Business Assistance

Overview: Engage a team of business students to develop recommendations on strategic issues that are critical to your growth. Topics could include: growth strategies, marketing, human resources, finance, or operations. The program is called Capstone: Multidisciplinary Action Projects, or “CMAP.”

Services: A CMAP team will work from January to April on your most pressing business question(s). For examples of previous projects, click here.

Cost: Free for most Detroit small businesses 

Time commitment: As a CMAP “sponsor,” you are required to attend three presentations at the beginning, middle, and end of the engagement, and encouraged to create a standing weekly meeting with the CMAP team. 

Eligibility: You must be a Detroit-based small business, entrepreneur, or start-up. The CMAP program delivers the most value when you have pressing issues with no simple solution. The best projects have some of the following attributes:

• Have no existing or obvious solution.
• Have strong support from senior management.
• Require a multidisciplinary approach.
• Can be successfully completed in the time allowed.
• Demand a set of actionable recommendations.
• Are structured so most of the work can be completed remotely.

Do I need to sign up, fill out an application, or write a proposal?
Application and proposal. To apply, fill out the Client Prospect Form; then, submit a proposal to the Office of Action-Based Learning team. 

Deadline: Applications open in Early September and are due in late October each year. Projects will run from January to April.

Questions?
For more information about CMAP, visit our course catalog. Contact the Office of Action-Based Learning at [email protected]​ with any additional questions. 

Overview: Businesses can apply to work with an interdisciplinary team to evaluate and improve their business model.

Services: The student team will develop, validate, document, and pitch a business model that addresses an important urban community need. A business model is distinct from a business plan, in that the business model captures the “design” of the business, whereas the business plan is a more detailed document that describes how the business will be executed. You and your team will describe the initial steps toward implementing your business model, but you will not be asked to create a business plan.

Cost: Free

Time commitment: As an Urban Entrepreneurship client (“Urban Entrepreneur Partner”) you are required to maintain regular communication with student teams throughout the semester (4 months).

Eligibility: You must be a Detroit-based small business, entrepreneur, or start-up trying to make improvements in urban quality-of-life through the creation of innovative for-profit businesses.

Do I need to sign up, fill out an application, or write a proposal?
Application. To apply, fill out the Client Prospect Form.

Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Projects start in September and January each year.

Questions?
For more information about the course, visit our course catalog. Contact David Tarver at [email protected] with any additional questions.

Overview: A business can work with a team of marketing students over 3-4 months to do research into its customers and create marketing recommendations for the business.

Services: A student team will conduct market research for your business, helping to answer questions like:

• What is the perception of my brand?
• Who is my target customer?
• How are my customers experiencing my business?
• Where are my opportunities to grow?
• At the end of the project, businesses will receive a set of marketing recommendations.

Cost: Free

Time commitment: The student team will work with you for approximately 4 months. During these four months, you are expected to communicate regularly - i.e. once or twice a week - with your student team.

Eligibility: Marketing is looking for businesses with a history of selling a project or service. This opportunity is good for businesses with an established customer base because the team will want to interview current and previous clients.

Do I need to sign up, fill out an application, or write a proposal?
Application. To apply, fill out the Client Prospect Form.

Deadline: For fall semester projects - work done from September to December - express interest by August 1. For winter-semester projects - work done from January to April - express interest by January 1.

Questions?
For more information, visit our course catalog. Contact [email protected] with any additional questions. 

Overview: A business can work with a team of advertising students over 3-4 months to design an advertising campaign.

Services: Student teams will work over the semester to pitch advertising strategies for your business.

Cost: Free

Time commitment: The student team will work with you for approximately 4 months. You are expected to communicate regularly with students involved with the project.

Eligibility: Any Detroit based business that would like to launch an advertising campaign.

Do I need to sign up, fill out an application, or write a proposal?
Application. To apply, fill out the Client Prospect Form.

Deadline: These projects start in January every year. Express interest by December 1.

Questions?
For more information, visit our course catalog. Contact [email protected] with any additional questions.