Free Advice: MBA Students Offer Help To Entrepreneurs
Need help figuring out the next step for your small business?
The Montreat College MBA program may have some answers. A team of the school’s graduate students is offering consulting services as part of the class’ spring semester project.
The students interview the selected business owner and employees. They then research a specific issue and recommend a solution.
The program allows students to gain hands-on experience and provides participating businesses with third-party consulting at no cost.
“It’s really a mutual benefit,” Montreat professor Norm Petty says. “It gives our students some insight into business strategy and what it takes to be successful.”
A group of students recently paired with Sweet Dreams Mattresses Inc., a Mooresville retailer, to help the company analyze sales strategies. Owner Greg Law says the students secret-shopped his two family-owned stores, analyzed his market and presented him with a booklet summarizing their suggestions.
Law, who founded the $2 million business six years ago, says he used the research to help plan a third store and increase online sales.
“It was nice to get a fresh, unbiased look at our stores from a group on the outside,” Law says. “What a great resource for a small business.”
Past projects have dealt with personnel, marketing strategies and production.
Program leaders say interested companies need to have at least $1 million in annual revenue and be able to provide meaningful work experience.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
