TSB Bullseye Newsletter

January 11, 2021

Why Every Business Needs a Mentor Most new small business owners and entrepreneurs are advised to find a mentor – someone who can share their experience as a small business owner and provide helpful tips to new entrepreneurs as they navigate their first years in business. According to Inc.com and a study conducted by UPS, 70% of mentored businesses survive more than five years, double the rate for non-mentored small businesses over that same period. Read More.
Newest Members of the Certified Targeted Small Business Directory In the last quarter, 47 new businesses became Targeted Small Businesses. Please welcome the following to the Targeted Small Business Directory. Read More.
Updated Deadline for Economic Injury Disaster Loan Applications SBA announced the deadline to apply for a COVID-19 pandemic Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) was extended to December 31, 2021. Read More.
Partnerships Supporting Diverse Businesses The Des Moines-based Director’s Council and the Financial Empowerment Center are taking applications to launch the Black Iowa Business Directory, an online platform allowing Black-owned businesses to list themselves for more visibility and allowing customers to search for Black-owned products and services. Read More.
Shop Iowa Marketplace Recognizing that small businesses have been impacted by less foot traffic due to COVID, Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) launched the ShopIowa.com marketplace to help keep small brick and mortar businesses afloat by serving as an online shopping hub for small business customers. Read More.
Want to know more about State Procurement? Review How to do Business with the State of Iowa, state purchasing practices, guidelines for state buyers, current Bid Opportunities open to all businesses and other essential links. Read More.
Vendor Orientations Offered Want to learn more about doing business with the state of Iowa or Iowa State University (ISU)? Plan to attend an upcoming vendor orientation session. Iowa State University Procurement Services Vendor Orientation now available online. Read More.
Iowa Legal Aid Services Iowa Legal Aid has a new project providing free legal services for low-income business owners, the Community Economic Development Project (CED). CED can help people start a business, or if the business already exists, help with legal matters related to the business. Read More.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Businesses The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program has helped entrepreneurs across the U.S. create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to education, financial capital and business support services. Read More.
Targeted Small Business Highlights News from some the many outstanding small businesses across Iowa. Read More.
Upcoming Iowa Legal Aid Event Iowa Legal Aid’s Community Development Project is pleased to announce it will host its second consecutive nonprofit board of directors’ legal compliance training. This year’s training will be held virtually via Zoom and is free to participants across the state. The training will feature speaker Bill Boyd, Past President of the Iowa State Bar Association and Shareholder at Nyemaster Goode, along with other presenters. Read More.
Upcoming SBDC - Iowa Events Workshops and other events brought to you by SBDC - Iowa. Read More.
National Association of Women Business Owners 2020 Celebration of Excellence This year's event promises to be entertaining and truly unique with an engaging mix of live and pre-recorded activity highlighting our honorees and their accomplishments plus a chance for guests to network in small groups with fellow local business owners. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m. The main event will begin at noon. Read More.
Upcoming Iowa Center Events Workshops and other events brought to you by the Iowa Center for Economic Success. Read More.
Upcoming CIRAS Events Workshops and other events brought to you by CIRAS. Read More.
Save the Date! Black & Brown Business Summit April 22-23 The Iowa Statewide Black & Brown Business Summit was created to elevate ethnic minorities and bring BIPOC businesses together to assist with connections building, programming, promotion, training and resources to help their businesses grow and prosper. Read More.