by Ted Griggs

Gregg Gothreaux

You're an aspiring healthcare entrepreneur and believe your idea can be turned into a money-making machine. What's the first step to making the dream a reality?

Do you approach the banks? Private investors? Venture capital funds? The patent office?

"The No. 1 thing is to get a business plan together," said Roy Holleman, executive director of the Enterprise Center of Louisiana.

People new to running a company don't want to spend their time working on a business plan, but it's the most important thing they can do," Holleman said.

Developing a plan isn't something you can hire a company to put together, Holleman said, although lots of people are tempted to do so.

A business plan is often highly personal. It provides a road map to where the company is going and how it will get there, Holleman said. Putting the plan together makes the businessperson answer all kinds of questions he or she may not have thought about, from finding start-up capital and hiring employees to finding office space and calculating overhead costs.

"You have to be prepared for the bank, and you have to be prepared to go into business," Holleman said.

The Enterprise Center offers help with both, along with management guidance and assistance in starting or expanding a business. For incubator clients, the assistance is included in the lease. For entrepreneurs who aren't in the incubator, help is available, often at no charge.

The Enterprise Center is just one of the many resources for the small businessperson in Acadiana. Others include the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Acadiana Small Business Development Center, the UL Lafayette Micro Business Development Center, Iberia Industrial Development Foundation, Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and parish governments throughout the region.

Each group can offer new or expanding businesses help, and their Web sites provide links to other resources, private and public.

At the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, support services for start-ups includes help with economic development and statistical information.

"We work very closely with local organizations to provide a smooth transition from our services to theirs, including the Micro Business Development Center, the Acadiana Small BusinessDevelopment Center, and area economic developers," said Gregg Gothreaux, LEDA president and chief executive officer.

LEDA can provide demographics, traffic counts, aerial photography, and a network of resources, he said. The group also encourages economic development through its support of the many businesses operating in Lafayette.

In addition to start-up services, LEDA also helps link expanding businesses with public programs that help firms work through growing pains and regulatory issues, Gothreaux said. LEDA also acts as an information clearinghouse, informing companies about the state's business incentives and workforce training programs.

At ULL's Micro Business Development Center, individual firms can get help ranging from accounting and financial analysis to management and marketing.

The Acadiana Small Business Development Center's resources include business publications, business-related computer programs, trade association information and help with government contracting. The center holds bi-weekly seminars covering the basics and advanced concepts.