Presenter: James Bierly, Owner, Secure Point Solutions Date: April 21, 2020 Time: 12:00pm–1:00pm Location: The Iowa Center In this presentation we will show you how attackers gain information to use against you and your business; and show ways to defend yourself from Internet threats. About our speaker James Bierly is the owner of Secure Point Solutions in central Iowa. He’s been in the IT industry for 13 years after working in the Navy and military contract world for a decade. He has experience creating IT solutions for with large corporations to very small businesses in Iowa and Nebraska.  

Join us for a special edition of DreamBuilder to help you pivot your business plan in the face of COVID-19 challenges. This four session course will help you consider how you need to shift your business plan to withstand the current crisis and how to prepare for a post-coronavirus marketplace. April 28, 2-3 pm | Heidi Mannetter, Drake University April 30, 2-3 pm | Ying Sa, Community CPA May 5, 2-3 pm  | Sally Cooper Smith, Cooper Smith & Company May 7, 2-3 pm | Iowa Center staff Additional class details to come.

Date: May 1, 2020 Time: 12:00pm–1:00pm Location: The Iowa Center First Friday goes virtual. While we will miss seeing your faces at our office, we still want you to gather virtually and hear the entrepreneurial story of our special guest, Kendra Erkamaa, CEO of Triangle Financial Services in Des Moines, Iowa.  

Presenter: Erik Dominguez, owner of Speak Up Stories Date: May 5, 2020 Time: 12:00pm–1:00pm Location: Online Going to meetings looks much different right now, but the desire to zoom out of one is still the same if the speaker is not engaging. With online webinar audiences having their distractions more easily accessible, the need to master and execute public speaking fundamentals is just as critical as with a live audience. This workshop will give you tips, tricks, hacks, and resources to sharpen your screen to screen speaking skills, keeping your audience captivated on you and your message. About our speaker Erik Dominguez is a public speaking and storytelling trainer, educator, and coach, and owner of Speak Up Stories. For nearly 25 years, Erik's team-oriented speaking and teaching style has centered around shared experiences, a philosophy that everyone has a unique story, and a belief that everyone can share their minds and hearts through powerful presentations.  

You know you must sell to be in business, but for many small businesses we hear that ‘selling’ to others makes them feel uneasy. Join sales professional, Anna Mason of PI Midwest, to learn how to redefine your sales process by building real relationships with your customers that translate into sales you can feel good about.

Presenters: Polina Engel, April Caudill, Tyler Phelps, Sarah Frieberg, Principal Financial Group Date: May 14, 2020 Time: 12:00pm–1:00pm Location: Online These are definitely uncertain times and we are here to help. Please join us in a webinar presented by the Midwest Business Center of Principal Financial Group that will share how you and your business can get the most benefit from the different loans, relief programs and benefits created under the CARES Act. And meet two Financial Advisors working with businesses to help navigate through these turbulent times that have personal experience with the PPP loan. About our speakers Sarah Frieberg was raised on an Iowa farm, and took an early interest in savings and investing, opening her first accounts when she was in the sixth grade. That interest became a strength as she earned degrees from Drake University in Finance, Accounting and Marketing. Sarah works to encourage, empower and inspire clients. She describes her job in finances as bumpers in the bowling alley. She keeps errant balls in play and out of the gutter because it’s not about scoring a perfect game but making progress. She is married to Luke and they are HGTV junkies, love to travel on a shoestring budget and spend their free time renovating old homes. Sarah earned her degrees from Drake University in Finance, Accounting and Marketing. Polina Engel is an Advanced Solutions Director at The Principal Financial Group®. In this role, she is a resource for areas within the company, as well as for agents and brokers for consultation in business succession and valuation, employee benefits, retirement, and estate planning. Prior to specializing in advanced business solutions, Polina represented clients as an attorney at a large Milwaukee law firm, then later as a solo practitioner where she served both as an attorney and...

Presenters: Lori Hackney, SBA Date: May 19, 2020 Time: 12:00pm–12:30 pm Location: Online Join us for a quick overview of the Payment Protection Program (PPP). Lori Hackney, Economic Development Specialist from the U.S. Small Business Administration will talk on the what, why, and how the PPP can help small businesses.

Presenters: Samantha Wagner and Nora Walsh Date: May 26, 2020 Time: 12:00pm–1:00pm Location: Online Commercial leases often contain provisions that business owners (especially new ones) have never encountered. This can lead to headaches, frustration, and occasionally legal fees once an attorney gets involved. Join Samantha Wagner, attorney for Iowa Legal Aid and Nora Walsh, Commercial Real Estate Advisor at SVN | CREATE for a discussion of practical considerations to think about before you sign a commercial lease agreement to save your future self money, time, and the distraction of dealing with a lease issue while running a business.