We tend to think of entrepreneurs as people with an obsessive vision. They have an idea that will change the world or at least make them lots of money. They take it to the workshop and hack away for days, hours, years until they bring their genius to market and find success. 

Sometimes, a business idea just sort of happens. Maybe it’s a stroke of luck. And that could be a stroke of bad luck. Savvy entrepreneurs can make whatever hand their dealt — work. 

Ari Dolegowski found his calling after he got hurt. He had been a phys ed teacher in New York and played in an adult soccer league. A physical therapist was on his team, so he asked for help. What he got was a new career.

Ari became interested in the combination of eastern medicine and physical therapy practiced by his teammate. So he set out to do that himself. He set up shop in Lafayette in 2020 after he and his wife relocated to be closer to her family during the pandemic. That shop is called Ari D Therapy & Training. He practices massage therapy, prenatal massage, cupping and more. The idea is to combine Eastern and Western practices to help clients manage pain and injuries holistically. 

Ari books session at his studio and makes house calls. Ari grew up in Colorado and spent time as a professional soccer players in leagues in Israel, Chile and the U.S. 

Disasters are a fact of life in Louisiana. It’s not so much luck as it is a changing climate. Dealing with the aftermath is a real pain. Especially when you get walloped by back to back hurricanes. 

Imagine spending a month without power and then having to wrangle someone to fix your roof. And once that’s done, you’ve got to haggle with your insurance company to pay for it. Well, there could be another way. You could call Colorwheel. A disaster recovery company founded by Beau Killingsworth. 

Colorwheel is essentially a construction company with a twist. They don’t just help you fix your roof, they help you with the insurance claims process, too. 

Beau grew up in Lake Charles and had been through enough floods and hurricanes to know how much of a headache that was. He started colorwheel after working as an attorney in Lafayette and getting more familiar with the insurance claims process. He started the company in 2023. Beau is still a practicing attorney and contractor. He’s also a podcaster. He hosts a show called One Big Headgame.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.