Events

          Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: Online Register: Here Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner looking to make a big impact with a limited marketing budget? Look no further than "Marketing for Startups with a Small Budget - A Blueprint for Small Business Marketing." This course is designed to empower you with the knowledge and strategies needed to effectively market your startup or small business without breaking the bank. In today's competitive business landscape, creativity and resourcefulness can be your greatest assets, and this course will show you how to leverage them to achieve remarkable marketing results. Throughout this course, you will delve into innovative, cost-effective marketing techniques tailored specifically for startups and small businesses. From crafting a compelling brand story and harnessing the power of social media to mastering guerrilla marketing tactics and optimizing your online presence, you'll gain a comprehensive toolkit for maximizing your marketing efforts on a shoestring budget. Join us on a journey to discover how to reach your target audience, generate leads, and build a loyal customer base, all while managing your resources efficiently. By the end of this course, you'll have a solid blueprint for navigating the world of marketing as a small business, setting you on a path toward sustainable growth and success. Don't let a limited budget hold you back – learn how to market smarter, not harder, and watch your business thrive. Click here to register!

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: Online Register: Here As your business grows, so does your team. This session will help you prepare for the people side of expansion by covering effective hiring practices, employee development, and retention strategies. You'll also gain an understanding of key HR responsibilities to help you build a strong, compliant workplace that supports continued growth. What You'll Learn Recruit and onboard employees for a growing business. Strengthen employee development and retention efforts. Understand payroll, benefits, and HR compliance considerations. Click here to register! 

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here Growth requires thoughtful financial planning. This session will help you evaluate your business's financial readiness, create a budget for expansion, and understand the funding options available to support your goals. You'll leave with practical tools to help you make informed financial decisions as your business continues to grow. What You'll Learn Assess your business's financial readiness for growth. Create an expansion budget and cash flow projections. Explore funding options and measure financial performance. Click here to register! 

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Monday, November 2, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30pm Location: 2210 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here Small business taxes can be complicated. Understanding your obligations and keeping good records makes the process easier and helps you avoid costly surprises. Join The Iowa Center’s in-house Small Business Tax Professional to learn strategies to prepare for tax time. We will also share information about Iowa Center Services that can help you plan for tax time success. Click here to register! 

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Location: Online Register: Here Getting started in your small business journey can be daunting…let us help you make the process and little easier as we outline some basic steps to Getting Ready! What are the first steps needed to business ownership? What’s a business plan and why do you need one? What are the various types of legal business entities? How do you register your business? Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: Online Register: Here As a small business owner, you won’t ever really know the unexpected challenges or opportunities that await you in life and business. Always Ready: Lending is a working session for you to learn how to financially prepare your small business for the next step in your journey. The Iowa Center staff will show you what you need to do to always be ready to make financial moves in your business, including applying for a loan or buying/selling new goods. This class is especially for you if you’ve ever been denied a loan or need a helping hand to get your financials on track. Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here As a small business owner, you won’t ever really know the unexpected challenges or opportunities that await you in life and business. Always Ready: Lending is a working session for you to learn how to financially prepare your small business for the next step in your journey. The Iowa Center staff will show you what you need to do to always be ready to make financial moves in your business, including applying for a loan or buying/selling new goods. This class is especially for you if you’ve ever been denied a loan or need a helping hand to get your financials on track. Click here to register!

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: Online Register: Here Growth requires thoughtful financial planning. This session will help you evaluate your business's financial readiness, create a budget for expansion, and understand the funding options available to support your goals. You'll leave with practical tools to help you make informed financial decisions as your business continues to grow. What You'll Learn Assess your business's financial readiness for growth. Create an expansion budget and cash flow projections. Explore funding options and measure financial performance. Click here to register! 

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: Online Register: Here Running a small business requires more than having a passion and a vision. To be successful you need to have your financials in order. Unless you are familiar with bookkeeping basics, you might not know how crucial having the right financial documents are to your success. Join The Iowa Center staff as we go over the most useful and important financial documents for your small business. We will discuss and define: Income Statement/Profit and Loss Statement Cash Flow Statement Balance Sheet Accounts Receivable Budget Click here to register!

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30pm Location: 2210 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here As your business grows, so do your financial needs. Excel and QuickBooks can both help you manage your business finances, but knowing which tool is right for you can make managing your business a little easier. In this class, The Iowa Center staff will walk you through the differences between Excel and QuickBooks, including the benefits, limitations, costs, and best uses of each. We’ll explore when Excel may be the right fit, when QuickBooks may better meet your needs, and what to consider as your business grows. We’ll also discuss how you can make the transition from Excel to QuickBooks when the time comes. Click here to register! 

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: Online Register: Here Growing your business means reaching new customers in meaningful ways. In this session, you'll explore marketing strategies designed to increase brand awareness, connect with your target audience, and support long-term growth. Learn how to create a marketing plan that can scale alongside your business and measure the impact of your efforts. What You'll Learn Understand the role marketing plays in business growth. Identify and reach new target markets. Create a scalable marketing strategy with measurable results. Click here to register! 

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here A successful expansion starts with a solid plan. This session focuses on building a strategy that supports sustainable growth by helping you identify the resources, capital, and people needed to move your business forward. You'll also learn how to anticipate potential risks and create a roadmap for achieving your expansion goals. What You'll Learn Build a strategic roadmap for business expansion. Determine the capital needed to support growth. Learn how to build the right team and manage expansion risks. Click here to register!