If you run a small business in Greeley, there is probably at least one thing you think about on the drive home.

The stubborn “we really should fix this” problem.
The process that kind of works, but only because you are holding it together with sheer willpower.
The idea you would love to explore, but never have the time or capacity to touch.

This spring, there is a way to put a team of UNC business students on that challenge, while helping them learn how real small businesses actually work.

The Monfort College of Business is teaching a course called Small Business Counseling, a 400 level class where junior and senior students work in small teams with local businesses on real projects. It is not a simulation, not a case study, and not a pitch contest. It is structured, semester long support for businesses that want to grow or optimize, and a chance for students to practice consulting in the real world.

Good In Greeley is sharing this invite because it sits right at the heart of what this site is about: connecting good ideas, good neighbors, and good work in our community.

If you are a local business owner, you are invited to be part of the next group.

What This Class Actually Is

Small Business Counseling is designed as a hands on consulting experience for UNC business students.

• It is a 400 level undergraduate course for juniors and seniors.
• Students work in teams of 3–5 per business, so you are not just getting one person juggling everything on their own.
• The class runs from January through May, with active business projects running for roughly six weeks in the middle of the semester.

The teaching goal is clear:
By the end of the semester, students should feel confident and competent completing professional quality consulting engagements, and businesses should feel that they have worked with a focused, supported student team that tried to improve something real in their business.

Students will learn and practice a full consulting process:

1. Client matching and first meeting
2. Discovery and scoping
3. Diagnostics
4. Solution design
5. Financial analysis
6. Implementation and measurement planning
7. Final report and live presentation of recommendations

You are not just getting random ideas tossed at the wall. Students are taught to approach your challenge systematically, think critically, use evidence, and connect the dots between strategy, operations, and numbers.

At the same time, this is not a corporate firm charging a retainer. It is an educational experience that can create real value while also giving the next generation of business leaders a better understanding of what it takes to run a business in Greeley.

Who This Is For

Ideal businesses:

Sector is flexible. Retail, service, food, trades, professional services, nonprofits with business-like operations, and more are all welcome, as long as the work stays within federal regulations and ethical boundaries.

The key is not what you sell. It is whether you have a meaningful, solvable challenge that a student team can research and work on over a couple months.

What Kind Of “Challenge” Should You Bring?

In class, the word “fire” is used for issues that are too urgent for this format.

If something is on fire and needs a solution today, this class is not the right tool. Students need time to understand your context, do research, test assumptions, and build thoughtful recommendations.

Good fits are challenges like:

• “We are not sure our marketing is reaching the right people.”
• “Our processes have grown messy, and we suspect there is a smoother way to handle this.”
• “We want to launch a new service and need help scoping it and understanding demand.”
• “We know our pricing and cost structure could be stronger, but have never sat down to analyze it.”
• “We keep talking about customer retention without a clear plan to improve it.”

The types of work students can explore include:

What you should not bring:

If you have a smoldering problem that has been quietly draining energy for months or years, that is exactly the kind of thing a student team can help you examine from fresh angles.

What The Partnership Looks Like In Practice

Participating as a client is a commitment, but not a full time job.

You can expect roughly six meetings of about one hour each, plus some email communication along the way.

Here is a simple outline of the flow:

1. Client and team match night –
   On February 2, 2026 at 5:15 p.m., businesses meet their student teams. This is where you share your challenge, swap background information, and set expectations.
2. Discovery and scoping –
   The team asks questions, learns how your business works, and helps narrow down the focus so the project is realistic for the semester.
3. Diagnostics –
   Students begin analyzing what they have learned, looking at processes, customer experience, numbers, or market context, depending on your challenge.
4. Solution design –
   The team develops potential approaches, weighs trade offs, and begins shaping recommendations tailored to your situation.
5. Financial analysis and feasibility –
   Students consider costs, benefits, capacity, and basic financial implications so the ideas are grounded, not just exciting.
6. Implementation and measurement planning –
   Instead of handing you a binder and walking away, the team outlines concrete steps you could take and simple ways to track progress.
7. Final report and presentation –
   In mid April, likely on April 13 and 20 at 5:15 p.m., teams present their recommendations live and deliver a written final report with an implementation plan.

Between meetings, students will:

• Send follow up questions
• Request data or examples when needed
• Share drafts or outlines for your feedback

You are not expected to do their work, but your responsiveness and openness will directly shape how useful their final recommendations can be.

What You Receive (And What We Will Not Promise)

By the end of the project, each participating business should receive:

• A final written report summarizing findings, recommendations, and an implementation plan
• A live presentation walking through the proposed approach and giving you a chance to ask questions

The aim is to deliver professional quality work, guided and graded through the course.

At the same time, a few things are important to say clearly.

• Students are learners, not seasoned consultants. They have studied business, but many have never been asked to apply those skills to a real company before.
• Recommendations are created in good faith using the best tools and thinking they have at this stage.
• You, as the owner, remain fully responsible for decisions and outcomes in your business.

There are no guarantees of measurable impact, and there is no promise that every idea will be a perfect fit. The value comes from structured attention, fresh perspective, and the focused energy of a student team that is fully engaged with your challenge for several weeks.

How Confidentiality Works

Because this is a class, privacy and trust matter.

• Details shared with the student team are treated as confidential within the class.
• No financials, strategy details, or sensitive information will be published or shared publicly.
• If there is an opportunity to share a success story beyond the classroom, that will only happen if both the business and the instructor agree that it is appropriate.

You can be honest about your challenge without worrying that your numbers or vulnerable moments will be posted online.

Why This Matters For Greeley

On the surface, this is a course that pairs UNC students with local businesses.

Underneath, it is a way to strengthen the bonds between students, the university, and the local business ecosystem.

• Students gain real experience working with the kinds of businesses that make Greeley what it is.
• Business owners gain fresh eyes, structured thinking, and a bridge to campus.
• The community gains one more connection point between education and everyday economic life.

This fits neatly with the spirit of Good In Greeley: highlighting practical, hopeful ways people are investing in this place and in each other.

For me personally, this class is one more way to contribute to the community by strengthening small businesses and sharing that work with the next generation of business leaders. It also helps keep a close pulse on what local businesses are facing right now so advising, teaching, and community work stay grounded in real needs.

How To Raise Your Hand For Spring 2026

For the upcoming spring semester:

• The goal is to include approximately six businesses.
• Interest forms are due by December 31, 2025 at midnight so there is time to review projects and schedule intakes in early January.
• If more businesses apply than can be included, matches will be made based on:
  • Fit with the class objectives
  • Diversity of business types and challenges
  • Readiness to engage with students and share enough information for meaningful work

If your business is interested in partnering with a UNC student team this spring to tackle a real challenge:

The form will ask about your business, the challenge you are considering, and a bit about your availability. From there, we will follow up to confirm details and let you know if your project is a fit for this semester. If not, we will keep your information for future opportunities as the course grows.

Good things happen in Greeley when campus and community work together on real problems, with real stakes and real relationships.

If you have been carrying a challenge in your business that could benefit from focused attention and fresh thinking, this might be the nudge to do something about it.

Consider this your invitation to be part of the next group of businesses partnering with UNC students through Small Business Counseling this spring.