Matchmaking at Client-Student Mixer: Small Business Consulting Program

November 11, 2004

By Min J. Kim '06, Botttom Line.

With this enthusiastic declaration, Toby Stuart, the Academic Director of the Eugene M. Lang Center for Entrepreneurship and Arthur J. Samberg Professor of Business kicked off the Small Business Consulting Program’s (“SBCP”) 2nd Annual Client-Student Mixer. The SBCP Client-Student Mixer is the inaugural event that provides SBCP members the opportunity to learn more about a company and its consulting project before SBCP members submit their project request.

What is SBCP? The Small Business Consulting Program is a student organization which offers its members an exciting and challenging opportunity to complement their studies with real world application of business skills and tools, while contributing to the local community. SBCP members work with entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations and other businesses in the New York City area to provide quality pro-bono consulting services in a broad range of areas, including accounting, finance, marketing, organizational development, operations, e-commerce and strategy. During the fall semester, SBCP members receive consulting training from professional consultants through an educational 5-part series that focuses on topics such as “Tools of the Trade” and “Consulting for Non Profits.” Projects typically begin at the end of the fall semester and finish at the end of the spring semester. Since its inception in 1998, the SBCP has grown to 227 current members, demonstrating the strong interest of Columbia students in participating in consulting programs and being actively involved in entrepreneurial ventures.

On November 1st, the Small Business Consulting Program held the 2nd Annual Client-Student Mixer. Over 80 students and more than 30 small business and non-profit organizations attended the event. The evening commenced with a keynote address by Toby Stuart who observed that the SBCP Client-Student mixer was a “very rare opportunity to encourage careers in strategy and entrepreneurship.” Stuart discussed how participation in an SBCP project was a unique opportunity to apply material learned in school and benefit others. Finally, Stuart held great optimism for the SBCP projects because the two ingredients for success of any consulting project were obviously present at the mixer: 1) high level of enthusiasm of people engaged in the project and 2) the projects being mutually beneficial opportunities for both students and clients.

Nami Soejima, a first year CBS student who plans on participating in an SBCP project this year, said about the Mixer, “I was able to talk to a number of business owners at the Mixer and was impressed by the variety of projects that were available. Some businesses had not yet launched, and I personally felt that being involved in those early-stage projects would be exciting. After hearing about how much help they needed, I thought that I was really going to make a difference through this program.”

As succinctly put by Ms. Soejima, one of the most notable aspects of the mixer this year was the diversity of projects, in terms of business type and scope of the project. The range of clients at the mixer included retail, media, entertainment, technology, art, educational businesses and non-profit organizations. Projects ranged from developing and writing business plans for start up companies such as Engaging Minds, a learning center for kids 10-17 years old, to formulating a comprehensive marketing strategy for companies such as Society Coffee & Juice, Inc., a high-end coffee house with stylish furniture which is launching its in December of this year in Morningside. The scope of projects also varied. Some projects were very focused such as Mandarin Square, an established importer of high-end accessories and stationery from China, which wants CBS students to review and improve its supply chain process. And some projects were very broad in nature such as the Brooklyn Museum of Contemporary Art, a non-profit and non-collecting art venue dedicated to enhancing the visibility and accessibility of international contemporary art, which is interested in SBCP student consulting teams to assist in developing a strategic business plan, financial plan and marketing plan.

With the Client-Student Mixer behind us, SBCP members are anxiously forming teams to bid on their top 3 project choices. Student teams will submit their list of team members and project requests by Friday, November 12th. If students want to participate, but have not had a chance to form a team they should contact a member of the SBCP board as soon as possible. Once Client-SBCP teams have been formed and matched, then as Toby Stuart might put it, “Let the Consulting Begin!”