Presenter: Kathryn  Towner, Owner of WinCommunications Date: October 5, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Think of how often you receive an email from a local business and immediately delete it. How many times does that happen to your business’s emails? Email marketing can be a very effective way to create repeat customers, grow your client base naturally, and share important information quickly, but it is important to do it right. Join us for this session of Small Biz Essentials as Kathryn Towner, founder of Win Communications, will answer questions about how to use email to your advantage as a small business owner. Submit your questions beforehand when you register or email them to TJDaniels@TheIowaCenter.org. Click here to register!  About our Speaker... Serving small businesses for 25 years, Kathryn Towner works with business owners and marketing managers, assisting with online marketing programs at all stages. Kathy helps the small business owner to find their voice, establish a clear message, and develop trust online. With her company WinCommunications, Kathy's expertise in the area of email marketing helps business owners realize the full potential of their connections. Through targeted content the focus is on building relationships that result in business growth. WinCommunications also provides website development, WordPress consulting and social media marketing.  In addition, Kathy stay involved in community groups and local business activities year round. Currently she serves as Past President for NAWBO Iowa, the local chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She has served for many years in communications and leadership roles with NAWBO Iowa, as well as with the American Marketing Association, the Association of Women in Communications, the Iowa Society of Association Executives, and the Beaverdale Neighborhood Association. At this time Kathy also serves on the Advisory Board for Can Play...

Presenter: Russ Dale, PM of Classes + Coaching and Jose Venales, Director of Microloans Date: October 6, 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 hosts Russ Dale is our Classes and Coaching Project Manager. Russ spends his time working with clients, assisting them through their entrepreneurial journey. Russ also manages the IT initiatives for The Iowa Center, assists with the loan department as needed, and manages our CRM database. Russ is proud to say that he's the intern that never left!  Jose Venales is the Director of Microloans. Jose manages, develops, and implements The Iowa Center microloan programs. At the same time Jose has the responsibility to maintain a healthy loan portfolio to ensure the availability of these resources for future entrepreneurs.  Click here to register! 

Presenter: TJ Daniels, WBC Program Director & Alex Polzin, Dir of Finance & Administration Date: October 13, 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: Emily Steele, Founder of #dsmhummingbirds  Date: October 19, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Is your company ready to partner with local influencers to experience your brand and talk about it on social media? Learn how businesses of all shapes and sizes are working with local influencers & everyday community members to build awareness, convert strangers to buyers, and establish lifelong customers with Emily Steele, Founder of #dsmhummingbirds. About our speaker... Emily Steele, Founder of #dsmhummingbirds Emily is a creative entrepreneur who has spent the last 10 years finding innovative ways to make a difference. From launching a local bike ride that has given a community in Ghana access to clean water to creating the #dsmhummingbirds to match businesses with local influencers, Emily has an ability to take an idea and mobilize it by getting the community on board. Click here to register!  The Iowa Center Women's Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.

BizFluent: Marketing Date: October 25 - 28 (Monday - Thursday) Time: 9:00 - 10:00 am Location: Online  Registration: Sign Up Here! One of the most important things to a successful business is the ability to attract customers. Many small business owners manage branding, social media, and other marketing strategies without being marketing experts. BizFluent – Marketing is designed to help entrepreneurs learn actionable strategies they can implement to promote their business more effectively. Presenters will be a mix of local experts and Iowa Center staff, and you will have opportunities to network with the speaker and other participants after presentations. Whether you are thinking about opening your first business or managing several existing companies, this course is for you if you want to learn tangible strategies to market you and your business effectively and efficiently! This is a multi-day workshop. October 25 - 28 (Monday- Thursday) at 9:00 am - 10:00 amTopics covered includes: - Branding - Email Marketing - Social Media Marketing - Elevator Pitches This class is one of our 3-part BizFluent series (Marketing, Websites, and Admin). You can bundle BizFluent classes together for a discount. • 1 Course: $100 • 2 Courses: $160 • 3 Courses: $200 Dates of other courses: Website: November 15 - 18 (Monday - Thursday) at 9:00 - 10:00 am Admin/Ops: December 13 - 16 (Monday - Thursday) at 9:00 - 10:00 am Sign Up Here! 

Presenter: TJ Daniels, WBC Program Director & Alex Polzin, Dir of Finance & Administration Date: October 26, 2021 Time: 2:00 -3:00 pm 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: 5 Elements of an Effective Website Date: November 2, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here People visiting your website need to understand three things within just a few seconds—what you do, in what way(s) your brand can help them, and what to do next. We’ll discuss five simple website elements that can help visitors quickly understand the value of what you offer and take the next step toward engaging with your brand. About Our Speaker... Andrea Love is a marketing communications consultant and copywriter. With 25 years in communications, and as a StoryBrand Certified Guide, she offers expertise in strategic communications planning and creative implementation. Andrea’s personal passion is helping businesses and organizations fulfill their purpose and missions. Click here to register!    The Iowa Center Women's Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.

