Business certification applications can be tricky and certification programs can be difficult to understand. That is why I wrote the Louisiana Business Certifications Guidebook, a comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand, introduction to business certification programs available to Louisiana businesses. Business certification programs exist to level the playing field and give all businesses, including small, disadvantaged, minority, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses, an equal opportunity to bid, win and perform on government and private sector contracts. The Louisiana Business Certifications Guidebook is a valuable tool to help Louisiana's small businesses level the playing field and succeed.