Events

          Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Monday, February 16, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm Location: Online 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!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 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! 

Presenter: Marcia Treichel & The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, February 17, 2026 Time: 3:30 - 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: Holmes Murphy + Oscar Health Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:00pm Location: Virtual Register: Here This session is led by the employee benefits team at Holmes Murphy, a nationally recognized insurance consulting firm with nearly a century of experience partnering with businesses to promote health, protect wealth, and deliver peace of mind. Joining the conversation will be representatives from Oscar Health, who will share insight into newer healthcare plan options that many business owners may not yet be familiar with. Together, they’ll provide practical, real-world guidance to help you better understand healthcare benefits and confidently take the next step. In this class, you’ll learn: What does employer-sponsored health insurance look like for small businesses? What factors should business owners consider when offering benefits? What role does a benefits broker play in designing and managing a plan? What is ICHRA and how does it work? What healthcare plan options, including newer alternatives, are available to employers today? How can benefits support both business goals and employee well-being? Click here to register! 

            Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026 Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location: Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado Street, Rm 8 Strahan Hall, Muscatine, IA 52761 Register: Here Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner in Eastern Iowa looking to make a big impact on a limited marketing budget? Taking Your Business to Market will give you the practical strategies and tools to promote your business effectively without breaking the bank. This workshop covers cost-effective marketing techniques tailored for startups and small businesses—from crafting your brand story and leveraging social media to guerrilla marketing tactics and optimizing your online presence. Learn how to reach your audience, generate leads, and build a loyal customer base while managing resources efficiently. Walk away with a clear blueprint to market your business smarter and set yourself up for growth and success. Click here to register!

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026 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: Types of funding: debt, equity, and hybrid models Navigating loans, grants, angel investors, and venture capital Crafting an effective pitch deck Understanding valuation and term sheets Leveraging crowdfunding and community investment Action Items: Create a pitch deck Click here to register!

Presenter: JPMorgan Chase Staff Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 10:00 - 11:00 am Location: Polk County River Place 2309 Euclid Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310 Register: Here In this interactive workshop, you'll learn how to improve your credit and better manage any debt you may have, including building a positive credit history, reducing your credit utilization and dealing with delinquent debts. There will be a hybrid option available via zoom: https://jpmchase.zoom.us Webinar ID: 93678101647 Webinar Password: 439576 Click here to register!

Presenter: JPMorgan Chase Staff Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm Location: Polk County River Place 2309 Euclid Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310 Register: Here In this interactive workshop, you'll learn how to improve your credit and better manage any debt you may have, including building a positive credit history, reducing your credit utilization and dealing with delinquent debts. There will be a hybrid option available via zoom: https://jpmchase.zoom.us Webinar ID: 93678101647 Webinar Password: 439576 Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Time: 3:00 pm - 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!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 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: Lending 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. Click here to register!

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Location: Online 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!