By Eric Stock
NORMAL – Illinois State University has some new number-crunchers to help small businesses get off the ground.
ISU’s Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development has launched Illinois Business Intelligence. It’s a free service that provides customized market research to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Graduate students Christina Davila and Dan Sheets run the program.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott and Colleen’s interview with Davila and Sheets on WJBC.
“We provide a personalized service,” Davila said. “They can call or email us and we give them the data they need. We have a constant conversation when them so if they need more information we can provide that for them.”
Sheets told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin, IBI can provide information like demographics, traffic counts and competition.
“We can put in certain demographic information like age, gender even income, and if someone is interested in nature (for example) it provides a mailing list for an area so someone can mail out flyers or postcards for their small business,” Sheets said.
IBI does not offer consultation – you can get that from ISU’s Small Business Development Center.
Sheets said in the few months since the program launched, IBI has offered help to entrepreneurs looking to start a dairy farm, a candy shop and a contract brewery – among others.
IBI is available to clients in Illinois only.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
