Local Business School Registration Open for DSM Entrepreneurs

We are thrilled to announce Local Business School to Greater Des Moines (DSM) small business owners. If you’ve been looking to level up your digital marketing skills or determine some key strategies to implement for 2022, this is the program for you!

Why Local Business School?

In 2020, I was running a small marketing agency in Des Moines and two big things happened simultaneously: I had my first baby and the pandemic started. It was a challenging time to navigate this new parenthood thing, while trying to support clients who were desperate to keep revenue in the door and survive by leveraging my expertise.

Many small businesses were struggling to communicate the pivots, changes and support they needed. Instead of helping them all with 1:1 services, I realized this was the moment to TEACH small business owners how to DIY their marketing in the most cost-effective, powerful way possible.

The classes inside Local Business School are all designed to teach small business owners “how to fish.”

It’s less about “be sure you post five times to Instagram a week” and more about:

• Where does your ideal customer spend time?
• How do you reach them where they already are?
• What does Instagram data show you so you can make better decisions?
• What content works well for your business? Humor? Education? Video?

When you understand WHY you’re making decisions, you can invest your time, money and resources much better!

Hear from a few Local Business School participants as to why they joined and how it could help a business like yours:

Jill Neil, a local photographer says:

"As a solopreneur who recently moved to Des Moines and needed to establish a new local client base. My favorite part of Local Business School has been the amazing, welcoming community of students and leaders. I love the relationships I've built and the insights I've gained from other determined local business owners. I feel like I can pop into our private group at any time with any question and receive thoughtful, genuine feedback. We truly support each other, promote each other and cheer each other on. I love my LBS fam!" 

Taylor Drake, a former local delivery driver says:

“LBS was my first investment in myself and my business, but I soon realized its value and still believe it was the best investment I've made as a business owner. Throughout the lessons and coaching calls, I gained a new perspective on how I was spending my time and the things I could do or change to become more effective. Through the program and the connections I made within LBS, I was able to bridge the gap between just maintaining the business and successfully growing it."

Tiffany Simmons, a photographer starting a new business says:

"LBS changed the game for me as a new entrepreneur. After feeling overwhelmed by searching online for the next step in my business, I decided to invest in education created by a local business owner who gets it. Not only is LBS passionate about keeping up with local strategies, trends and data to see what really works, they've also created a community of small business owners who get excited about serving and loving the local market."

Sue Honkamp, Owner of Real Food 4 Kids says:

"Local Business School rocks! As a solopreneur, it's been invaluable to have a bank of resources outside of my wheelhouse. I want to be the expert when it comes to educating kids about food, and I'd much rather hone my skills in that arena than try and figure out how to best utilize tools like email marketing, social media, and effective writing, But, we all know that those tools are necessary, so it's been so helpful to have the resources inside LBS to teach me what I need to know. LBS has also introduced me to a fabulous group of other entrepreneurs to learn from and lean on as we navigate this uncharted territory as small business owners!”

Whether you’re just getting started in your small business or you’ve been around for a while and need a refresher on different marketing strategies effective in 2022 and 2023, you can get signed up and count on learning from some of the best marketing professionals in our community, while also getting business coaching and advice every single week to ensure you’re getting your most pressing questions answered while having someone to bounce ideas off of.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership will host Local Business School: Master Your Small Business Marketing this November. The program for small business owners will consist of 12 sessions across six weeks with the first session taking place the week of Nov. 7. The following sessions will be weekly with the last session taking place the week of Dec. 12. The programming will range from SEO to brand building practices. Register for Local Business School today!

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.