Accelerate Evangeline is planned for businesses

The Louisiana Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center at UL Lafayette received​ a grant of CARES Act money from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to provide a program to help people start and grow small businesses in South Louisiana. The program is coming to Evangeline Parish and is designed for anyone with a dream or for small businesses owners throughout the parish.
​The objective of Accelerate Evangeline is to look at entrepreneurship as a vehicle for helping an individual take control of their career path and their personal and family financial situation. Because of this, the program will start with the basics and will go through all of the aspects of developing a business idea, writing a business plan and starting/running a successful business.
The program is open to people of all ages and educational backgrounds. Accelerate Evangeline will take place on Saturdays over a six-week period beginning Saturday, July 10 and will be held at The Hatchery in Vidrine.
The program will start with looking at the entrepreneurial mindset and what skills are needed to be a successful entrepreneur. The first week will cover the entrepreneurial dream. The focus of the week is to start building a cohort of entrepreneurs who can come together as a community. When they complete the program, the participants will know each other and what each other is doing as well as support each other.
The other five weeks will cover topics such as what owners need to know about the numbers, getting resources when you do not have any, customers driving the business, how to get more out a business plan, and operations and other fundamentals that matter.
Each week will be over a four-hour period from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at The Hatchery. There will be three hours of discussion followed by a working lunch where speakers will address the participants. During the sixth week, there will be a ceremony with certificates for the people who attended at least five of the six weeks.
The cost of the program is $450.00, however because of the grant, there is a $425.00 waiver for all applications and participants only pay $25.
People to apply are those who have ideas for a business, those who want to turn a “side hustle” into a full-time business, and those who have an existing business.
Benefits of the program are hands-on and individual attention to help start and/or grow a business, opportunity to build a network with other business leaders, hear from successful business leaders as guest speakers and guides, and completion ceremony and certificate of completion.
Evangeline Chamber of Commerce President Dr. Gwen Fontenot said, “The Evangeline Chamber is excited to partner with Dr. Geoff Stewart and the LEED Center at UL Lafayette to bring a high caliber and affordable program to our Evangeline Parish entrepreneurs, small businesses, farmers, non-profits, and others who are interested in either starting a business or growing an existing one. This opportunity can be the catalyst for economic development in our parish! No idea is too small and no individual is too inexperienced to participate.
For more information and to apply, visit business.louisiana.edu/leed/accelerateevangeline or contact Dr. Geoffrey Stewart at geoffrey.stewart@louisiana.edu or (337) 456-1810.