Small Business Blog

Is your small business prepared for the upcoming switch to EMV debit and credit cards? The deadline is October 1, 2015, and all...

The SBDC at Iowa Western Community College will be going on the road to serve businesses and startups in the 7 counties it serves a...

Social media is wonderful for connecting with customers directly and in real time. It’s challenging for the same reasons, however. You...

So you have decided your business or organization is in need of a website. Now what? In the past, the choice was clear. Hire a local...

In today’s plugged-in society, e-mail marketing is an important component of your overall marketing strategy. Done right, you attract and...

Nine entrepreneurial teams graduated from Iowa Western’s first Venture School yesterday. Throughout the six week program, our teams...

Aronia Berrys. Lavender. Goat Cheese. Alpaca Farms.  Southwest Iowa produces all of this and more. Here is your chance to compete for...

Employees and independent contractors are not the same. As a small business owner, it is important to understand the differences between...

A trade secret is any confidential piece of information that provides your small business a competitive advantage over rivals. As such,...

Multiple times per week, clients ask me how to go about protecting their business names, company logos, and catchy slogans. They...

As a small business, your logo is your main identifying mark. It portrays what you stand for as a company; is one of the first things...

Determining how to price your products and services is a tough decision all entrepreneurs face. Small business owners — especially those...

As a sole proprietor or single-member limited liability company (LLC), the mere thought of tax season may cause anxiety. Before you get...

This week, the Iowa Western Small Business Development Center staff spent time in Iowa City watching its Venture School kick-off. Iowa...

In our last post, we discussed how to easily and correctly issue and file 1099s for non-employees. Today, we’ll discuss another...

As a small business, you likely hired the help of independent contractors, lawyers, and other outside services throughout 2014. Despite...

The holiday season is officially upon us, which means shoppers scrambling to buy gifts for their loved ones — and sales opportunities...

Traditionally, entrepreneurs in need of financing for their start-ups and small businesses had two options — apply for a bank loan or...

Clients frequently visit our SBDC in search of grants to help fund their small businesses. The reality of grants, however, is they’re...

As a small business owner you may feel that the marketing tactics that you are doing do not work or do not give you immediate results for...