Chris Ledet Homes

In a world that operates in real time online, Chris Ledet Homes saw that its outdated bookkeeping platform wasn’t meeting the needs of its customers or its Building Specialist. Supporting Strategies customized a solution to fill the gap.

Client Profile

Since 1983, Chris Ledet Homes has created affordable dream houses for clients in and around Thibodaux, Louisiana, 60 miles west of New Orleans. As one customer put it, “The home I purchased is exactly what I wanted and at the right price.”

A Tradition of Excellence

In founding his company, President Chris Ledet had two specific goals: pursuing his childhood passion for building, guided by what he had learned while earning an MBA at Nicholls State University, and ensuring his business benefitted people in his hometown.

The result, Chris Ledet Homes, has checked both boxes. In the process, it has become a trusted institution around Thibodaux. Building Specialist Nancy Bernard joined the company during college and has remained for more than 20 years. Chris’ son, Paul Ledet, is now the Owner and Project Manager.

This experienced, knowledgeable team helps 10 to 12 families a year realize the dream of owning a top-notch custom home.

Maintaining a High Standard

As the company grew, Bernard, who helps clients plan their homes and also handles the books, realized she was spending more and more time processing invoices and less and less time assisting clients. It was becoming difficult for her to keep the company’s books through Excel spreadsheets (one for each client) while also tracking project management in a different tool.

“Supporting Strategies has completely relieved the burden of bookkeeping on a growing small business.”
Nancy Bernard, Chris Ledet Homes Home Building Specialist

Processing payables on evenings and weekends still didn’t free up the time that Bernard wanted to spend meeting with customers. She and the rest of the team recognized that an online bookkeeping platform might be the solution. But they also knew she wasn’t the right person to implement it. “I dabbled in QuickBooks — miserably,” Bernard says. “That’s why we reached out to Supporting Strategies.”

Getting with the Program(s)

Bryce Ledet (no relation to Chris), Managing Director of Supporting Strategies | New Orleans, worked with his team to customize a solution to address Bernard’s problem. Supporting Strategies moved all of Chris Ledet Homes’ bookkeeping to the cloud via QuickBooks Online. In addition, Supporting Strategies showed Bernard how to better use their existing project management software.

“The most useful thing that Supporting Strategies has given us is real-time, in-the-field decision-making capabilities that we didn’t have before,” Bernard adds. “It’s amazing. If Paul has to make a decision about whether a subcontractor has completed their task and their bill is in line with the budget, he can do it all right from the jobsite.”

When asked to summarize the difference that Supporting Strategies has made to Chris Ledet Homes, Bernard sums it up nicely: “Supporting Strategies has completely relieved the burden of bookkeeping on a growing small business.”

“The most useful thing that Supporting Strategies has given us is real time, in-the-field decision-making capabilities that we didn’t have before.”
Nancy Bernard, Chris Ledet Homes Home Building Specialist