Accelerate St. Landry builds entrepreneurship with practical lessons and networking

Accelerate St. Landry provided valuable training to local entrepreneurs in March and April. Participants enjoyed a six-week program of weekly sessions designed to provide each with a firm background on the fundamentals of starting, growing, and scaling a business. St. Landry Economic Development provided the program in partnership with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Louisiana Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Center.

Bill Rodier, CEO of St. Landry Economic Development, recently told KLFY creating a culture of entrepreneurship within St. Landry Parish is a primary goal for the program, and Accelerate St. Landry builds on a central SLED goal – developing new businesses in St. Landry while strengthening existing enterprises. Programs like Accelerate do both by partnering instructional material with expert guidance, networking opportunities, and access to ongoing support for participants.

Rashida McZeal, owner of iCater Events and a corresponding food truck frequently found on Moss Street in Lafayette, attended a former session of Accelerate St. Landry and recommends the experience to any current or potential business owner based on the opportunity to learn from and meet other entrepreneurs in the community.

“Take the plunge,” McZeal encouraged. “You never know who you’ll be sitting by. You could make a connection and go into business together. Go and just be open. If you’re a shy person, be open. Start talking to people, and that will help your business grow. Other participants could send business your way and vice versa, and we all can help each other. It’s not just about me. It’s about everybody in the room.”

The guidance provided in Accelerate St. Landry sessions helped McZeal make key decisions to increase profitability and consider new opportunities for her LLC even though she already had several years of experience owning a small business when she attended.

“I learned how to scale my businesses, budgeting to know what I’m spending on food and how to price my food, so I actually bring in more money,” McZeal explained. “Every week, they brought in a different business owner to speak with us, giving us different insights. We could see with different businesses everything we see on the outside isn’t always what is happening behind the scenes. Businesses go through a lot, and they have to grow. They go through down times and up times, and you just have to stick it out.”

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette LEED Center supplies the core curriculum for the Accelerate St. Landry program. It maximizes the value provided to participants with a combination of lessons and individual attention for participants who prefer added guidance. Topics begin at the basics of the entrepreneurial dream before progressing to maximizing a business plan, crunching numbers, obtaining resources, customer-driven businesses, and operations. At the program’s conclusion, a small celebration is held and students receive a certificate of completion. St. Landry Economic Development supplements many program costs, limiting the student fee to $25 with dinner provided at each evening session.

To review additional information about starting a small business in St. Landry, visit the St. Landry Economic Development website or contact us today.