Level Up:
Small Business Workshop Series

​Running a Main Street business comes with legal obligations that are easy to overlook until they become a problem. In this session, Mackensie Graham of Ampersand Legal will cover practical areas every West Branch business owner should have handled: what to know before hiring your first employee (classification, wage & hour basics, required paperwork), red flags to watch for in contracts and commercial leases, the basics of website terms and conditions for selling online, and ADA accessibility for both your storefront and your website. Bring your questions; there will be plenty of time built in for discussion!

Ready to get more out of Square? This Level Up workshop offers personalized, one-on-one sessions to help you use Square point-of-sale system more effectively in your business. Sit down with Shannon Penisten, owner of White Pumpkin, who has spent the past six years mastering the platform and growing her own business.
 

During your 1:1 session, you can:

• Build or refine your Square website

• Learn how to better use Square for your unique business needs

• Navigate subscription options and choose the right plan

• Explore whether Square is the right platform for your business

Navigating taxes can be one of the trickiest parts of running a small business—but it doesn’t have to be. Join Devon, a seasoned financial advisor and Enrolled Agent, as he breaks down practical strategies and tips to help small business owners stay compliant, maximize deductions, and plan for growth. Raised by a serial entrepreneur, Devon combines real-world business experience with expert financial insight, making complex numbers approachable and actionable for dreamers and doers alike.

Artificial Intelligence isn’t just for large corporations - it’s becoming a practical tool for small businesses to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and uncover new opportunities. In this session, Tom Altman from Altus CXO will walk through how businesses can assess their AI readiness using the ClearXO framework - a simple, structured approach to document systems and processes, identify gaps, and uncover where automation and AI can make the biggest impact. The session will include a live Q&A to help attendees apply these ideas directly to their own organizations.

This workshop is designed for aspiring and current business owners who want to take their ventures to the next level. Topics to be discussed include a checklist of steps every business owner needs to complete in order to avoid problems down the road; free resources available to business owners to scale their ventures; opportunities available in the area to promote their business and their network; and ways to access capital to grow their business. The session will be led by Jay Cooper, Executive Director of EntrePartners, a nonprofit based in Iowa City that helps business owners struggling to take their first or next step.

You’ve taken the time to create high-quality content—photos, videos, graphics, reels—but now it’s just sitting there. Don’t let it collect dust!

In this action-oriented workshop, Alex Buchheit of Inspired Connection Agency will show you how to put that content to work. Designed for small business owners and entrepreneurs, this session dives into how to reuse and repurpose the content you already have to increase visibility, boost engagement, and drive results—without having to constantly create something new.

Social media is a powerful tool for small businesses to build brand awareness, engage customers, and drive sales. Join us for this session designed to help entrepreneurs and small business owners create a winning social media strategy. Whether you're just starting out or looking to improve your existing efforts, this session will provide practical insights, hands-on activities, and actionable tips to grow your online presence.

Break the spell of money, in this workshop you will:

• Demystify the jargon by explaining the language of business finance in real words

• Bring order to chaos by providing structure for tracking finances

• Gaze into a crystal ball by illustrating income & expense forecasting

• Get in the flow by creating a cashflow statement that works for you

• Release fear by gaining insight into your money stories