Tools are necessary for all stages of business ~ from the very beginning when businesses ideas are nurtured into reality and as businesses climb over hurdles caused by growth spurts.
As The Exchange learns about viable websites or grants or educational opportunities, they will be posted here on the Toolbox page. Presentation materials or PDFs made available to The Exchange will also be linked to this page.
It is also planned that additions and changes to this page will also be communicated through the weekly email as information becomes available.
- Iowa Startup Accelerator (ISA)
Supported by ISA Ventures and powered by NewBoCo, is a robust resource for Iowa-based startup businesses. No matter what type of business (local retail, national scale-up, SaaS, marketplace, ed-tech, med-tech, fin-tech, ag-tech, consumable, service, etc.) No matter what stage of start-up (ideation, early MVP/Beta, pre-revenue, pre-seed, seed, or series A), ISA and NewBoCo would like to help.
- Prompt Engineering for Business Performance
- Sample Prompt Library
Prompt Library
1. Marketing
Use-Case Prompt Template Why It Works Audience-Centric Messaging “Explain product/service product / service to target audience in the simplest terms possible, like you’re explaining it to a 5-year-old. Then rewrite the same message for a professional audience.” Combines Explain Like I’m 5 with tone adaptation to craft layered copy. Campaign Concepting “Create a step-by-step mental image of how a customer discovers, considers, and adopts campaign idea. Present it as a visual map with 3 key emotional touchpoints.” Uses Visualize the process to surface journey stages and feelings. Content Calendar Gaps “Given this quarterly content calendar (paste table), what are the most overlooked topics or formats that could boost engagement?” Leverages Find the gaps to spot blind spots. Pattern-Driven A/B Ideas “From the last 10 email subject lines and open-rate data (provide csv), identify any patterns and propose 3 new subject-line formulas that exploit those patterns.” Employs Find the patterns for data-backed ideation. Story-Led Ad Copy “Write a short story where the brand helps a customer overcome pain points—keep it under 120 words so it can fit in a paid social ad.” Uses Turn it into a story to humanize value props. 2. Business Development
Use-Case Prompt Template Why It Works RFP Fit Check “Here is an RFP summary: ‹text›. Break it into 3–5 main requirement chunks, and rate our firm’s fit (high / medium / low) for each chunk with a one-sentence rationale.” Applies Break it into chunks for quick go/no-go assessment. Proposal Executive Summary “Summarize our proposed solution for client like you’re explaining it to a 5-year-old, then provide a polished executive-level version in 150 words.” Dual-layer explanation clarifies core idea before polishing. Stakeholder Objection Prep “What are the most overlooked objections decision-makers might raise about adopting our solution? Provide concise counter-arguments.” Mirrors Find the gaps to surface hidden pushbacks. Relationship Mapping “Create a step-by-step visual map showing how influence flows among these 8 stakeholders (provide list), flagging the top 3 relationship-building actions we should take.” Uses Visualize the process to guide outreach sequencing. Case-Study Storytelling “Write a brief story where a previous client achieved metric improvement using our services, highlighting the turning point and measurable outcome.” Combines Turn it into a story with tangible metrics. 3. Data Analysis
Use-Case Prompt Template Why It Works Exploratory Overview “Break this dataset (provide schema) into its 4 most important feature groups and explain each one briefly.” Break it into chunks simplifies complexity. Pattern Mining “Identify any statistically significant patterns in customer churn over the last 12 months and hypothesize two business actions we could test.” Find the patterns marries insight with action. Gap Analysis “Given these sales KPIs and benchmarking data, what crucial metrics are missing that would strengthen our analysis?” Find the gaps finds missing variables. Data Storytelling for Execs “Write a short story (≤150 words) that personifies this quarter’s sales data, highlighting the main trend and its business implication.” Turn it into a story turns numbers into narrative. Visual Workflow Design “Create a step-by-step mental image of how raw CRM data is cleaned, transformed, and fed into our dashboard pipeline. Present it as a numbered list we could turn into a diagram.” Visualize the process clarifies pipeline architecture. How to Use This Library
- Select a pattern that matches your goal (explain, visualize, chunk, pattern-seek, story, gap-hunt).
- Plug in your context—dataset, campaign details, RFP text, etc.
- Iterate: run the prompt, review, then refine by adding constraints (tone, length, format).
- Store successful variants in your own workspace for rapid reuse.
- Small Business Development Center – Iowa
Provides no-cost, confidential, customized, professional business advice in all 99 Iowa counties to entrepreneurs and existing small businesses. They also provide affordable workshops that teach practical skills and techniques, conduct research, provide comprehensive information services, and offer access to subject matter experts in a variety of fields.
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Starting a Business Guide
(PDF by SBDC)