Presenters: Taufeek Shah, CEO of Lola's Fine Sauces Date: February 4, 2022 Time: 12 – 1pm Location: Online Register: 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. Join us as we listen to the story of Taufeek Shah the CEO of Lola's Fine Sauces. Taufeek will share his entrepreneurial journey from his time in corporate America to running his own company. Taufeek believes the company is all about family and embracing your heritage, and what better way to do that than to share Lola’s family hot sauce recipe with the world. About our speakers Taufeek Shah Taufeek Shah is the CEO of Lola’s Fine Sauces, but before he began his entrepreneurial journey he worked in corporate sales at Principal. It was there, during an employee potluck that he truly realized the possibility of turning a generational family hot sauce recipe into a successful business. After realizing the popularity of his mother’s family hot sauce recipe, he opened a stand and sold it every Saturday at the Des Moines Farmer’s Market. After its continued success, Taufeek officially established Lola’s Fine Sauces located in West Des Moines in 2015, before continuing to collaborate with his mom, Lola and his sister Hannah to open Lola’s Fine Kitchen restaurant in Ankeny, Iowa in 2018. Most recently, Taufeek was named one of the top entrepreneurs in Making it with Lowes and has since launched Lola’s products in all 1300 stores nationwide. He gives all the credit to his mother, Lola for the success the company has had and for establishing his burning passion for the company. Taufeek believes the company is...

Presenter: Russ Dale, PM of Classes + Coaching and Jose Venales, Director of Microloans Date: February 9, 2022 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: Megan Rector, Regions Bank Date: February 15, 2022 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here In this session, business owners will learn the value of creditworthiness and how to maintain a good business credit score. They’ll also discover the documents necessary to make a successful application for a business loan. This workshop will answer these big questions: How do small businesses build and maintain credit? How is creditworthiness measured for small businesses? What is the connection between personal and business credit? What documents are needed for small business credit applications? About Our Speaker... Megan is a Financial Wellness Relationship Manager with Regions Bank. She has been with Regions for more than 9 years. Regions believes in providing advice, guidance and education to all the organizations in the communities we serve at no cost and Megan is the representative for that effort. She has a passion for helping people understand their finances and meet their financial goals. She is actively involved in several organizations in the community. Click here to register!  The Iowa Center Women's Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.

Presenter: TJ Daniels, WBC Program Director & Alex Polzin, Dir of Finance & Administration Date: February 23, 2022 Time: 12:00 - 1:00 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: Kristine Winter, Founder of BrandSpec Marketing  Date: March 8, 2022 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here With 81% of consumers starting their search for products and service online, your small business needs to be ready to grab their attention. Learn the fundamentals of online marketing in this information packed session from certified marketing consultant and coach, Kris Winter of BrandSpec Marketing. Objectives: The importance of a core message and how to craft one Setting up a web site that converts Google Business Profile Mastering everyday SEO Building a review process The right way to use social media Lead generation tactics Analytics About Our Speaker... Kristine Winter is the founder of BrandSpec Marketing in Des Moines, Iowa. Kristine is driven by a passion to help small businesses create simple, effective, and affordable marketing while providing the right solution to meet their organizational needs and support their success. With over 25 years in both corporate and agency marketing, she is your guide to improving the use of your marketing channels to reach your most profitable customers. As a certified marketing consultant, she shows clients how to create a marketing system that gets the job done and coaches in-house staff on how to manage it. 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: March 9, 2022 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: Teleza Daniels, Program Director of The Iowa Center Women's Business Center  Date: March 29, 2022 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here   Join us to learn about Ascent, what it has to offer to small business owners, and the programming we are setting up for you! What is Ascent? Ascent is an online learning platform that utilizes a modern, e-learning approach specifically targeted for women business owners who want to grow their existing businesses. It’s packed with resources women need to set, and achieve, their business goals. All content is backed by research on the needs of women business owners. What is the purpose of Ascent? Ascent’s purpose is threefold: Cover more ground: Reach women business owners who may not be close to field offices. Look to the future: Create a digital experience that is more in line with how today’s entrepreneurs seek information. Identify resource gaps: Build a resource for women entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their businesses. Who is behind Ascent? The U.S. Small Business Administration, the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, and the Department of Treasury collaborated to develop this platform, leveraging the best of government resources and entrepreneurial perspectives. Why target women business owners? Nearly 90% of women-owned businesses have no employees and tend to be smaller businesses with significantly lower revenues. While there are quite a few resources available for women looking to start a business, little is available for established business owners interested in growing to the next stage. Who is the target user? Ascent is for "the missing middle" - growth-oriented women entrepreneurs who are: Established businesses Generating revenue Interested in scaling/growing their business What does Ascent offer? A user-centered, customizable learning experience, with the flexibility to take full courses within a topic or short, micro-lessons to accommodate...

Presenter: Russ Dale, PM of Classes + Coaching and Jose Venales, Director of Microloans Date: April 6, 2022 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: Marquas Ashworth, Media Fresh Records Date: April 8, 2022 Time: 12 – 1pm Location: Online Register: 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. Join us as we listen to the story of Marquas "MarKus" Ashworth, a local music artist who launched a record label, a small-batch rye whiskey line and much more! Marquas "MarKus" Ashworth Marquas Ashworth is a local music artist who launched a record label, Media Fresh Records, who in 2016 began making small-batch rye whiskey labeled Ziyad. The whiskey can be found in about 400 stores – including locally at Hy-Vee – and in seven states. And now is in the process of developing a commercial building that will house a non-profit black and brown owned business incubator, coffee shop, restaurant, and distillery. Register here!  The Iowa Center Women's Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.

Date: April 11, 2021 Time: 9:00 am - 11:00 am Location: Online Registration: Click Here Work for Yourself@50+ is a webinar 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 to use either a computer, tablet for smartphone. You will receive instructions on how to join the webinar in your registration confirmation or your reminder email that will go out prior to the webinar. Please do not share the webinar access information with anyone who is not already registered. Click here to register!    The Iowa Center Women's Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.

Presenter: TJ Daniels, WBC Program Director & Alex Polzin, Dir of Finance & Administration Date: April 20, 2022 Time: 12:00 - 1:00 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: Russ Dale, PM of Classes + Coaching and Jose Venales, Director of Microloans Date: May 4, 2022 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!