Date: Tuesday, August 12 Time: 3:30 - 5:00 pm Location: The Iowa Center Office 2210 Grand Ave Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here Join us as we celebrate us celebrate the impact of The Iowa Center’s work to empower Iowans to launch, manage, grow, and finance successful small businesses. And as we toast Megan Milligan, who is departing The Iowa Center after more than a decade to serve as President of Anawim Housing. Raise a glass in gratitude to Megan and in celebration of all of the small businesses who have achieved success with help from The Iowa Center under her leadership. Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: Online Register: Here Understanding your Personal Credit and How to Establish Business Credit.   Did you know that when you apply for a small business loan odds are that you will have to apply using your personal credit? This information is used by lenders and creditors to assess your creditworthiness and determine whether to lend you money or extend credit. Understanding your personal credit is an essential part of managing your finances and achieving your financial goals. We will also discuss everything you need to know about building personal credit for your business, including why it's important, how to get started, and best practices for maintaining good credit!  Click here to register!

          Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025 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: Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00pm Location: Online Register: Here Turn your dream into a plan with this small group, one-hour business planning class. The Iowa Center staff will help you kickstart your business plan by providing you a road map on completing your plan and taking the next steps towards business ownership. Also connect with other aspiring small business owners to refine your business ideas as you put them into real plans. Click here to register! 

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025 Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Location: Virtual Register: Here A four-part series designed to build financial confidence and long-term security. This four-class series offers crucial financial literacy skills, including budgeting, credit scores, saving strategies, fraud prevention, health insurance, and retirement planning. In the first session, participants will learn how to create and maintain a budget and understand credit scores. The second session will focus on developing effective saving habits and recognizing financial fraud. The final two sessions will cover navigating health care options, planning for retirement, and understanding estate planning for long-term financial empowerment. Additional individual coaching will be available between each session to provide further support. Questions about the course? Contact Nick Meyer at nmeyer@ls2group.com Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, September 4, 2025 Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Location: Virtual Register: Here A four-part series designed to build financial confidence and long-term security. This four-class series offers crucial financial literacy skills, including budgeting, credit scores, saving strategies, fraud prevention, health insurance, and retirement planning. In the first session, participants will learn how to create and maintain a budget and understand credit scores. The second session will focus on developing effective saving habits and recognizing financial fraud. The final two sessions will cover navigating health care options, planning for retirement, and understanding estate planning for long-term financial empowerment. Additional individual coaching will be available between each session to provide further support. Questions about the course? Contact Nick Meyer at nmeyer@ls2group.com Click here to register!

Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Time: 8:00 - 9:30 am Location: Rook Room Game Lounge & Cafe 300 SW 5th Street Des Moines, IA 50309 Register: Here Parking: Street and nearby ramp parking is available The “Made In Iowa“ series is a panel discussion exploring the role of small businesses in connecting communities and building culture. This session, we are partnering with three small businesses to discuss their journeys to small business ownership. Join us for a panel discussion, featuring:• Annelise Tarnowski & Tony Tandeski The Rook Room• Maggie Koos, Koos Medical• David Fautsch, Fautsch Tursi• Moderated by Jennifer Thomas, Program Director of The Iowa Center's        Women's Business Center Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025 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, September 10, 2025 Time: 3:00 pm - 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, September 11, 2025 Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Location: Virtual Register: Here A four-part series designed to build financial confidence and long-term security. This four-class series offers crucial financial literacy skills, including budgeting, credit scores, saving strategies, fraud prevention, health insurance, and retirement planning. In the first session, participants will learn how to create and maintain a budget and understand credit scores. The second session will focus on developing effective saving habits and recognizing financial fraud. The final two sessions will cover navigating health care options, planning for retirement, and understanding estate planning for long-term financial empowerment. Additional individual coaching will be available between each session to provide further support. Questions about the course? Contact Nick Meyer at nmeyer@ls2group.com Click here to register!

Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 Time: 9:00 am - 11:00 am Location: Virtual Registration: Click Here Work for Yourself@50+ is a workshop to help you gain the knowledge, support, and resources you need to make informed decisions about working for yourself and take the right first steps toward successful self-employment. The decision to start your own business can be both exciting and daunting. Work for Yourself@50+ breaks the choices down for older adults in an approachable way through five steps: 1. A careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks of working for yourself 2. Exercises to help develop the self-employment idea 3. A realistic overview of what it takes to pursue a self-employment opportunity 4. Guidance to help avoid pitfalls and scams 5. Ways to find trustworthy support and services This is an online webinar. In order to access the webinar, you will need either a laptop, tablet or smartphone that is connected to the internet. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email that provides access information to join the webinar. Click here to register!  The Iowa Center Women's Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 Time: 3:00 pm - 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!