The Small Business Consulting Program ("SBCP") is a student organization dedicated to serving small businesses and non-profit organizations through semester-long pro-bono engagements.
This website contains information for all of our constituencies:
- Clients
- Students
- Mentors
- Institutional Partners
About the Small Business Consulting Program
The Small Business Consulting Program (“SBCP”) was established in 1998 by a group of Columbia MBA students seeking to complement their studies with the practical application of business skills and tools, while contributing to the local business community. SBCP works with entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations and other businesses in the New York City area to provide quality pro-bono consulting services in a broad range of areas, including accounting, finance, marketing, organizational development, operations, e-commerce and strategy.
SBCP Mission
The mission of SBCP is four-fold:
- Help small businesses and non-profits benefit from the knowledge existing within the Columbia Business School community;
- Provide MBA students with tools and hands-on experience that will make them more effective managers and consultants;
- Improve Columbia Business School’s impact on the community;
- Leverage the energies of MBA students in philanthropic activities.
SBCP participants are first- and second-year MBA students who have signed up and been selected to consult for the program. Participants have stellar academic backgrounds, significant work experience in a variety of fields, specific skills relevant to clients’ needs, and a strong commitment to the program’s mission. Many participants have previous experience in management consulting and/or go on to accept positions at top consulting firms. Thus participants bring a high level of knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm to their SBCP consulting engagements. Starting in 2003, every semester SBCP will award the Small Business Consulting Prize to the best performing member team selected by an expert panel of distinguished Columbia faculty and professional consultants from leading firms.
SBCP Clients
SBCP clients are non-profit and for-profit organizations in the New York City area seeking focused assistance with a particular aspect of their business. Projects are discrete, allowing SBCP teams to tackle an identified problem and present the client with a final “deliverable,” generally over the course of one semester.