Successful SEBD Roundtables provide peer learning for small businesses seeking next level
| Recruitment has opened for Louisiana Economic Development’s SEBD Roundtables for small business owners participating in Louisiana’s Small and Emerging Business Development Program. Beginning in July and August, the innovative peer-to-peer learning program will convene groups of 12 to 15 business leaders for a year-long experience of collaborative learning and problem-solving. Business owners taking part in SEBD Roundtables meet 10 times throughout the year to share best practices, solve business challenges and discover solutions in a supportive environment. Companies must be certified through LED’s Small and Emerging Business Development Program to participate. “Our Small and Emerging Business Development Program offers valuable managerial and technical assistance for Louisiana small businesses,” LED Secretary Don Pierson said. “With the SEBD Roundtables, business executives can improve their leadership skills and better understand the challenges that come with running a business. We consider the SEBD Roundtables an effective platform for developing solutions and sharing best practices, which helps our small and emerging businesses reach the next level of success.” “The SEBD Roundtable taught me how to be more creative, to know my worth, to stay focused on the importance of being a business owner and how to redirect a bad situation into a workable environment,” said Leroy Hayward Jr., the owner of Dr. HVAC in Baton Rouge. “It also gave me the confidence to venture out into the unknown with the knowledge that I received at the table. We shared our issues and we were able to solve them through our discussions.” Business leaders benefit by improving their decision-making, determining what they are doing right, and identifying what needs improvement, especially amid the uncertainties of COVID-19. Through roundtable discussions, challenges are addressed by practical assistance that enhances management skills. “The LED SEBD Roundtables were instrumental in sharpening my decision-making skills and guiding me through processes that I needed to make my business successful,” said CEO Lisa Williams of Solomon North HomeCare in New Orleans. “Also, I was afforded the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded business owners.” The Small Business Development and Management Institute at Southern University at New Orleans is one of several organizations across the state recruiting participants for the program. For more information on eligibility for the SEBD Program and application for SEBD Roundtables, contact Senior Program Manager Tatiana Bruce at Tatiana.Bruce@la.gov or 225.342.5663. |
