Women Business Owners, Primed for Growth, Connect with the Best in The

    Business Editors

    DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005--

    The Principal Financial Group Hosts Its Third Annual Convenient, Complimentary Educational Teleclass Series; Discussions Lead Off with
    Popular Marketing Tips Program

    Thousands of women business owners from across the nation will once more pick up their phones over the lunch hour to hear from their peers - who also happen to be experts in their field. Sharing insider tips and information on wide-ranging topics, the third annual Women in Business Teleclass Series from the Principal Financial Group(R), the nation's 401(k) leader and premiere provider of employee benefits, kicks off in March.
    The 2005 series entitled, "It's Your Business: Managing Growth and Opportunity in 2005," is designed exclusively for women business owners and will focus on growth strategies, valuable resources and testimonials from industry experts and leading women entrepreneurs. The mission of the teleclass program is to help women business owners grow their enterprises. The 2005 teleclass series will offer 10 classes taking place on "Teleclass Tuesdays" from March through December at noon CST.
    On Tuesday, March 29, at noon (CST), the first teleclass of the series, "Big Marketing Ideas for Small Budgets: Get Your Biz Out There!" will cover strategies and tactics for women business owners working with a conservative marketing budget.
    "Women business owners are time-crunched and in need of a resource that speaks to their business needs," says Michelle Swanda, The Principal(R), corporate marketing manager. "Our teleclass format provides professional development opportunities in a convenient 45-minute time frame. Women can call in toll-free, listen to expert advice, and put the information to use immediately."
    All programs are moderated by Delia Passi, former publisher of Working Woman and Working Mother magazines. Passi lends her extensive expertise and influence to each seminar, conducting a one-on-one discussion with speakers to provide practical and valuable insight to women.

    Program Tracks Add Variety and Focus

    In a new twist, the 2005 teleclass series is organized into three tracks. Track One, "Getting Ready, Set, Go!" offers key business tools on marketing, organization and financing strategies.
    "The tracks keep our programs organized and focused on the meaningful subject matter that we want to share with women business owners," states Swanda. "The purpose of the first track is to address the fundamentals to building a strong business, yet can be applied to a company at any stage of development."

    "Getting Ready, Set, Go!" includes three classes:

    "Big Marketing Ideas for Small Budgets: Get Your Biz Out There!"

    March 29, 2005, Noon CST

    Featuring Kim T. Gordon, nationally-regarded author, Entrepreneur magazine columnist and expert on the small business market, this class offers simple, cost-effective and proven techniques to maximize marketing results.
    "If you're like most small-business owners, you want to make every Dollar count. So you need cost-effective programs that work as hard as you do," notes Gordon. "Women business owners who want to increase sales and grow their businesses need cohesive marketing strategies. The good news is, there are many high-impact, low-cost marketing tactics that will produce stellar results even on a limited budget. With the step-by-step advice I'm sharing in this class, women business owners will learn how to stretch their limited marketing dollars into business-building opportunities."
    Teleclass moderator Delia Passi will serve as co-panelist. As founder and CEO of Medelia Communications, she will cover how to plan, utilize and evolve a successful marketing plan on a shoestring budget.
    Gordon is the author of three books, including Bringing Home the Business: The 30 Truths Every Home Business Owner Must Know, (Perigee) and a new e-book, Big Marketing Ideas for Small Budgets: A Step by Step Guide to Growing Your Business, which is available at http://www.entrepreneur.com/services/detail/0,4679,319994,00.html.

    "Five Ways to Prioritize and Organize Your Way to Success."

    April 26, 2005, Noon CST

    Don't lose site of the main goals and objectives of your business. This class offers practices on how to declutter and avoid procrastination. Speakers will share experience on how to stay on course and use time wisely - to ultimately increase your potential for success.

    "Creative Advice on Financing Your Business."

    May 24, 2005, Noon CST

    Learn the who, what, where and when to secure venture capitalists and other outside investors for your business. Our savvy speaker will offer tips from her own experience that women business owners can take to the bank.

    How to Get Involved

    Women can pre-register for classes at www.principal.com/women. Space is limited. All classes are held at noon Central (1 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Mountain and 10 a.m. Pacific) on the dates scheduled. Registrants e-mail questions to session leaders prior to, and during, the session. In-depth information on the 2005 classes, topics and speakers as well as previously-conducted teleclasses via streaming audio is available at www.principal.com/women.
    Woman-owned businesses continue to grow and thrive in the United States. According to the Center for Women's Business Research, nearly half of all privately-held firms are at least 50 percent owned by a woman or women. This equals approximately 10.6 million companies in the country. Women-owned firms employ 19.1 million people, generate $2.5 trillion in sales and spend an estimated $546 billion annually on salaries and benefits.
    The Principal understands the challenges of small business and specializes in ways to help owners of growing businesses and their employees achieve financial security and success. The company is an active partner with a number of women's business organizations including: National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), LatinaSTYLE Business Series, and the Center for Women's Business Research.

    About the Principal Financial Group

    The Principal Financial Group(R) (The Principal (R))(1) is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $168.7 billion in assets under management(2) and serves some 14.9 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

    (1) "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

    (2) As of December 31, 2004

--30--CP/ms*

CONTACT: Red Chicago for the Principal Financial Group Jennifer Antonini, 312-782-7922 (o) 773-320-0455 (m) jantonini@redchicago.com

KEYWORD: IOWA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: INSURANCE HUMAN RESOURCES ADVERTISING/MARKETING BANKING CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCT CONFERENCE CALLS SOURCE: The Principal Financial Group

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