Small Business Resources

U.S. Small Business Administration

Small business is America’s most powerful engine of opportunity and economic growth. That’s where SBA comes in. SBA offers a variety of programs and support services to help you navigate the issues you face with your initial applications, and resources to help after you open for business.

America’s SBDC Iowa

America’s SBDC Iowa provides free, confidential, customized, professional business advice and consulting in all 99 Iowa counties to entrepreneurs and existing businesses with 500 employees or less. If you’re looking for help writing a business plan, planning a marketing strategy, developing cash flow projections, doing market research, or much, much more, you’ve found the right organization. Along with individual business consulting, our regional business assistance centers also present affordable workshops that teach practical skills and techniques, conduct research, provide comprehensive information services, and offer access to subject matter experts in a variety of fields. Our organization is the only nationally-accredited entrepreneurial development program in Iowa.

Our state center, located at Iowa State University in Ames, is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our 15 regional business centers are open similar hours, depending on their host institutions’ policies.

Square One DSM

Square One DSM is the next step in supporting local entrepreneurs. Square One DSM will provide:

IASourceLink

IASourceLink is the premier online resource connecting entrepreneurs and small businesses to more than 300 resource providers across Iowa. IASourceLink is brought to you by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) in collaboration with MyEntre.Net at the University of Northern Iowa.