On The Cusp

On episode 11 of On The Cusp, we are talking with Ben James, CIMA®, CKA®, Financial Advisor and Cofounder of Deupree James Wealth Management. Ben focuses on portfolio management, financial planning, and microcap investing. Prior to co-founding Deupree James Wealth Management, he worked at Merrill Lynch for over a decade where he managed money for his team and others as a Senior Portfolio Manager.Ben is discussing the economic health of Shreveport, why it's a great time to start a business, how the national trends compare to Shreveport trends & consumers, and investing - including the microcap investment strategy.Tune in!--“This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of any professional services. The opinions given are not to be relied upon as individual legal or financial advice. Guests’ opinions are their own.”

On today's episode of On The Cusp, we are speaking with Amanda Flynn, Interim Director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) at Southern University in Shreveport, and we are talking all things capital.Dive into episode 10 to hear how the LSBDC is helping our small businesses and how & why entrepreneurs and small businesses should get involved.

It's easy to get down on North Louisiana if you're not actively searching for opportunities here. Whether it's finding events to go to, investing in the city, or choosing it to start and grow your business in, the opportunities are great - they are just waiting for you to find them.In today's episode of On The Cusp, Matt and Dave sit down and talk with Rich Lamb of Weiner, Weiss and Madison. Rich has lived as close to Shreveport as Baton Rouge, and as far as Washington, DC and continues to choose Shreveport as the city he works, invests, and raises his family in. Rich is actively involved in his community. A full-time attorney who does much more, Rich is a guy who genuinely practices what he preaches - from cheering on and helping bring businesses to the area to grow and succeed, to filling jobs, his ultimate goal is the betterment of North Louisiana.Tune in!

With two major interstates (I-20 and I-49) converging in greater Shreveport, businesses can easily access more than 40 million consumers in some of America’s largest markets, including Dallas and Houston, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Little Rock and Oklahoma City.Ryan Culp currently serves as Director of Business Recruitment for Shreveport Next, a division of BRF, a Northwest Louisiana-based economic development organization, where he focuses on recruiting high-growth small to mid-sized businesses from across the country to relocate or build new facilities in the Shreveport-Bossier area, diversifying the region’s business base and bringing new jobs, payroll, revenue, and investment to Northwest Louisiana. This comes with its own set of challenges.Tune in!

For Sarah and Preston Lowder of Lowder Baking Company and Doc's Sandwich Shop, their vision has always gone beyond owning these storefronts.In Episode 7 of On The Cusp, we are talking to Sarah about her and Preston's beginning steps and that leap(s) of faith that has taken them from "entrepreneur" status to "great entrepreneur" status, and their reasons behind staying in Shreveport and turning their dreams into a reality.Tune in!

In Episode 6 of On The Cusp, we are back with hosts Matt and Dave discussing North Louisiana's homegrown talent, whether they are local or living across the country. This has us asking a few questions in regard to engaging that homegrown talent.How do we continue to foster their love for Shreveport and how do we continue to involve them in their community?Tune in!

It's one thing to own a company in your community, but it's a better thing whenever you infuse that company into your community.In Episode 5 of On The Cusp, we are speaking with Jon Ellis, Vice President of Radiance Technologies, a high-tech, research & development defense contractor that develops innovative solutions for defense, intelligence, and civilian customers’ advanced challenges. Radiance is also known in the community as the Title Sponsor for the Independence Bowl.In this episode, we are talking about - you guessed it - community, the importance of technology-based companies in our community, and football (sort of)!Tune in for one of our most interesting guests yet!

Want to learn about Shreveport's best-kept business secret? Meet Eric Rippetoe, Founder of Bishop, the world’s first 3D-printed knee support device intended for use during high-impact sports.In this week's episode, we discuss why keeping technology-based businesses in our city should be a priority and how being a big fish in a small pond can work to your entrepreneurial advantage.

For entrepreneurs and small businesses, cities with entrepreneurial resources readily available is a priority they aren’t willing to overlook. A city lacking these resources, will lack an entrepreneurial ecosystem.On episode 3 of On The Cusp, Dave and Matt are speaking with Cohab Executive Director, Jessica Schiele, about the importance of community involvement in the entrepreneurial scene, and making sure small businesses and entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need.Cohab serves as a starting point for young startups and businesses looking to innovate and grow. From workspaces, mentorship, and education to access to investors for startups or sole entrepreneurs, Cohab helps companies and ideas take shape.

Both Lean canvases and business plans are visual representations of the reality in which your business operates. But, unlike the traditional business plan, they are sketches that need to be updated as you grow your business.So, the big question is: which is better?In Episode 2, our guest Julie Milam, a Senior Financial Analyst of the Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program with over 23 years of experience in corporate finance, financial markets, government contracts and consulting, walks us through the differences and similarities in each option, why it's always important to plan for a worst case scenario and what that looks like.

In episode one of On The Cusp, hosts Dave Smith, EAP Executive Director and Matt Snyder, Owner of PinPoint Local Marketing, dive into the purpose of the podcast and discuss how and why Shreveport is on the cusp of something great.--The Entrepreneurial Accelerator System (EAP), an initiative of BRF, is a public-private partnership to diversify the regional economy, create jobs and expand the area’s tax base by providing services to innovative startups that have high growth potential. EAP has helped its companies create more than 300 jobs with an annual payroll of $19 million. EAP has screened 1,380 ideas and provided services to 436 companies that have raised over $130 million in capital. For more info, visit www.EAPla.comPinPoint Local Marketing - a marketing and event company responsible for some of Northwest Louisiana's largest events - Derby Day, Crawfest, and Catahoula to name a few.--Tune in now!