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Local entrepreneurs can benefit from professional business consulting services

MBA students are ready to help small businesses succeed.
September 6, 2011
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By Katie Malazdrewicz


It is a little known fact that small business owners can get valuable advice, for a nominal fee, from Concordia graduate students.

For the past 27 years, the Concordia Small Business Consulting Bureau has provided high quality, professional business consulting services to organizations in the Greater Montreal area using a multidisciplinary and cross-functional approach to solving individualized client needs.

With services ranging from primary market research to start-up business plans and human resources development plans, the non-profit organization is an invaluable resource for local small business owners and entrepreneurs. It is also an integral part of Concordia’s MBA program.

A. Bakr Ibrahim, professor of Management in the John Molson School of Business (JMSB), is pleased with this year’s select group of MBA students for the 2011-12 team. Rodrigo Ribeiro Magalhães Pessoa, Amita Dixit, Arhum Nomani, Rios-Karim Mercier, and Julia Bahcheli bring nearly 20 years of real-world experience from various industries including law, finance, media, plastics and geomarketing.

“Being a member of the bureau allows us to formulate concretely the vision of the entrepreneurs, which they can translate into steps to make their project happen. It is rewarding to get them one step closer to realizing their dreams,” says Mercier.

It’s a well-kept secret that small local businesses can access the expertise of Concordia graduate students through the Small Business Consulting Bureau. (Men, left to right): Rios-Karim Mercier, Rodrigo Ribeiro Magalhães Pessoa, Arhum Nomani. (Women, left to right: Julia Bahcheli and Amita Dixit. | Photo by Concordia University
 (Men, left to right): Rios-Karim Mercier, Rodrigo Ribeiro Magalhães Pessoa, Arhum Nomani. (Women, left to right: Julia Bahcheli and Amita Dixit. | Photo by Concordia University

The bureau brings together the collective expertise of students in the areas of finance, marketing, strategy, management, operations and information technology into their decision-making process to provide thorough analysis and comprehensive recommendations for a nominal fee. The rewards, however, are very mutual. Bureau members are provided with an educational experience that is practice and extends beyond the classroom.

“The bureau gives us the opportunity to network with and learn from members of Montreal’s business community,” says Bahcheli. “It is rewarding to apply our academic skills and professional experience in assisting local entrepreneurs in achieving their strategic goals.”

In addition, the MBA students are given the opportunity to consult with and receive invaluable expert counsel from JMSB’s highly respected and internationally acclaimed faculty members. Ibrahim has been key to the bureau’s success since its inception in 1984.

“The consulting bureau has been an excellent training ground for our graduate students,” explains Ibrahim. “These students have helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and small businesses as well as banks, governments, the mayor’s office and many NGOs, all helping to enhance the Montreal community and support the economic development of this city.”

Related links:

•    Concordia Small Business Consulting Bureau
•    Bakr Ibrahim


 



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