IASourceLink Blog

Come visit us in our Downtown in Forest City and see the improvements. We’d be glad to welcome you during our town celebration, parades, show you our businesses and introduce you to the families of our community. We’ll meet you by the building with the new Copper Dome!

As we ring in the New Year, I once again ask you to take a moment to reflect on all of those efforts you give on a daily basis, and I thank each of you for that hard work you do. Work that helps the businesses you serve to grow, and the communities you live in to thrive.

Veterans Advantage is a free one hour workshop which gives an overview of the capital, counseling and contracting programs available from the SBA and its resource partners. It is intended to help veterans and members of the Guard and Reserve to start and grow a small business and may be of interest others as well.

Property tax exemptions reduce the property valuation before taxes are calculated. Tax credits reduce the amount of taxes due. Business-related property tax credits and exemptions cover many topics, including agriculture, historic preservation, economic development, solar energy, wind energy, research facilities, distribution and warehouse centers, and the business property tax credit.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is now accepting nominations for its 2016 National Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year.

Des Moines and the Cedar Valley will again host the Venture School program early next year. Venture School is an exciting, yet intensive, program created to accelerate the startup process while increasing chance for success.

The view at the top can be lonely, but it’s often the best view of all. Advance Iowa Round Tables provide value to business owners by having them interact with colleagues who face similar leadership and business situations.

Business and education leaders from around the state will gather at Wartburg College on December 10th, to discuss the importance and value of partnerships between Iowa’s business community and educational institutions.

As this year wraps up this month, it’s time to consider making a New Year’s Resolution! Perhaps you are looking to take the leap and start a business full-time. Maybe you already have a small business, but you are ready to expand and take it to the next level. Whatever your goals are for your small business in Iowa, we are here to help.

With my recent trip to Silicon Valley to take a deep dive into the lean startup methodology offered by Steve Blank and the National Science Foundation, several fundamental flaws in our approach to entrepreneurship were identified by Blank and his team.