Get Small Business Help From UD Students

Small Business Management Projects

Do you have projects in your business you would like a second pair of eyes on? Delaware SBDC and the Univiserty of Delaware have designed a course that provides small business help from UD Students. The opportunity to work with an actual business provides an invaluable experience for University of Delaware business students, allowing them to apply various business disciplines through hands-on experience. It also provides an invaluable opportunity for the small business owner to receive outside input or work done by college students, with the only cost being their time and commitment to the project. There is no cost to participate, but business owners would need to cover any costs incurred for the project (e.g., reserving a domain name, buying an email list, etc.)

Participating Businesses Can Expect:

To become involved in a dynamic interchange with students, faculty, and advisors to solve complex business challenges.
An industry analysis from the team of students.
A SWOT and KPI analysis
Social media and website audits to determine how you stack up to your competitors.
A final presentation and report with agreed upon deliverables and actionable next steps.

The students, under guidance, can help you:

Research new markets
Develop a marketing strategy
Help design a website strategy (not create a website for you)
Develop social media campaigns
Analyze financial statements
Create projections
Help create HR templates

Project Criteria:

Be specific and definable. Please clearly describe the project and what you need from the students. “Help with marketing” does not constitute a clear project scope, and will not be considered for a project.
Must have a measurable impact on your business.
Able to be completed during the semester. Keep in mind this is not the student team’s only course in the semester–some are taking full course loads.
The project should involve either marketing, finance, operational or management issues.
Students are not to be used as non-paid employees doing day-to-day work.

Business Owner Requirements:

The business owner, or appropriate designee, must be available during class time to meet with the students at least 7 times during the semester. The meetings will be held during class time; Friday’s at 9:00 am and will last no longer than 1 hour. Semesters run from September to December (Fall term) & February to May (Spring term) however business owners do not typically start until a month into the course.
Understand these are college students who can provide assistance, but will also be learning at the same time. These are not professional consultants.
Be willing to freely share the struggles of the business, the financial information (as needed) and all the information necessary to complete the project.

“Working alongside the assigned group of students at Alfred Lerner Business School was engaging, informative, and productive. As a business owner, the team listened learned, and researched the industry and presented solutions for a marketing plan. The students’ mentor was available at sessions. Enjoyed the semester very much.”

Trish MackayOwner, Be Barre Fit

“I have done two projects with UD students. They helped us with a web site and in developing our business plan. They were very helpful, professional, and fun to work with. I would encourage anyone to look into using them for a project. I truly can’t say enough about the exceptional work ethic of the UD students. I’m genuinely grateful for their help and feel so lucky we have such a wonderful program available to both small and large businesses in Delaware.”

Terri SorantinoOwner, Liquid Alchemy Beverages

“In my class at UD, I got to work directly with a small business owner helping utilize social media to market their business to potential and existing clients. It was incredible to have a classwork that contributed to the growth of a real business and I am grateful for the lessons I learned from a true entrepreneur.”

Mary Kate WilliamsUD Graduate

To Apply:

Please fill out the form below by December 31st 2023 to apply for Spring 2024:

"*" indicates required fields

Name of Business*

Name*

First Last

Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code

Phone*

Email*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Website

Are you an existing SBDC client:*

Yes

How did you hear about us?*

How many years have you been in business?*

Describe a potential project you would like students to help with:*

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Please keep in mind that we receive multiple project proposals. Given a limited number of students, not all projects can be accepted.