This post originally appeared on the Louisiana Technology Park blog.
Leaders from emerging Baton Rouge technology companies are teaming up for a yearlong series of roundtable discussions to exchange ideas and experiences that can help them succeed in the competitive high-tech marketplace.
Coordinated by Louisiana Economic Development, the Small and Emerging Business Development Roundtables will take place in eight cities across the state over the next year. The Louisiana Technology Park is hosting the Baton Rouge series, with leaders from a dozen area tech companies.
Each roundtable brings together 10 to 15 owners of small and emerging businesses for a dialogue to share challenges and learn from the experiences of their peers. The business leaders will meet 10 times to share critical answers to pressing issues within a safe and supportive environment in which business challenges are processed with peers who have similar experiences.
“Everybody has some advice for you, but it’s very rare to find someone who’s walked in your shoes who can give you that advice,” says participant Courtney Sparkman, CEO of Baton Rouge-based OfficerReports.com, which helps security guard companies manage their remote employees.
Supporting Better Decisions
Built off the success of LED’s CEO Roundtables program, the latest discussion series is designed to help small-business owners reach better decisions and develop action plans. It also will help them gauge whether they’re headed in the right direction and address areas in which they could improve. LED can provide assistance through its SEBD Program for any specific issues that arise during the events.
“I’m looking to see what more we can do to establish more rapid growth within the company, and also to get a sense of ‘am I on the right track,’ ” says participant Allen Hancock, CEO of Baton Rouge-based Watchman Monitoring, maker of a computer-monitoring software suite.