I recently interviewed Jerrica Marshall, executive director of the Directors Council, for a Closer Look feature in the Business Record. The Des Moines-based organization she leads strives to address inequities affecting Black community members in Polk County. In a previous role, she noticed the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market vendors did Read more…
Women are back. Nationally, women’s employment has hit an all-time high, said Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Finance Authority. Durham said on July 20 during Business Publication Corp.’s Envision Iowa panel that she is still waiting on Iowa’s numbers. This Envision Iowa online discussion focused Read more…
Women business leaders should establish relationships with banks early on, even if they aren’t yet in the market for borrowing to grow, a Wells Fargo executive told Fearless. “They’re going to understand your business better when you [do] need it,” said Judith Goldkrand. Goldkrand is a Wells Fargo senior vice Read more…
By Katie Kreis, communications and marketing coordinator, UNI Family Business Center Family business transcends any one industry — farmers, manufacturers and IT specialists all often find themselves working with their parents, spouses, cousins, siblings and children. This can create friction that not every family is equipped to handle, and some Read more…
In 2020, the U.S. saw the highest rate of new entrepreneurs on record – on average, 3.8 out of every 1,000 adults, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Another study, published by the World Economic Forum, found that women started 49% of new businesses in the U.S. in 2021, Read more…
By Laura Howe, regional banking director, Wells Fargo For nearly all small business owners, business ownership is a labor of love. Yet running a business with your loved one can bring on additional challenges that may take all the romance out of a relationship. The challenges that face a typical Read more…
Story and photos Emily Kestel, Fearless editor Age: 27 Hometown: Shawnee, Kan. Education: Drake University, bachelor’s in painting and graphic design Family: Husband, Gooi Hobbies: Planning, reading Rest assured that when you walk into the new Reading in Public bookstore at 315 Fifth St. in West Des Moines’ Valley Junction, Read more…
By Emily Kestel Imagine pulling open the door to a small neighborhood bakery. The homey smell of yeast, butter, sugar and spices gently wafts through the air. You peruse the counters for freshly baked sourdough bread and pie to take home to share with the people you love the most. Read more…
By Emily Kestel, Fearless editor Period shaming is pervasive: A 2018 study by Thinx revealed that nearly 60% of menstruators have felt embarrassed simply because they were on their period. Additionally, 62% admit feeling that they feel uncomfortable using the word “period.” Before she created a planner to help menstruators Read more…
By Emily Blobaum, Fearless editor Much like the rest of the world, Marti Payseur did not know what was in store for 2020. In 2019, Payseur and her partner, Ash Bruxvoort, opened Thistle’s Summit Bed & Breakfast, a 2,800-square-foot Victorian home in Mount Vernon that became “a beacon for the Read more…