Small Business

U-M helping Detroit’s small businesses locate, navigate coronavirus-related financial aid
April 15, 2020August 20, 2024

The University of Michigan is working with Detroit’s small businesses to help them find sources of federal financial aid amid the COVID-19 pandemic and assist them in navigating the rules and regulations they will encounter in the application process.
The Ford School of Public Policy’s Center on Finance, Law and Policy, through its Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project, has compiled resources business owners need to access the roughly $375 billion in grants and loans earmarked for small businesses in the $2 trillion stimulus package signed into law last month.
Justin Erickson, program manager for the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project said the resources respond …

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Are My Supply and Inventory as Efficient and Productive as Possible Checklist

The supply evaluation checklist is a simple tool for small business owners to re-evaluate the supply and inventory of their business, implement changes, and mitigate excess costs in preparation for a second shutdown. It is designed to be worked through methodically with your own business in mind.
See the below video on how to use the checklist …

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In House Delivery Guide

The in-house delivery model allows businesses to control every aspect of their operation from the moment the order comes in, all the way to the door of the customer. This option works particularly well for businesses with small and tight-knit consumer bases that are receptive to your promotion and communication. While it is costly to get …

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Value Based Pricing Workbook

About the Value Based Pricing Workbook
Value-based pricing (VBP) sets the price of your product, service, or experience based on what your customers are willing to pay. When successfully executed, profitability will improve due to premium prices paid by customers while maintaining customer volume. Value-based pricing is not about taking advantage of your customer. It’s about building …

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Outdoor Dining Guide

Outdoor dining provides additional square footage to increase capacity and revenue. Its design allows for open space, which increases natural ventilation and safety for customers and staff. Outdoor dining mimics a pre- pandemic dining experience. The opportunity spaces from local and state municipalities mitigate many of the structural barriers to having an outdoor dining space. …

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Stamps students join Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project
July 12, 2022June 13, 2024

Students from the University of Michigan’s Penny Stamps School of Art and Design spent a part of their summer in the city of Detroit, gaining valuable experience as interns in the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project (DNEP) + Impact Studio for Local Business internship program.
From May 4 to June 24, they joined forces with the Ford School, Ross School of Business, and the School of Information. Stamps Career Development contributed part of the internship costs, ensuring that students were compensated for their work with undercapitalized small businesses.
They formed interdisciplinary teams to provide free services and resources to Detroit small businesses and entrepreneurs. Their goal was to assist with the …

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Sparking ideas, jobs, and creation in Detroit
October 30, 2019June 13, 2024

Partnering with a small business owner to boost her coffee shop business, building a makerspace for students and the Brightmoor community, and working with Eastside city residents to create authentic tours are just a few projects the University of Michigan is collaborating on to boost entrepreneurial impact in Detroit.

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Distinctly Detroit Season 1, Episode 3: Justin Erickson
June 15, 2020June 13, 2024

Podcast episode hosted by Katie Lehman, U-M Detroit Center, about DNEP’s history with the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund and DNEP’s COVID response with the summer internship program and more accounting needs.

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Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project MCubed
February 27, 2018June 13, 2024

Video interview with Michael Barr, Jerry Davis, Michael Gordon, Jevona Fudge Watson, and Nicole Farmer by MCubed.

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Partnerships in focus: Learning and research collaborations that create better public policy
December 31, 2021June 13, 2024

Lily Hamburger (MBA ’16) supports economic mobility for entrepreneurs as the senior director of the pandemic-born Detroit Means Business, a coalition housed at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and guided by a group of small business owner advisors. She works in collaboration with nonprofits, financial programs, and corporate partners to provide financial and technical assistance to small businesses. In this role, she also serves as a sounding board for the Ford School’s Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Project (DNEP) and facilitates connections between businesses and student learning projects.

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