Date: December 9, 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.

BizFluent: Administration and Operations Date: December 13 - 16 (Monday - Thursday) Time: 9:00 - 10:00 am Location: Online  Registration: Sign Up Here! With businesses moving massive amount of data online, cyber-attacks are on the rise. Business owners are expected to keep their customer’s data safe while also solving IT issues, managing your Point of Sale (POS) system/inventory, and handling HR-related issues. There are countless regulations and roles entrepreneurs have outside of just running the business BizFluent – Admin covers a variety of behind-the-scenes issues small business owners typically face and provides resources and action steps they can take to make their business and processes more secure. 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. New business owners wanting to know what they have to be on top of or existing business owners looking to sharpen their skills of business management should check out this course to learn applicable strategies for your business. This is a multi-day workshop. December 13 - 16 (Monday- Thursday) at 9:00 am - 10:00 am Topics covered includes: - Security - Point of Sale Systems - Human Resources - IT/Tech 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 Website: November 15 - 18 (Monday - Thursday) at 9:00 - 10:00 am Sign Up Here!

Presenter: Michelle Rembert, PT, ACC, owner of Momentom3 Mind Body & Beyond, LLC Date: December 14, 2021 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Ready to Make it Happen in 2022? What is it? It is anything that you have been thinking about and/or talking about for a long time, but not actually doing (yet!).  Join Michelle Rembert, owner of Momentom3 Mind Body & Beyond, LLC, for this engaging and interactive workshop designed to help you get clear on what you most want to make happen personally and/or professionally, figure out what gets in your way or keeps you stuck, and learn evidenced-based strategies to set yourself up for success in 2022!  You will walk away with a plan to honor your commitment to yourself, to take inspired action, and to make it happen – now! This is an interactive workshop – You will have optional opportunities to engage with the group by adding to the chat and/or unmuting to share take-aways.  You are invited to show up to the virtual workshop on camera, however if this isn’t an option, please still join us!  Please bring a notebook + pen. About our speaker... Michelle Rembert is an ICF credentialed coach, speaker and workshop facilitator, who helps heart-centered leaders & entrepreneurs to stress less, live more, and lead well. With over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Michelle is well-prepared and uniquely qualified to support individuals, teams, and organizations in workplace wellbeing.  She has expertise in helping individuals to overcome overwhelm, stress and burnout. She believes that in order to show up fully and lead others, we must show up fully for ourselves first. Michelle is also passionate about empowering leaders and organizations to create a coaching culture. Michelle is a licensed facilitator in Coach U's -...

Presenter: Alex Polzin, CPA, Director of Finance & Admin at The Iowa Center Date: January 11, 2022 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Are you ready for tax season? Please join us as we discuss the top 5 things you need to know as a small business owner to file your 2021 taxes accurately and timely. We will discuss best bookkeeping practices to prepare for tax time, the types of federal and state income tax you will be subject to as a small business owner, and how your small business net income impacts your individual tax return. We will also discuss possible year-end payroll tax filing requirements, 2022 tax planning and quarterly estimated tax payment considerations going into 2022. About Our Speaker... Alex is responsible for Iowa Center accounting and governmental reporting, he also helps with lending and education programs provided by the Iowa Center. I grew up in Iowa and am very proud of our state. Over the past several years, I have developed a passion for helping small businesses through my work in public accounting. I believe in the Iowa Center’s mission to help small businesses succeed across Iowa and am excited to be a part of that! 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: January 19, 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 Vice President, Financial Wellness Relationship Manager Date: January 25, 2022 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here You work hard to build your business--you need to know how to protect it. With this seminar learn how you can break down your objectives and secure the financial future of your business. What you'll learn... How to protect yourself from fraud Types of fraud How to recognize the warning signs   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: January 26, 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: Drake Vant Hul, CEO of Performance Financial, LLC Date: February 1, 2022 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Online Registration: Click Here Whether you are starting your first business or an experienced business owner, accounting is a crucial part of your operations. For many entrepreneurs, this responsibility falls on them and can cause major headaches if it is not taken care of. Join Drake Vant Hul, CEO of Performance Financial, LLC as we cover the top things you need to know about the accounting platform, Quickbooks. About Our Speaker... Entrepreneurship has been a staple in my life for a long time, from my startup called Ice Auger Machines, to the cell phone repair business I started and ran in College. Since then, I've worked to become as valuable as possible to business owners, finishing my CPA in 2018, and continuously searching for ways to help small businesses improve their bottom line. I've been married to Callie since 2015, and we love our adopted old dog Momo. Click here to register!  The Iowa Center Women's Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.

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!