” Miranda says. “When you start a small business, you think you have to do everything — farmers markets, every possible sales channel. She helped us realize we didn’t have to stretch ourselves thin. We could build a direct-to-consumer business that worked with our life and our strengths.”

Thanks to this guidance, WEMO Wagyu bypassed the traditional farmers market route and built a thriving direct sales model, delivering premium Wagyu beef directly to customers. Most deliveries are within a 40-mile radius, although they occasionally meet buyers from Kansas City halfway.

Through social media and word of mouth, sales continue to grow. WEMO Wagyu began finishing its own cattle in 2024, selling four Wagyu steers through custom butchering. With support from the WBC, they secured a line of credit, scaled up, and are now on track to finish 15 calves in 2025, nearly quadrupling their inventory. They expect to increase sales by more than $40,000 this year. Miranda attributes this growth directly to the structure and accountability the Women’s Business Center provided.

They are not just selling more —they are reaching more customers. With that demand comes the challenge of growing cold storage transportation logistics, but they are not facing it alone. “We were able to connect them to resources and proven models from similar businesses they can draw from,” Jaclyn notes. “Instead of spending two years figuring it out on their own, they are set up to move forward faster and smarter.”

Miranda says the impact of the WBC has gone beyond business strategy. “We’re both the kind of people who need accountability,” she explains. “Having the WBC there to guide us and hold us to our goals has made all the difference. Without that support, I don’t think we would have pushed forward like we have.”

Why This Matters for Rural Missouri (and Beyond)

Miranda’s journey highlights why the WBC’s work is vital for rural communities. Small businesses like WEMO Wagyu not only bring unique products to the region but also create economic opportunities for families and neighbors. For Miranda, the dream is to grow WEMO Wagyu into a business that supports others—whether family members or people in the community.

Miranda’s story illustrates what we see every day across our rural service area:

Opportunity is widely distributed. Business know‑how isn’t. Many farm families and rural residents have marketable products but need a partner to help them test assumptions, run numbers, and focus effort.
Time is a scarce rural resource. The “standard” path (like weekly markets) may not always work for rural entrepreneurs when driving long distances, off‑farm jobs, child care, and production schedules collide. Tailored strategies matter.
Small technical shifts create outsized impact. Getting an intro to a planning tool, a reality check on channel choices, or a nudge to formalize invoicing can accelerate growth.
Capital access + clarity = confidence. Knowing what to borrow, why, and how to repay makes lenders more comfortable — and helps rural businesses scale on purpose, not by accident.

When rural entrepreneurs get that kind of support early, they move faster, avoid burnout, and build businesses that create local income, processing demand, and food access. That’s regional economic development in action.

In the last two years alone, New Growth WBC has:

Served over 800 clients
Supported 10 brand new businesses
Supported over 1200 jobs
Worked with over 100 people in credit building workshops
Facilitated over $400,000 in capital infusions through our microlending program

And, we're just getting started!

See Miranda at the AWBC Media Tour News Conference

The New Growth Women’s Business Center will feature Miranda’s story during the AWBC National Media Tour event on August 12, 2025, at the Liston Center in El Dorado Springs. As one of only five WBCs nationwide selected for this spotlight, the event will celebrate and highlight how rural women entrepreneurs are building businesses that feed communities and local economies.

Join us! Show your support and help us celebrate at this event. Help us plan and RSVP here.

About WEMO Wagyu

WEMO Wagyu raises premium Wagyu beef using regenerative practices near Rich Hill, Missouri, serving households and farm partners across West Central Missouri and surrounding areas. Direct orders, regional deliveries, and custom quarters/halves available as inventory allows. Genetics leasing options available for small herds. Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wemowagyu/

About New Growth Women’s Business Center

The New Growth Women’s Business Center (WBC) helps rural entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses through coaching, training, and connections to capital.

New Growth is a rural community development corporation based in west central Missouri and co‑director of the Heartland Regional Food Business Center. We foster entrepreneurship, build child care business capacity, grow local food systems, and coordinate a volunteer driver network that connects people to critical needs.