Need a consultant? Try Cal State Fullerton
March 29th, 2008, 5:00 am · 2 Comments · posted by Jan Norman
A team of MBA students at Cal State Fullerton recently won first place nationally for their consulting project for Restaurants on the Run in Irvine.
I wrote about this project for my It’s Your Business column this week. But this case is not unique. All MBA students must work on such a team consulting project to graduate and most undergraduate business majors do too. Over the years, their work has won more than 60 regional and national awards from the Association of Small Business Institutes.
About 250 colleges and universities have students providing consulting work for businesses. They gain invaluable experience in the real world with real businesses. The companies, like Restaurants on the Run, gain an outsider’s look at their operations and suggestions to run, market and grow the venture. The award-winning report for Restaurants on the Run was 170 pages of detail and two pages of recommendations.
These projects used to the free, but since the Small Business Administration eliminated funding, companies pay a small amount. That’s probably a good thing. People tend to think more highly of things they pay for. Still the price is a bargain compared to major consulting firms.
If you’re interested in working with a student team at your business, contact Michael Ames, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Small Business Institute, Room LH 640, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92834, sbiames at fullerton.edu, 949-644-4541.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:47 am
To: CSU Fullerton, Center for Entrepreneurship,
First, congratulations on the recognition you have recently received concerning your apprentice/consulting program.
It sounds to be innovative, to a point, and surely fills some specialty niche in OC business.
I wonder, though, how this concept fits in with the notion that “there is no substitute for experience”. This is a great idea for the students, but how can a business be truly served by neophytes in that industry?
If an owners moccasins haven’t been walked in, to borrow a metaphor, how can the advice be relevant? Wisdom is far more important than book learned curricula. Experience is a much better teacher than a pop-quiz in 5th period. A burned hand rarely gets too close to the stove again.
This is not to demean your efforts, they are noble and high-purposed. It’s just that I can’t fathom why a rookie would have better vision than a sage veteran of a particular industry.
I have done a substantial amount of food and beverage consulting over the years and have witnessed more than my share of missteps and ill-conceived concepts. I know from PERSONAL experience that consultants face this dilemma: the smart operators don’t need you and the dumb ones won’t listen to you.
You may have “staff advisers” to guide the students in their particular projects, but acadamians are often insulated from their intuitions and intuitions are nurtured by hard earned scar tissue. Show me a war weary veteran of the battle of business and let me pick THAT brain.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:55 am
While I agree with Gordon Blue about the breadth of experience element necessary to clearly and effectively evaluate a new business and write a business plan, there is nothing better than a “fresh set of eyes” from an entrepreneurial student that has undergone extensive education. I would recommend Cal State Fullerton as I would SCORE or other college courses for the budding entrepreneur that is strapped for cash (most!) to get their feet wet and get objective advice.
The one thing I have found the most disconcerting when working with startups is that they look at their business from only their point of view and are caught up in the enthusiasm and excitement of the venture. Of course, I think is fabulous and it drives our economy with fresh products and services. However, it can be a detriment if they don’t preliminarily market their idea with informal focus groups that represent their target market. A great idea to the inventor or owner may not be a great idea to the target market. I have heard it said, “If you love your product or service too much, start over!” New products and services always have flaws that need to be worked out but what a journey to do so - very exhilirating! Those flaws can be uncovered by informal focus groups and students at Cal State Fullerton.
We Love Startups! is another resource that newbies can check out to get a wealth of information to guide them through business planning, financing and implementation. See http://www.welovestartups.com.
Congratuations Cal State Fullerton! Those students are our future and they need to be encouraged and nutured to achieve the excellence that they have inside them.
—Erin Baldwin