Today we’d like to introduce you to Brent Broussard

Brent, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but for the sake of time, I’ll cut the story down a bit to paint the picture of how I got to where I am today with The Broussard Enterprise Group, LLC., my small business development firm. In the beginning of 2021, I started making artisanal handmade beaded jewelry under the name Beads by Brentley which started off as an assignment given to me by my therapist in an effort to learn how to be more patient with myself when things seem to go awry. During the year, I heard about a new program that was being offered by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette called Accelerate Northside. The program was funded through a grant that was designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs or established entrepreneurs to take a six-week course on building a business plan and how to grow the business. I enrolled in the fall cohort and immediately felt like it was one of the best decisions of my life. While in the class, I met one of my business mentors, Corey Jack, and spoke to him about a longstanding idea of starting a nonprofit organization that would teach youths ages 10-18 critical life skills such as financial literacy, resume writing, job preparation, and postsecondary education preparation. During that meeting, Corey and I discussed how to outline my vision for the nonprofit, but also to think about having a for profit business that could be an umbrella company to manage and develop Beads by Brentley and Youth Leadership Initiative, the name for the nonprofit at that time. With Corey’s advice, I decided to name the development and management firm The Broussard Enterprise Group, LLC, submitted the necessary paperwork with the Secretary of the State of Louisiana and established the company in January 2022.

Since forming The Broussard Enterprise Group, LLC, I have begun to assist other small business owners with developing their business ideas and became a certified Life and Entrepreneurship coach through the Transformation Academy. Through my work as a coach, I’ve been able to help aspiring entrepreneurs gain resources to help get their business idea off the ground, much in the same way that Corey Jack was able to help me with my ideas. I have also been very active in my community. I have received a number of emerging small business spotlights by the UL Lafayette Louisiana Economic and Education Development (LEED) Center in April 2022 and 1Acadiana Small Business Spotlight in August 2022. I’ve also joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana as a volunteer Big as well as joining the Board of Directors in January 2024. In 2023, I was selected to be a member of the next class of Leadership Lafayette, an emerging leadership program held every year by the Leadership Institute of Acadiana. I also became a member of the local chapter of 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette, Inc, a nonprofit organization under the 100 Black Men of America that works in local communities in the areas of education, health and wellness, economic development and mentoring. These are just some of the things that make up my life in the last few years in the journey of entrepreneurship.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

I can definitely say that the journey has not been as smooth as I thought it would be, but honestly life itself is not a smooth journey. There have been a few challenges that I have faced along the way, but those challenges are also a part of the story that helps to make me stronger and believe in myself and my ability to adapt to situations, no matter how hard they may be. Some of the challenges I’ve faced, especially having such a young company and not enough years in the game, is being able to qualify for federal nonprofit funding. Most federal grants ask for nonprofit organizations to have been in existence for a minimum of 3 years. Since my organization has only been in existence for 2.5 years at this point, getting those grants that would not only help me grow, but also aid in the programming for the nonprofit has been challenging in itself. Also, the natural ebbs and flows of being an entrepreneur can have a person like me, who is a natural introverted extrovert, can be challenging. On the days that things may not go in my favor or feel like nothing is happening, it’s all par for the course and building the testimony of my resilience. I’ve been so thankful that I have an inner circle of friends and mentors that have helped me stay the course and keep me grounded, even on the days that I might feel like I want to give up or quit. They are quick to remind me that I am on a God driven mission to help bring the next generation of young people to where they want to go in their lives.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Broussard Enterprise Group, LLC.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

The Broussard Enterprise Group, LLC is a small business development firm that was established in January 2022. Initially, it was going to be the development firm for the two other entities under the umbrella of the LLC which are Beads by Brentley and the nonprofit organization that is now known as Acadiana Vanguard Institute for Youth Development. Beads by Brentley is an artisanal handmade beaded jewelry brand that specializes in using natural gemstones such as tiger eye, malachite, howlite and many others that have healing properties that help with focus, calmness, peace, love, etc. Acadiana Vanguard Institute for Youth Development, formerly known as Youth Leadership Initiative, is a nonprofit organization under the 501C3 guidelines, an organization that teaches youths ages 10-18 how to be prepared for what’s next in life by teaching critical life skills that our youth are not learning any more in schools. Those life skills include job readiness, etiquette, resume writing, postsecondary education assistance, financial literacy, mental health practices and mentoring. What truly sets me apart from other organizations is that I am a certified Life and Entrepreneurship coach through the Transformation Academy. With these certifications, I’m also able to assist entrepreneurs with understand the journey and how to navigate the different ebbs and flows that they will face on a daily basis. I’ve been able to assist aspiring entrepreneurs with finding the right resources that can help them along the journey and in a way being a mentor to those entrepreneurs.

Any big plans?

I have a few plans for the near future. One thing that I am looking forward to planning a joint fundraiser with another local nonprofit organization with a good friend of mine. We are planning a weekend golf tournament at a local golf course to raise funds for both of our organizations in an effort to start a scholarship program for high school seniors that are graduating this school year. With the funds we are hoping to raise, these funds will be able to be issued to the students as a stipend to go towards their tuition, books, housing, and food, whichever they choose to use the funds for. College is a huge expense nowadays, and any way to help a student get through a semester with enough financial resources is what we are aiming for with these scholarships.

I am also looking forward to the mentoring opportunities that I will have during the current school year. As a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana, I am looking forward to spending time with my “little” brother again as he is now entering high school as a freshman for this school year. I am proud of how far he has come since we were matched last fall and I have seen some incredible growth in his confidence in the little time we have been together. I also look forward to volunteering with the Junior Achievement of Acadiana organization again for their Mentoring Men program that caters to young men in high schools. This program has the students spend a day with a group of mentors and guest speakers that speak to them about their experience in high school as well as topics that range from entrepreneurship to financial literacy and an exercise in budgeting and credit building. The last mentoring opportunity I am looking forward to for this school year is a partnership program between Acadiana Vanguard Institute for Youth Development and a local school where I go on campus and spend 45 minutes with the 7th and 8th grade male students teaching them different life skills as well as getting local entrepreneurs and business professionals to come and speak with the students. I started this program last year as a pilot program to test the criteria and curriculum of what I want to teach these youths as well as getting real time data as to what works and what does not work when mentoring young men that are 12-14 years old. It’s been fruitful and very beneficial to see the growth in these young men and how they are not only listening to what’s being taught, but they are being better students. It’s truly rewarding when you hear teachers and the principal share their praises on how the young men are exuding leadership qualities through the lessons they are being taught through my programming.

Pricing:

• $100/hour for Life coaching sessions
• $150/hour for Entrepreneurship coaching
• $20-30 for custom Beads by Brently jewelry

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thebroussardenterprisegroupllc.com
• Instagram: @fonzworthbrentley82/@beadsbybrentley
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Beads-by-Brentley-110327807970968/