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Small Business Institute (SBI)

The East Carolina University Small Business Institute Program (ECU-SBI) is an outreach program sponsored by the ECU School of Business. The purpose of the program is to provide specialized, on-site management assistance to small business owners while providing senior level and graduate business students with valuable practical experience.

The ECU-SBI assists as many area small businesses as possible, working with well over 500 clients since its inception in 1974. The number of cases that the Institute handles is limited only by the enrollment of the consulting class. Selected cases are allocated to student teams consisting of two to four members. Each team, under the direct supervision of the director, analyzes the business and its industry for the purpose of identifying core problem area(s) that the student team and the business owner agree needs to be addressed. The student team researches the problem area(s) for the purpose of developing recommendations as to how these identified problems problems can best be solved. All suggestions for improving the business operation are included in a written report which is given to the owner or business manager, along with an oral presentation of their findings, at the end of the study.

The ECU-SBI recognizes the sensitivity of your marketing and financial information. All information received and developed in the course of conducting casework by the ECU-SBI will be kept in strict confidence. All participants in the case, the director, graduate assistants, and students, are required to sign a statement of confidentiality agreeing that they will discuss the cases only in the classroom with authorized personnel. In addition, all sensitive materials regarding the business are kept secure in the Institute.

The ECU-SBI has been recognized for its counseling efforts by receiving numerous Southeast Regional SBI Case of the Year Awards since 1991. The ECU-SBI was further recognized for its efforts by receiving the National Runner-Up Case of the Year Award. In addition, the program has also been nationally recognized for its efforts.

Area small businesses that want to learn more about the ECU-SBI and how it can help improve their business through management counseling should contact: