Support for your business idea is closer than you think

MSU’s Product Center has Innovation Counselors located around the state to help.

With offices in almost every county in Michigan, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension exists to provide education locally to improve the quality of life. In addition to the 4-H Youth Development program, there are money management, agriculture and nutrition education programs and services. Yet still another important part of MSU Extension is the MSU Product Center, which helps launch new product and service ideas into food, agriculture and bioenergy markets.

Many people dream about how great it would be to be their own boss, and to make a living by becoming a successful independent business person. The MSU Product Center can help you decide if your idea is truly unique, or if it will help solve a problem for the public. These are the factors which create demand. Another important preliminary evaluation should reveal if you have enough financial and other types of support to move forward, since different skill sets are required for making a product, marketing it, and managing a business.

The MSU Product Center supports new entrepreneurs as well as existing businesses by customizing services to each client. Innovation Counselors are located around the state, and can meet with entrepreneurs privately over a mutually agreeable period of time. They will work on a project from concept refinement to creating a business plan, and from regulatory guidelines to marketing, labeling, packaging and more.

The Product Center can also link you with experts within MSU for advanced marketing or feasibility studies, assistance with nutrition facts labeling, or processing requirements to meet Federal Food and Drug Administration requirements. If you’re interested in working with a Product Center Innovation Counselor, visit the website and click on “counseling request” in the bright green ribbon to get started!

The MSU Product Center, in partnership with Michigan State University Extension, provides business counseling for product development, packaging and marketing strategies that will help Michigan entrepreneurs commercialize high-value, consumer–responsive food, value-added agriculture, and natural resource products. For more information, visit the MSU Product Center website or call 517-432-8750.

Did you find this article useful?