The idea for the Entrepreneur’s Roundtable came in the midst of a brainstorming session between Polk County Bank President Bob Miller and Joanne and Charles Kuster of Kuster Ltd., the marketing firm used by the bank. Miller was looking for ways to commemorate the bank’s centennial while reaching out to the community. The Kusters, who each own a home-based business, had a unique perspective. They realized there were many entrepreneurs in the Des Moines area who were hungry for information and contacts.

“Home-based businesses, especially, miss out on a lot of the things that make a business successful,” Miller said.

“They have a certain amount of anonymity,” said Charles Kuster. “If you see 75 storefronts along a stretch of Merle Hay Road, there are hundreds [of home-based enterprises] you don’t see.”

“There are 110,000 to 120,000 home-based businesses in Iowa,” Joanne Kuster said. “The exact number is hard to get a handle on, because there’s no official form to fill out, saying ‘this is a home-based business.'” She said banks have a unique opportunity to identify these businesses and expand on the already important relationship between entrepreneurs and their bankers.

The Entrepreneur’s Roundtable met for the first time at 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 in the lobby of Polk County Bank. More than 50 people were in attendance, and Miller said he and the Kusters were overwhelmed by the initial response.

“There were a lot of cards exchanged, and some business already being done,” Charles Kuster said.

A wide variety of businesses were represented at the group’s first meetings, including lawn-care businesses, caterers, artists and Web designers. Some entrepreneurs had been in business for almost 25 years, while others were just formulating their business plans or looking for a partner.

“New entrepreneurs want to know, ‘How do I get financing? How do I bring my idea into production? How do I protect my product?'” Joanne Kuster said. “Everyone wants to know, ‘How do I run my business better and expand?'”

After the first meeting, which primarily introduced the group to Greater Des Moines and let the members get acquainted, the March 28 meeting focused on Web sites. Participants looked at everything from determining what kind of site a business needs to design. The turnout for the second meeting was lower, but Miller and the Kusters take that in stride.

“We’ve planned the events to let people self-select which ones they need,” Charles Kuster said. “We just ask that they make a reservation so we have the right number of chairs and cookies.”

Upcoming topics include making and managing money, creating a business plan, selecting the right business structure, accounting and low-cost promotion ideas. Bankers, lawyers, accountants and marketing specialists will present the various topics and field questions.

“We’ve been getting some great feedback,” Joanne Kuster said. “Things like, ‘This is such a needed service,’ ‘We’re so glad you’re doing this.’

“A lot of people really want to talk to others of like concerns and interests. The [Entrepreneur’s Roundtable] kind of takes the place of the office water cooler. It’s a great group for people to bounce ideas off of.”

Joanne Kuster has been a small business owner for nearly 25 years and her husband has owned a business for the last two years. Bob Miller is the third generation of his family to run Polk County Bank.

Joanne Kuster wishes someone had told her when she began her business there wouldn’t be enough time for her to do everything herself, and she should focus on her area of expertise and rely of experts for the rest. Her husband wishes someone had told him to listen to the advice he was giving others as a communications consultant: Focus your message, brand yourself, have a tight business plan. Now Miller and the Kusters hope they can help some entrepreneurs make it through the process of creating a business with more information and support.

“As the Entrepreneur’s Roundtable evolves, it may become self-sufficient,” Miller said. “I’d like to see it become a thriving, vibrant area organization. I’d like the bank to remain involved in some capacity. The success of the group’s participants is what I’m most interested in.”