Events

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Monday, November 2, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30pm Location: 2210 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here Small business taxes can be complicated. Understanding your obligations and keeping good records makes the process easier and helps you avoid costly surprises. Join The Iowa Center’s in-house Small Business Tax Professional to learn strategies to prepare for tax time. We will also share information about Iowa Center Services that can help you plan for tax time success. Click here to register! 

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 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, December 2, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 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: 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: Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 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: Thursday, October 29, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: Online Register: Here Growth requires thoughtful financial planning. This session will help you evaluate your business's financial readiness, create a budget for expansion, and understand the funding options available to support your goals. You'll leave with practical tools to help you make informed financial decisions as your business continues to grow. What You'll Learn Assess your business's financial readiness for growth. Create an expansion budget and cash flow projections. Explore funding options and measure financial performance. Click here to register! 

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 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!

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30pm Location: 2210 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here As your business grows, so do your financial needs. Excel and QuickBooks can both help you manage your business finances, but knowing which tool is right for you can make managing your business a little easier. In this class, The Iowa Center staff will walk you through the differences between Excel and QuickBooks, including the benefits, limitations, costs, and best uses of each. We’ll explore when Excel may be the right fit, when QuickBooks may better meet your needs, and what to consider as your business grows. We’ll also discuss how you can make the transition from Excel to QuickBooks when the time comes. Click here to register! 

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: Online Register: Here Growing your business means reaching new customers in meaningful ways. In this session, you'll explore marketing strategies designed to increase brand awareness, connect with your target audience, and support long-term growth. Learn how to create a marketing plan that can scale alongside your business and measure the impact of your efforts. What You'll Learn Understand the role marketing plays in business growth. Identify and reach new target markets. Create a scalable marketing strategy with measurable results. Click here to register! 

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here A successful expansion starts with a solid plan. This session focuses on building a strategy that supports sustainable growth by helping you identify the resources, capital, and people needed to move your business forward. You'll also learn how to anticipate potential risks and create a roadmap for achieving your expansion goals. What You'll Learn Build a strategic roadmap for business expansion. Determine the capital needed to support growth. Learn how to build the right team and manage expansion risks. Click here to register! 

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026 Time: 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Location: Flora Cafe in the Des Moines Botanical Gardens (909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines, IA) Register: Here The holiday season is often a crucial time for small businesses, and shopping local can make a lasting impact on Iowa’s small business owners, entrepreneurs, and our communities. Join The Iowa Center for Made in Iowa: Season of Support sponsored by CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA,) a special edition of our Made in Iowa series, highlighting the small businesses that make our communities vibrant and fun places to live, work, and visit. Featuring a panel of Iowa's small business owners, this conversation explores what shopping local looks like ahead of the holiday season and how entrepreneurs prepare for one of the busiest times of year for their business. Attendees will gain insights into the opportunities and challenges small businesses face during the holidays and find meaningful ways to keep their dollars local ahead of this season. Join us for an engaging afternoon of conversation and connection at Flora Cafe, proudly owned and operated by Chef Suman and Dr. Cynthia Hoque of HoQ restaurant, located in the Des Moines Botanical Gardens. This panel discussion features: Yinka Cole, Edara Wellness Coffee & Tea Callé Friesen, Quiltberry Farm Moderated by Jennifer Thomas, Program Director of The Iowa Center Women's Business Center Through the generosity and support of our sponsor, CLA, registration to Made in Iowa is free: Register Here Upon entering the Des Moines Botanical Gardens, Iowa Center staff will direct you and any guests to Flora Restaurant. Any attendees looking to explore the botanical gardens following the speaker panel will need to purchase Botanical Garden tickets for "Dome for the Holidays," which are available for purchase after 10/15/2026.

Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026 Time: 3:30 - 4:30pm 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. Click here to register! 

      Presenter: The Iowa Center Staff Date: Thursday, November 19, 2026 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Location: 2210 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312 Register: Here A successful expansion starts with a solid plan. This session focuses on building a strategy that supports sustainable growth by helping you identify the resources, capital, and people needed to move your business forward. You'll also learn how to anticipate potential risks and create a roadmap for achieving your expansion goals. What You'll Learn Build a strategic roadmap for business expansion. Determine the capital needed to support growth. Learn how to build the right team and manage expansion risks. Click here to register!