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Stay up-to-date with the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project.
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10 Years Later, DNEP Co-Founder Christie Baer to Step Down as Managing Director
November 3, 2026
Baer to depart in advance of DNEP’s move into new U-M Center for Innovation building; University of Michigan now accepting applications for successor Letter from DNEP creator Christie Baer to DNEP clients: My Beloved Detroit Entrepreneurs, A few weeks ago, I made a hard decision, which is that the time has come for me to step aside as managing director of DNEP. I created the University of Michigan’s Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project ten years ago starting from zero. DNEP is now one of Detroit’s largest business support organizations for microbusinesses, deploying 130 supervised students per year as professional service providers… -
Siobhan Says: Navigating Holiday Markets
October 28, 2026
Photo: Mario Losereit on Unsplash Dear Siobhan, I make handmade candles and I’ve been invited to three different holiday markets this holiday season (Q4). I want to say yes to all of them, but I don’t know which ones are worth my time, how to price so I’m not losing money, or how much inventory to make. Last year I brought too much to one event and sold out at another. Help! —Corktown Candlemaker Dear Corktown Candlemaker, You are asking exactly the right questions! Saying yes to one opportunity and no to others isn’t a lack of ambition: it should… -
Siobhan Says: What DNEP Faculty Are Looking For
September 30, 2026
Dear Siobhan, I’ve applied to be the client in two DNEP cohort programs and wasn’t selected either time. The emails were polite but vague. I have a real business and I need the support. What am I missing? —Ready to Try Again Photo: Michigan Law students with attorney-faculty supervisors Dana Thompson and Albert Pak (center) at Detroit Hispanic Development Corp. Dear Ready to Try Again, Not being selected doesn’t mean your business isn’t worthy. It means your application didn’t show that you’re ready for what that specific program offers or the timing of the kind of problem you were looking… -
Siobhan Says: The 5 Cs of Credit (Lender Love Language)
August 27, 2026
Dear Siobhan, I have been running my bakery in Southwest Detroit for four years. My conchas are legendary, my books are finally clean (thanks to my new bookkeeping software and habits), and I’m ready to move from a shared kitchen into my own storefront. I need $30,000 for ovens and a display case. But things are not going well with the banks. My credit score is a 660 – not perfect, but I’m currently paying everything on time and never missed a payment without a good explanation. Why does it feel like I’m asking for a miracle instead of a… -
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DNEP Featured in Congressional Testimony before House Small Business Committee
July 27, 2026
Boodlebox Founder and CEO France Hoang testified before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business on July 14, 2026, sharing examples of how Detroit businesses are using AI to scale their businesses, and how the University of Michigan Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project is combining access to AI with human coaching to effectively teach AI skills. Read the full text of Mr. Hoang’s written testimony. -
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DNEP Releases New Legal Tool for Detroit Day Cares, Preschools & Other Childcare Businesses
June 30, 2026
Childcare businesses are at the heart of any thriving community. When parents can’t find affordable, dependable, high quality childcare, mothers in particular drop out of the workforce. And, childcare businesses are some of the hardest businesses to run: they are highly-regulated (for good reason), and have higher overhead. At the same time, most childcare businesses cannot afford legal representation. That’s why DNEP created Bambini, an AI tool specifically for Detroit childcare providers—to help childcare entrepreneurs stay on top of legal requirements and get back to doing what they do best. Made by Michigan Law alumnus Habib Saad and overseen by DNEP’s… -
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U-M’s Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project leans into AI to support small businesses
June 30, 2026
DETROIT—Formed a decade ago to connect Detroit businesses with University of Michigan expertise, the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project is leveraging AI to augment its human help. Since its launch in 2016, the University of Michigan’s Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project has connected hundreds of Detroit small business owners with students and faculty who provide expertise in marketing, accounting, technology, law and business strategy. DNEP was created to help neighborhood-based businesses access resources that can be difficult to obtain in the early stages of growth. At the same time, it gives students the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real-world business challenges…. -
Siobhan Says: Stop Saying “I’m Not Paying Myself” (and Start Getting Funded)
June 30, 2026
Dear Siobhan, I’ve been denied multiple business loans. I tell lenders I’m not paying myself to show how committed I am to reinvesting into the business, but they just seem concerned. One even asked if my business was “viable.” What am I saying or doing that is leading to this response? — Frustrated in Grandmont Rosedale Photo by Sean Pollock – Unsplash Dear Frustrated, While your commitment to reinvesting is more than honorable, there is a major communication gap between you and your lender. You are speaking the language of sacrifice — “Look how hard I’m working and how much… -
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Farewell & Thank You to Cathy Shakespeare
June 27, 2026
Best wishes & many thanks to DNEP’s “Fairy Godmother” Cathy Shakespeare, who left U-M to become a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. (It’s like the Supreme Court, but for accounting.) Prof. Shakespeare joined DNEP in its first cohort in January of 2017, where she recruited and supervised University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business accounting students. Students analyzed entrepreneurs’ business models and worked with them to create break-even analyses and start-up cost analyses so the business owners could REALLY understand their business finances. A key success? An entrepreneur who decided NOT to pursue a venture when…
