If you grew up around Lafayette and Lake Charles and you’re a certain age, you might know Don Begneaud. If you’ve got kids – and you leave out the part where he dropped out of college – Don Beagneaud’s story is inspirational.

Don started out as a welder, riding a bicycle to classes while a guy he’d hired to work for him did his welding jobs. That didn’t last too long – Don tired of ridnig a bike and letting the other guy have all the fun. Today, the metal shop Don founded while he was meant to be in school is Begneaud Manufacturing, a 65,000 square foot factory that serves a variety of industries, including agriculture, aviation, aerospace, automotive, communications, hospitality, marine, medical technology, and more.

The term “Gone fishin'” is part of our everyday vocabulary, across the country. Those two simple words say a lot more than literally announcing you’ve gone out to catch food for dinner. “Gone fishin'” is a polite way of flipping the bird to the everyday world of work and responsibility. 

For some people, like Zach Dubois “Gone fishin'” isn’t a day off work, it is work. Zach is the founder of Cajun Lures, manufacturer of handmade fishing lures.

Peter, Don and Zach are also joined by today’s Entrepreneur du Jour, Wayne Nix, inventor of The Nix Tool, a specialty all-in-one tool for nurses. Wayne, a nurse with a business degress, combined his skills and came up with the idea for his new business while working as an RN. This lunch meeting might be the breakthrough Wayne was looking for: Zach thinks there might be a major fishing application for the Nix Tool.

Photos taken at Charley G’s by Gwendolyn Aucoin. For more information about Acadiana entrepreneurs – Innov8 Acadiana and The Opportunity Machine.