How to Plan, Launch, Manage, Market + Grow Your Business

Are you looking to begin or expand your small business in Greater Des Moines (DSM)? Whether you’re looking for assistance in researching and planning for launch, managing the operations of your small business or marketing to customers and ensuring they come back to your business again and again, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) online courses and learning center can help you succeed in setting and achieving your business goals in 2022.

The following is a list of the SBA Learning Platform courses to choose from:

Plan

Topics under the Plan course list include How to Write a Business Plan, Legal Requirements, Buying a Business and Young Entrepreneurs. Completing objectives for these topics will help you ready yourself for what’s to come as a small business owner. LEARN MORE>

Launch

Once you’ve created a business plan and reviewed financing and legal requirements, you can move to the Launch courses where you’ll be introduced to financing options and the product life cycle. Topics include Financing Your Business, Introduction to Pricing and High-Tech Products. LEARN MORE>

Manage

Now you’re ready to manage your business, or for those of you who have started your business already, get a refresher for sales, employee retention and more. Check out the Manage topics, including Employee Recruitment and Retention, Understanding Your Customer, Sales and Selling Your Business. LEARN MORE>

Market

The next step is to understand your market and develop a competitive edge. Check out topics within Market Research, Marketing 101, Competitive Advantage and Social Media Marketing to begin marketing your brand. LEARN MORE>

Grow

Finally, you will want to discover new ways to grow your business. Find out about Finding and Attracting Investors and Pricing Models for Successful Business so you can make 2022 a success, and maybe your best year yet! LEARN MORE>

You can also take part in the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program Tutorial, which covers topics such as How to Find a Good Mentor, Joint Venture Agreements and more.

Along with the online courses within the Learning Center, you can also take courses specifically aimed at women looking to start a small business — the Ascent for Women learning platform, as well as the Boots to Business and Emerging Leaders Initiative development programs.

Find all of the SBA Learning Platform courses here.

Looking for tools to help grow your startup or small business? Visit the Small Business Resources Hub to find the information you need or sign up for Mentor Connection to build relationships with a trusted group of mentors.