Presenter: Cassie Sampson, Owner, East Village Day Spa Date: July 2, 2021 Time: 12 – 1pm Location: Online Register: Here  Come and listen to the stories of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community members making their mark in Iowa. As you create your own story, treat yourself to this time each month to rekindle your entrepreneurial spirit and connect with others. In July listen to the amazing story of Cassie Sampson, owner of East Village Spa. About our speaker Cassie Sampson opened East Village Spa in 2008, which has grown to employ a team of 20. At East Village Spa, the motto is Every. Body. Welcome. We strive to provide a comfortable place for diverse employees and guests, with skilled massage therapy, skin care and safe manicures and pedicures. In addition to services, East Village Spa has a gift shop and online retail store.  Cassie is active in professional and community organizations like NAWBO and local Chambers of Commerce. She serves on the boards of the Des Moines AM Rotary Club and the Historic East Village Neighborhood Association. She chairs the Iowa Board of Massage Therapy and strives to elevate professional integrity in her industry. Cassie lives with her husband and has a soft spot for naughty rescue hounds, doing fundraising activities for animal rescue and welfare organizations.  To register, click here. 

Presenter: Mackenzie Ryan Walters, CEO + Chief Storytelling Officer of StoryStruck Marketing Date: July 13, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Thousands, if not millions, of dollars in sales are lost everyday because business owners and sales professionals don't articulate themselves well. The truth is, up to 80 percent of sales is storytelling, and a well-crafted elevator pitch can open the door to a valuable connection, partnership or referral. Mackenzie Ryan, a national award-winning journalist who now owns a marketing and public relations agency, will guide individuals through 5 Questions Every Elevator Pitch Must Answer. You'll leave confident in your answer to the question, "so, what do you do?" About our speaker Mackenzie Ryan Walters is the CEO and chief storytelling officer of StoryStruck Marketing, an agency that specializes in digging into your organization’s story and discovering how to tell it well to inspire results. The agency offers marketing strategy, website and content creation, as well as services such as newsletters and social media. Mackenzie founded StoryStruck after working as a national-award winning journalist and realizing that many leaders struggle to articulate what their organization does—and why it matters. Click here to register! 

Presenter: Ciara Ladroma, Project Manager, The Iowa Center' WBC & Ben Schultz, Client Services Coordinator Date: July 14, 2021 Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm 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. About our speakers As our new WBC project manager, Ciara will be organizing and implementing programs to train and counsel Iowans, specifically women, interested in starting or growing a business. Ben spends his time at The Iowa Center meeting with new clients to help connect them with best resources and events for education and advancement. He works to make sure people are aware of the countless opportunities available at The Iowa Center and in the community. Click here to register! 

Presenter: Erik Anderson, Owner, Electronic Office Date: July 20, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here As more business transactions move cashless, business owners need to know how to manage their Point of Sale (POS) systems. POS systems can help business owners in many more ways than just keeping track of sales and allowing them to accept credit cards. Join Erik Anderson from Electronic Office as we talk through all the things you should know about your POS system and how to manage it as a small business owner. About our speaker Electronic Office was founded in the 1970s providing office technology such as copiers and printers and cash registers to small businesses.  Erik's father, Dave Anderson, took the company over in the late 90's, and turned the focus of the business to primarily point of sale and eventually credit card processing. Erik has worked in the business off and on since his father purchased the company. Erik eventually took control of the business in August of 2019. Click here to register! 

Presenter: TJ Daniels, PM of Classes + Coaching/Dir of Mission Impact & Alex Polzin, Dir of Finance & Administration Date: July 21, 2021 Time: 10:00 - 11:00 am 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: Financials 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. About our speakers TJ Daniels is the official cheerleader of The Iowa Center. She’s a vibrant supporter of our mission, programs, clients and staff. As a Certified Credit Counselor, she assists clients with their credit, budget, financial statements and so much more. She also works with our lending programs assisting clients from start to finish, and often times well after the loan has closed making many friendships along the way. Alex is responsible for Iowa Center accounting and governmental reporting, he also helps with lending and education programs provided by the Iowa Center. Click here to register!

Presenter: Renee Vogt, Owner of Renee’s Ceramic Café Date: July 27, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Join Renee Vogt, Owner of Renee’s Ceramic Café as she shares her experiences with starting her business. Renee wants to help you skip the early mistakes many business owners make by sharing tips she has learned from her 16 years of running Renee’s Ceramic Café.   About our speaker M. Renee Vogt grew up in Williamsburg IA and attended the University of Iowa studying Fine Arts and Art History. During college she took a secretary job for an accounting firm where she became an accountant. She is married with 2 children. In 2005 she opened her business Renee's Ceramic Café. She continues to run her business today.  Click here to register! 

Presenter: Ciara Ladroma, Project Manager, The Iowa Center' WBC & Ben Schultz, Client Services Coordinator Date: July 27, 2021 Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm 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. About our speakers As our new WBC project manager, Ciara will be organizing and implementing programs to train and counsel Iowans, specifically women, interested in starting or growing a business. Ben spends his time at The Iowa Center meeting with new clients to help connect them with best resources and events for education and advancement. He works to make sure people are aware of the countless opportunities available at The Iowa Center and in the community. Click here to register! 

