Service businesses are tricky. For the most part, you’re selling assistance. And even when folks know they need help, things can get tense.

Imagine making a living when your clientele is by definition struggling. When someone brings you a mess, you need to be able to clean up with confidence, compassion and clarity.

Savings

Clarity is where Sonya Colliver starts with her clients. Sonya is the founder of the money management company Fix It Change It.  And that brand about sums up her approach. When clients come to her in debt or dire financial straits, Sonya cuts to the chase with a color-coded spreadsheet: “Is this something we can fix or change?” Pretty straightforward. And straight talk is essential when you’re helping families navigate money problems.

Sonya Colliver, her company name, Fix It Change It, is also her approach to her clients’ spending plan (don’t call it “budget”)

Sonya also helps business clients and has a background in business herself. She and her husband have owned an HVAC company, Lake Mechanical, for over 24 years. She’s done money management work for years and officially incorporated Fix It Change It in 2020.

Sober

Getting back on your feet takes more than a rebound. People who suffer from addiction often need a period of transition to get started on the long road to recovery. Many will make that transition from in-patient rehab back into independence at a sober living house.

That was Luke Moore’s journey and along the way he found himself dissatisfied with the quality of sober living homes. So he prayed about it and started his own here in Lafayette: The Captain’s Table.

Luke Moore, The Captain’s Table is Luke’s sober living home in Lafayette that lets recovering addicts return to regular life with dignity and Netflix

The Captain’s Table sets itself apart with a higher standard of living. The weekly or monthly fees come with necessities and Netflix, while residents provide their own food and toiletries. The house has eight beds and the residents do most of the upkeep and commit to self-improvement programs.

Luke has since relocated to Monroe and the day-to-day operations of the facility are overseen by a live-in manager. And Luke also operates a garbage can cleaning service called Bin Bros.

Luke Moore, Sonya Colliver, Christiaan Mader, and audio engineer Dylan Babineaux, Out to Lunch at Tsunami Sushi

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. Photos by Astor Morgan.