Day/Time: Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM (for full details and class schedule, click here!) Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 In our final session, we’ll celebrate your hard work and growth throughout the course. This graduation class is your opportunity to put everything you’ve learned into action by presenting your business pitch and sharing your marketing strategy with your peers and instructors. You’ll have the chance to showcase your brand story, creative marketing ideas, and the strategies you’ve developed to reach your audience on a budget. This is a supportive and engaging space to gain feedback, network with fellow entrepreneurs, and be inspired by the innovative approaches others have crafted. We’ll close out the course by recognizing your accomplishments and setting the stage for your next steps as a confident, resourceful business owner ready to make an impact.

          Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here Navigating sales tax doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Join us for a practical, beginner-friendly session on the basics of Iowa sales tax. We’ll cover key topics like: What’s taxable (and what’s not) When use tax applies How to determine the correct rate to charge We’ll also walk through the essentials of staying compliant — from setting up your tax account and registering for the right permit to filing and paying on time. Plus, we’ll explain what to do if you ever receive a letter from the Iowa Department of Revenue. The presenter for this session is Tim Reilly, Counsel at BrownWinick law firm, who previously worked for the DOR as a tax attorney and sales tax policy director and as a state and local tax expert at an accounting firm. Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, November 12, 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: Wednesday, November 12, 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: Monday, November 17, 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, November 18, 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: Wednesday, November 19, 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!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Location: Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado Street, Rm 8 Strahan Hall, Muscatine, IA 52761 Register: Here From Idea to Plan:  Starting your small business journey can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to do it alone. In this small-group session, The Iowa Center staff will walk you through the first steps of launching your business, from understanding legal business entities and registering your business to creating a business plan that turns your ideas into actionable goals. You’ll learn why a business plan is essential, how to start building one, and get a clear road map for completing it. Along the way, you’ll connect with other aspiring entrepreneurs, share ideas, and gain the confidence to take the next steps toward business ownership. Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, November 19, 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: Thursday, September 25, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 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!

Date: Thursday, November 20, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 5:00 pm Location: Virtual Register: Here Elevate is The Iowa Center’s more advanced 5-class series that helps our clients develop growth strategies for their established small businesses. The series is open to clients who received assistance to launch and grow their small businesses and are ready for the next step, as well as existing businesses seeking education and support to strengthen, stabilize and grow. Topics: Branding and messaging consistency Digital marketing (SEO, social media, email marketing) Content marketing, lead generation, and building customer loyalty Measuring ROI on marketing efforts Action Items: Build a basic marketing campaign Craft a 3 minute business pitch Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 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!