Students planning to start their own businesses after graduation don’t have to step into the real world alone – they can find advice and real-world experience right on campus.

The Small Business Development Center, a part of the College of Business, provides existing business and start-up business owners with management, technical advice and resources to help them run an effective business. The center also has outreach programs for students, giving them some experience and a chance to network with professionals.

Judi Eyles, associate director of the center, said it works through several programs that include helping sixth graders, giving scholarships and internships to ISU students and providing workshops for entrepreneurs.

The center is useful for ISU students interested in starting their own business, Eyles said. By working an internship through the center, students can learn if they enjoy the work or not.

“Students don’t just get an education in the classroom, but we enhance it through real-world applications of what they learn in the classroom,” she said.

The internship program helps the Ames community because students are placed in local businesses. Many times, the student’s technological experience is an asset to the owner.

“It’s very practical,” she said.

Michael Upah, interim director of the center, said the internship program also helps keep businesses in Ames that offer products and services that might otherwise only be available in Des Moines.

“That’s a genuine bonus to the Ames community,” he said.

The center can help new businesses research an idea to see if it is viable, set up a business plan and give them information and references on how to get started, Upah said.

Existing businesses come in for help with specific problems such as compensation packages and delivering health insurance, he said.

But the center doesn’t do all the work for their clients.

“We want to know that they have made an honest effort to do it on their own,” he said. “There are just some things they need to learn to do on their own.”