Presenter: TJ Daniels, Sr Loan Officer + Credit Coach & Alex Polzin, Director of Finance & Administration Date: August 3, 2021 Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm 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: Financials 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. About our speakers TJ Daniels is the official cheerleader of The Iowa Center. She’s a vibrant supporter of our mission, programs, clients and staff. As a Certified Credit Counselor, she assists clients with their credit, budget, financial statements and so much more. She also works with our lending programs assisting clients from start to finish, and often times well after the loan has closed making many friendships along the way. Alex is responsible for Iowa Center accounting and governmental reporting, he also helps with lending and education programs provided by the Iowa Center. Click here to register

Presenter: Alok Oberoi, owner of Donut Hut  Date: August 5, 2021 Time: 12 – 1pm Location: Online Come and listen to the stories of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community members making their mark in Iowa. As you create your own story, treat yourself to this time each month to rekindle your entrepreneurial spirit and connect with others. In August listen to the amazing story of Alok Oberoi, owner of Donut Hut. About our speaker To run my own business was my childhood dream. Not a big one- but one which I can enjoy with my customers with mutual respect. After waiting for many years, Lord Almighty gave me the opportunity to open Donut Hut in September of 2009. “The taste of excellence made fresh Daily” is our tagline. We make our donuts and fancies fresh every day. Our customer service and fresh donuts are what we strive for. Donut Hut serves almost 50 varieties of homemade fresh products. I believe if you do good for others, good will happen to you in return. I run my business under the same mantra. I am blessed to have the support of my family, my staff, and wonderful customers. Any business can make money, but I believe in making relationships. I often think of opening more branches of Donut Hut because my customers want me everywhere, in Iowa and out of state also. Some of them even travel hours to buy our products. Running a business is not easy. It is hard work, unexpected events, and long hours. It is patience, honesty, and humbleness. And for me, I would rather do this than anything else.   Register by Clicking Here

Presenter: Drew Harden, President and Co-Founder of Blue Compass and Mallory Cates, Digital Marketing Specialist, Blue Compass Date: August 10, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Join Drew Harden, President and Co-Founder of Blue Compass, and Mallory Cates, Digital Marketing Specialist of Blue Compass as they share insights on the importance of social media platforms, how to create results-based content, action steps you can implement today, and connecting with your audience online. Blue Compass is a leading digital marketing agency in the Midwest. About our speakers Drew: President and Co-Founder of Blue Compass, Drew Harden has grown and guided the company from a two-person start-up in 2007 to one of the Midwest's leading digital marketing companies today. He's a published author, speaks at marketing conferences around the country, has been cited by publications like USA Today, and has led web projects for clients like Spalding Sports Equipment, NAPA Autoparts, and the NFL.  Mallory: A Digital Marketing Specialist at Blue Compass, Mallory Cates executes regular social media and search marketing campaigns to drive traffic back to clients' websites. She has deep expertise in social media marketing and search engine optimization, often writing content pieces for industry publications and blogs.  Click here to register! 

Presenter: Ciara Ladroma, Project Manager, The Iowa Center' WBC & Ben Schultz, Client Services Manager Date: August 11, 2021 Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm 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. About our speakers As our new WBC project manager, Ciara will be organizing and implementing programs to train and counsel Iowans, specifically women, interested in starting or growing a business. Ben spends his time at The Iowa Center meeting with new clients to help connect them with best resources and events for education and advancement. He works to make sure people are aware of the countless opportunities available at The Iowa Center and in the community. Click here to register! 

Presenter: Monica Reyes Rodriguez, Owner of Inmobiliaria Inc. Date: August 17, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Business owners have a lot to keep track of outside of just running the business, and one of the biggest headaches is keeping accurate financial records. Many small business owners end up handling recordkeeping themselves to save money, but it is important to know what you need to do when you are your own accountant. Join Monica Reyes, owner of Inmobiliaria Inc, for a conversation about best practices for managing the bookkeeping side of the business when you have to do it yourself. You won't want to miss this informative and important session.  About our speaker Mónica Reyes Rodríguez is an activist, sociologist, community organizer and financial expert.  She was born in Mazatlan Sinaloa Mexico.  She immigrated to California through the desert at the age of 3 years old alongside her mother and younger sister, Nilvia Reyes, fleeing domestic violence.  She and her family later established themselves in Iowa when she was six years old.  She grew up in a small, agricultural community called New Hampton, Iowa where she helped the hard-working immigrant community defend their civil liberties.  She later co-founded DREAM Iowa and currently sits on the board in order to connect immigrant families and advocates via social media and community events.  Shortly after qualifying for DACA, she began her career in the financial industry while attending college.  She chose to develop her career in the financial industry with the mission of helping marginalized communities establish a foundation for wealth through access to financial services.  She also has been an active member of LULAC (League Of United Latin American Citizens) since 2015 and was elected the Iowa State Deputy Director of Women’s Activities for LULAC in 2019.  Mónica...