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small business

Let Iowa small businesses swipe smarter, not harder

Running a small business in Iowa means learning to stretch every dollar. I work long hours, manage tight margins, and hustle to build something meaningful in locations that big chains overlook. But no matter how efficient I get, there’s one…

Creating and sharing content that connects

Today the average consumer is overwhelmed by a never-ending supply of TikTok videos, memes, Facebook…

Drivers of real estate values

As a key part of our business, we collect and analyze trends in real estate…

Teaching children to save good practice for adulthood

Teaching a child good savings habits is essential for any financial foundation as an adult.…

Guest column: Overcome scotomas before they become brick walls

Here’s your new business word of the day: Scotoma. Usually a medical term, a scotoma…

Best practices for interviewing customers and others

While your organization communicates with your customers or stakeholders every day, critical insight can be…

Mental health in times of stress

As I’ve highlighted before in this series, it is no secret that we live in…

Transforming Iowa’s direct care workforce

The demand for direct care workers (DCWs) will increase substantially in the coming years as…

What’s next for entrepreneurs in 2022

As we continue into 2022, some trends are emerging for entrepreneurs to monitor to stay…

Ways to resolve business disputes

Viable businesses are typically engaged in multiple business areas. These can involve traditional commercial activity…

Consumer Connection: Storms and Homeowners Insurance

Iowa’s recent devastating tornadoes remind us to review our insurance policies to ensure we have…

Accepting college financial aid 

If a student in your household applied for college financial aid for the 2022-2023 year,…

4 ways business owners unknowingly drain their monthly budget

As an entrepreneur, you likely have a set monthly budget that consists of the overhead…

Your brand story

With the ability to purchase anything online, the world is oversaturated with goods and services.…

The state of the agricultural economy

Iowa’s economy is particularly tied to agriculture. The state is the No. 1 U.S. producer…

Consumer connection: Romance scams

February is the month of romance, but love and companionship may also involve a scam.…