Presenter: Russ Dale, PM of Classes + Coaching and Jose Venales, Director of Microloans Date: November 3, 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 hosts Russ Dale is our Classes and Coaching Project Manager. Russ spends his time working with clients, assisting them through their entrepreneurial journey. Russ also manages the IT initiatives for The Iowa Center, assists with the loan department as needed, and manages our CRM database. Russ is proud to say that he's the intern that never left!  Jose Venales is the Director of Microloans. Jose manages, develops, and implements The Iowa Center microloan programs. At the same time Jose has the responsibility to maintain a healthy loan portfolio to ensure the availability of these resources for future entrepreneurs.  Click here to register! 

Presenters: Kate Vigmostad and Jen Kranz, Owners of Volition Skate  Date: November 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. Volition Skate Co. was founded by Jen Kranz and Kate Vigmostad in 2020 - at the height of the global pandemic. We started Volition Skate Co. because we want to share the JOY and the freedom roller skating brings to our lives with as many people as possible. We chose the name Volition, because we want to remind ourselves and inspire others to call upon themselves to create the life and the world they want to live in.   Volition Skate Co.'s Mission More than just selling roller skates, we are building a supportive online and in-person community that provides new skaters the resources they need to thrive in their new-found hobby. About our speakers Kate Vigmostad is a former professional dancer who received an MFA in Dance from the University of Iowa and spent much of her 20s living, working, and dancing in San Francisco and San Diego, CA. Kate is also a yoga instructor, and loves all things that challenge her physically and mentally. Kate is also the owner of Aerial Fitness Underground, a pole and aerial arts dance studio located in Fairfield, IA. Kate is a single mother and loves that her son is growing up with a strong, entrepreneurial mother and wants to expose him to the joy and creativity you can tap into as a small business owner. Jen Kranz received a Digital Media and Conscious Entrepreneurship degree from MIU in Fairfield, Iowa. Jen is...

Presenter: TJ Daniels, WBC Program Director & Alex Polzin, Dir of Finance & Administration Date: November 10, 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!  

BizFluent: Build Your Own Website Date: November 15 - 18 (Monday - Thursday) Time: 9:00 - 10:00 am Location: Online  Registration: Sign Up Here! The past year and a half taught everyone the importance of being online. If your business does not have a website, you are not going to be easily seen. With so many domains to choose from, design options, prices, packages, and data, it can be hard to know where to start. BizFluent – Build Your Own Website is designed to help entrepreneurs learn skills to build their own website, manage website analytics, and know community resources that can help when they have questions. Presenters will be a mix of local experts and Iowa Center staff, and you will have opportunities to network with the speaker and other participants after presentations. If you want to learn how to build and manage an effective website or are looking for ways to improve accessibility and boost clicks, this program is for you! This is a multi-day workshop. November 15 - 18 (Monday- Thursday) at 9:00 am - 10:00 am Topics covered includes: - Best practices for developing informative website - Best practices for developing marketplace website - Difference Between Domains - Analytics and SEO This class is one of our 3-part BizFluent series (Marketing, Websites, and Admin). You can bundle BizFluent classes together for a discount. • 1 Course: $100 • 2 Courses: $160 • 3 Courses: $200 Dates of other courses: Marketing: October 25-28 (Monday - Thursday) at 9:00 - 10:00 am Admin/Ops: December 13 - 16 (Monday - Thursday) at 9:00 - 10:00 am Sign Up Here! 

Presenter: Ann Hartz, CPA  Owner of Ann M. Hartz CPA & Associates Date: November 16, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Are you a small business owner looking to file your own taxes or thinking about opening your own business? Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this webinar will be full of important info and tips as we approach tax season. Join The Iowa Center and Ann Hartz of CPA Des Moines as we cover plenty of important information for tax time. About Our Speaker... Ann M Hartz is a CPA with a passion for helping other business owners focus on the parts of their business that matter to them most by taking away their concerns about day-to-day financial and bookkeeping issues. She has wanted to run her own tax practice since before going to school to become a CPA. She says, “It is always what I wanted to do from the time I did my first tax return.” She adds: “My passion is taking a burden away from the business owner and giving them peace of mind that they will not get into trouble with the IRS and that they are doing the very best that they can in regard to their bottom line.” Ann is a life-long resident of Iowa- born and raised in Albia and currently residing in Des Moines. She has more than 20 years of accounting and tax experience. She graduated from William Penn College in Oskaloosa, IA and worked early in her accounting career in the Southern Iowa area. She branched out on her own and opened her own Tax Practice in Albia before moving to Des Moines in 2000. She has worked for McGowen, Hurst, Clark and Smith, The Des Moines Symphony and Unity Point...