Resolve to get business counseling in the New Year

The MSU Product Center is the go-to place for food, agriculture, bio-economy, and natural resources-based business counseling.

If you are interested in starting a new food, agriculture, or natural business or enhancing an existing business, the Michigan State University Product Center is a good place to start. Through the Center’s statewide Innovation Counselor network, entrepreneurs can plan the development, finance alternatives and marketing strategies for their product or service.

Connection with the MSU Product Center starts with a simple online registration process. Simply go to the MSU Product Center website, and make a request for counseling. You will provide your contact information and briefly describe the assistance you seek. Subsequently, our coordinator will call you during business hours to confirm your request and to explain the confidentiality policy. Once a signed confidentiality agreement is in place, you will be assigned a counselor.

You will interact with your Innovation Counselor through methods and locations made through mutual agreement. This may include personal visits, telephone calls, email, or even webinars. Your counselor will help you build your team, access technical services, find Michigan State University Extension educational resources, develop plans, review grant applications, and act as your sounding board. Collaborations between producers may be aided through the MSU Product Center’s USDA Cooperative Development Center.

MSU Product Center counseling is free to Michigan residents. Fees apply to specialized services such as nutrition facts development and feasibility studies. In 2013, the MSU Product Center assisted 647 clients with business planning and 86 launches.

Start out 2015 by making your request for counseling at www.productcenter.msu.edu , or by phone by calling 517-432-8750.

Did you find this article useful?