“Two weeks after his death, I asked my uncle when Johnny was coming back,” William remembered. “He said he would never be back. I hurt so badly in my chest over that loss that I said if I could ever help anybody not hurt that badly, I wanted to do it. That’s when I became a candidate for the ministry.

The spirit of entrepreneurship conjures images of pioneers, trailblazers and solo acts. However, entrepreneurs, like others, thrive in collaborative relationships. Many entrepreneurs in northwest Louisiana have found they do not have to walk alone.