About the Small Business Institute®

The Small Business Institute® (SBI) began as a funded program in the Small Business Administration in 1972. More than 500 universities and colleges have participated in the SBI program, with approximately 120 schools participating in 2002. In 1996, the program became independent of the SBA and is currently administered by the Small Business Institute®.

The Small Business Institute® is the premier organization dedicated to field-based student consulting and outreach to small businesses. Our members are actively involved with small businesses and entrepreneurial firms in their communities and regions.

We are especially proud of the field-based student consulting (link to Student Consulting) projects that many of our members supervise each year. These individual programs are operated by colleges and universities across the country. These SBI programs bridge the gap between subject competency provided by courses in business and the entry-level training that companies critically need. Teams of qualified university students, under expert faculty supervision, provide consulting to small business owners and managers as part of their education. These programs emphasize practical, realistic, and affordable solutions to problems confronting small businesses.

Our organization offers our members a number of benefits, including, but not limited to the following: annual conference, awards, student case competition, two (2) journals, a newsletter, and much, much more.