As part of the Small Business Institute at California State University, Fullerton, CSUF Consulting projects are intensive, semester-long projects undertaken by groups of business students under the supervision of their professor and, for Undergraduates, with the assistance of a mentor from the professional world. Projects can either focus on a specific discipline (e.g. Operations, Finance, Marketing, etc.) or they can take the business' overall strategy into consideration.

What follows is an overview of the Small Business Institute's CSUF Consulting program. And once you are ready to work with a CSUF Consulting team please contact CSUF Consulting Entrepreneur in Residence, Ms. Charlesetta Medina, either at cymedina@fullerton.edu or (657) 278-8243 for more information on how we can tailor a project for your comapny's specific needs!

CSUF Consulting Process

Beginning in 1991, the CSUF Consulting program has helped thousands of businesses develop comprehensive strategies for achieving specific business goals. Since its inception, this program has won dozens of awards (see below!) from the national Small Business Institute for the services it has provided to businesses in many industries and of all sizes.

At the beginning of the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters, CSUF Consulting teams form up to work on dozens of consulting projects for businesses looking to improve themselves. Each team is augmented by a professor and all undergraduate and some MBA teams have mentors with relevant industry experience.

The first task for these teams is to meet with their client to discuss the client's goals for their report. This initial meeting is where the scope of work is determined and from there the teams get to work. Each project has a specific focus and they include one or more of the following:

• Marketing
• Overall Strategy
• Finance
• Accounting
• Operations
• Startup
• Human Resources
• Leadership

During the semester, teams will have at least half a dozen interviews with their client and will conduct primary and/or secondary research for their projects. Since our team members are current graduating seniors or MBA students at Cal State Fullerton, they are being immersed in the latest research and knowledge in the particular fields they are doing consulting projects in and they are applying this knowledge, with the guidance of a professor and mentor, to their client's project.

By the end of the semester the projects will have been completed taking anywhere from 100 to 500 or more hours for each project and resulting in reports of usually 100 or more pages. But quantity isn't the point; these projects are full of creative thinking and solutions for clients. And in addition to the written reports, clients receive a presentation on their team's findings and discuss the team's recommendations.

Reserve Your CSUF Consulting Team Today

For more information about how your company can benefit from an intensive semester long CSUF Consulting project please contact CSUF Consulting Entrepreneur in Residence, Ms. Charlesetta Medina, at cymedina@fullerton.edu or (657) 278-8243. Ms. Medina is an Alumnus of our program and is very passionate about this whole process. She is the perfect person to have a conversation with if you have any questions about the process.