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!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 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!

Date: Thursday, December 4, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 5:00 pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 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: Recruiting strategies and onboarding Employee development and training Performance evaluations and retention strategies Understanding payroll, benefits, and legal compliance Action Items: Draft a job description and an onboarding plan Develop employment policies and procedures Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 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: Marcia Treichel & The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 pm Location: 2210 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here Financial Health Chase Money Skills is a financial education program designed to help students and communities improve their financial health. The program offers practical guidance on topics like budgeting, saving, credit management, and fraud prevention. Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, 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 for a one hour class 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! 

        Date: Monday, December 15, 2025 Time: 9:00 - 4:00pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here Hosted in partnership with Bank Iowa  |  Limited Spots Available Join us for a free 30-minute professional photo session designed to help you create high-quality content for your business. Whether you need updated headshots, product photos, or visuals for your social media and website, this session is built to support your brand’s growth. What’s Included: A 30-minute personalized photo session Professional headshots Product or service photography Edited images and raw files for full creative flexibility If your business sells products, artwork, or other tangible items, feel free to bring them so we can feature them in your photos. We will reach out via email during the week of December 8th to confirm your appointment and share final details. Click here to register! 

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 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!