Student-run consulting business finds niche at IU

Janus Consulting Institute is in many ways just like any other consulting firm. What sets it apart is the fact that it is entirely student run. \nJanus, which works to find business solutions for non-profit organizations, was founded by three business school undergraduates last year. Mark Hansen, Blair Greenberg and Daraius Dubash started Janus while they were still juniors at IU hoping to gain real-world consulting experience and to give back to the Bloomington community.\n"We all just started talking about how IU students could contribute to the community and how we could use what we were learning in school," Dubash said.\nThe group consists of seven business school students. Managing partner and junior Sarood Baig feels the people involved in Janus are really what make the organization. \n"The people involved are the best and smartest, the hardest working," Baig said. "This allows us to provide the best solutions to our clients."\nOne of the group's most recent clients was the Bloomington Development Learning Center. \n"They helped us think about our position in the market and also how we could let the community know all the wonderful things we do," Director Veda Stanfield said.\nStanfield also said the group impressed both her and the board with their professionalism and the quality of their work.\n"I would definitely recommend them," Stanfield said.\nBaig saw his experience working for the BDLC as valuable.\n"I was able to present to the board of directors," Baig said. "It is a very rare experience at this level which I could only get with Janus." \nJanus has also done consulting work for a homeless shelter and the IU hockey team.\nAlthough currently only members of the Kelley School of Business are involved in Janus, the group stresses they do not restrict membership to business school students.\n"We are looking for people with the ability to think and to solve problems," Baig said. "They don't have to be business majors."\nThe organization is currently seeking new client engagements and members of community are encouraged to visit the Janus Web site at www.janusinstitute.com.\nIn addition, students who are interested in applying should email the group through their Web site. Potential applicants should expect a group commitment of 10 to 15 hours each week, Dubash said.\nApplicants go though a rigorous interview process consisting of different scenarios and are tested on their mathematical and social skills. \n"There are a lot of smart people out there, but we need people who can also communicate," Dubash said.\nDubash said he hopes Janus will be a long-term organization at IU.\n"I'd like to come back to IU and see Janus as incredibly prosperous," Dubash said. "I want to see it as the strongest link between IU students and the community."\n-- Contact staff writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.