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Do you have a project or problem that your company needs to address, but you don't have the time or resources? Are you looking for a fresh set of eyes to help your company grow or evolve? CUB's Entrepreneurial Student Teams Program (ESTP) can help. Teams of two to four business students from UIC's College of Business Administration and The Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the College of Applied Health Sciences (graduates or upper-level undergraduates) work closely with companies to help them solve real business issues. The challenges that the consulting teams work on are determined by the clients' needs and the skills and interests of the students.

Applications Due: Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Project Timeline: Fall Semester 2010 that starts on Monday, August 23 and ends on Friday, December 10.
Phone: (312) 996-4057
Email: Please send emails to sbdc@uic.edu
Website: For more information about our organization and our services, please visit www.uic.edu/cba/cub/

Eligibility Requirements for Participation
Business must:
- Be a for profit entity that is physically located in the State of Illinois
- Have been generating revenues for at least two consecutive years
- Minimally have at least three full-time employees
- Be able to designate one staff person to communicate and work with student teams on a weekly basis
- Submit a project that is feasible to complete within a 10 to 12-week period

About ESTP
- Teams are comprised of graduate or upper-level undergraduate students.
- Professors oversee all of the student teams' work.
- Upon completion, clients receive the agreed-upon deliverables.
- The CUB staff is available for advice and technical assistance throughout the semester.
- Project work is typically performed for about 10 to 12 weeks throughout the 16-week semester.
- There is an administrative fee to participate in the ESTP Program.

Administrative Fees to Participate in ESTP Program
- $500 for companies with gross revenues of less than $500K.
- $1,000 for companies with gross revenues of $500K to $5MM.
- $1,500 for companies with gross revenues of more than $5MM.

Program Description
Almost all companies, no matter what stage of development they are in, have some issues or projects that need to be addressed, but which often aren't because the company doesn't have the time and/or resources to do so and that is where ESTP comes in. Teams of 1 to 3 business students from UIC's College of Business Administration (graduates or upper-level undergraduates) work closely with companies to help them solve real business issues. The challenges that the consulting teams work on are determined by the clients' needs and the skills and interests of the students.

Please select ONE of the following project descriptions:

PROGRAM ONE: Marketing and Strategic Analysis
For companies who are seeking assistance from undergraduate students to work on projects that involve the following:
- Market research and market assessment
- Marketing plan development
- Strategic planning and competitive positioning
- E-commerce planning & consulting
- Exploration of business growth opportunities

PROGRAM TWO: Information Technology and e- Commerce
For companies who are particularly interested in challenges they have in the area of computer technology, business students majoring or mastering in Information Technology, will work with business owners to assist in projects like:
- Business and information systems design
- Enhancement of website capabilities
- Computer programming, data management, or data mining
- Application of technology to address supply chain and operation needs

PROGRAM THREE: Health, Fitness and Wellness Companies
- Evaluate, analyze and recommend ways for the business owners to improve marketing effectiveness or customer service
- Research, compare and generate an analytical report with recommendations to improve the consumer experience
- Analyze the prospective member tour and recommend value additions for the company to convert prospects into customers
-Investigate the effectiveness of the sales approaches; gather and analyze data; and recommend ways to improve the company's sales force effectiveness

PROGRAM FOUR: General Strategic Improvement
Students from the MBA Entrepreneurial Consulting class learn to take a broad look at companies and their business environment to identify critical leverage points for profitability and success. They use their knowledge and business experience to develop cross-functional alternatives for your consideration. Having an MBA student team perform a system-based analysis of your operations and strategies will allow you to clearly identify an opportunity or a project you can either execute yourself or submit to another student team in future semesters, such as marketing, information technology, operations or a finance project.

PROGRAM FIVE: Branding
For companies who desire a new branding campaign, students will work with logo design, slogans, print ads and press releases as well as product positioning based upon market research.

PROGRAM SIX: Business Plan Development
For businesses who are seeking to formulate a business plan. Students will provide the client with a comprehensive business plan and will work hand-in- hand with the client to conduct market research and create financial projections.

PROGRAM SEVEN: Financial Management
For small and mid size companies seeking a corporate finance project including:
- Financial forecasting
- Ratio and spreadsheet analysis
- Lease vs. Buy options
- Working capital management
- Business value & time value of money
- Valuation/Acquisition
- Exit strategy
- Reorganization and bankruptcy

PROGRAM EIGHT: On- campus Integrative Marketing Campaign
For companies who are interested in reaching the diverse collegiate target market. This campaign requires an engaged partner who is willing to provide some financial assistance so students can do an actual marketing event on campus. Students will:
- Conduct pre and post market research
- Create and distribute press releases
- Create advertisements
- Perform branding and multiple media publicity e.g. YouTube videos, event marketing, etc.

PROGRAM NINE: Projects with an Asian Perspective
The MBA Entrepreneurial Consulting class includes many students who already have successful experience and connections with companies in China, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. This gives them a unique ability to help companies attempting to create or improve Asian aspects to their business, whether new markets, new suppliers or new partners.

APPLY HERE!
To apply for Entrepreneurial Student Teams Program, please complete the two online forms: "ESTP Application" and " Request for Counseling Form " to submit your project. Applications missing either one of these online forms will not be considered for the program.

ESTP Projects Descriptions (Download and read)
ESTP Application (Complete and submit)
ESTP New Client SignUp Form (Complete and submit)

If your computer does not have the updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, please click on the link below to download the most recent version of the free software so you can type your responses into the fields of the PDF files.
www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

About the UIC - Center for Urban Business
In 1993, the Center for Urban Business (CUB) was established as a business assistance center for emerging and high-growth entrepreneurs. CUB is a 501c(3) non-profit organization at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and is an Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and is one of the delegate agencies for the City of Chicago. The Center is partially funded by the UIC College of Business Administration (CBA) in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development and is part of the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (IEN).

CUB Sponsors: