Large-scale organizations of entertainment information such as event calendars and culturecandy.org exist to schedule activities to fill every hour of free time.
Graduate student Joshua Howard and partner Ryan Chenevert have teamed up to take on the mission of exposing Baton Rouge’s nooks and crannies of fun while supporting community ventures and local businesses website. Their website, 2brokeguys.org, is a blog and entity which focuses on community strength and promotion of local events.
The idea for the business started in Howard’s parents’ house in 2010. It wasn’t until 2012 that he began working on honing the enterprises logistics and strategies. Following the blog’s launch, 2 Broke Guys gained attention from tourism site “Louisiana Travel,” which asked them to present a piece on the best and cheapest Baton Rouge activities. From there, Howard’s ideas blossomed.
“Ever since then, we kind of realized that this could be bigger than the two of us,” Howard said.
Originally, Howard and another partner headed 2 Broke Guys. The two were involved in Leadership LSU, an annual leadership program. Howard said he saw Chenevert as someone who was passionate, dedicated and intelligent — qualities needed when developing a new business.
Since its start, 2 Broke Guys has been able to work with numerous Baton Rouge business and non-profit organizations, including Lighthouse Louisiana, Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and Sunrise Assisted Living Home.
Along with working at 2 Broke Guys, Howard balances a life as a youth pastor and business consultant while pursuing a masters degree in strategic communications. In his seemingly never-ending schedule of work, Howard says he finds the fruits of his labor at 2 Broke Guys as the motivation to keep all the plates spinning.
“We’re going through Baton Rouge and Louisiana…” Chenevert said. “We’re finding creative things to do and fun things to do that won’t cost a fortune. All these things are in your backyard and you haven’t done them yet.”
Chenevert described the events explored by 2 Broke Guys as the types of activities that locals don’t usually feel compelled to attend. Instead of trying to show visitors around Louisiana, the site encourages people to enjoy the “best kept secrets” of the state.
“[Our] sole purpose is to get the full picture of the place and report it back to whoever may be following us,” Chenevert said. “It’s more about engaging with the people of Baton Rouge. It’s enlightened. It’s enriching It’s been awesome.”
Howard said he sees himself as the creative half of 2 Broke Guys. Working on blog posts or promotional graphic design, Howard gives the website the tools it needs to satisfy its clients.
Now an attorney, Chenevert met Howard through social media. The online presence of 2 Broke Guys caught his eye. As a fan of the site and its promotions, Chenevert reached out to Howard to voice his support. Following the withdrawal of his first partner, Howard contacted Chenevert with the hope of joining forces on the site.
In comparison to Howard’s graphical approach and tech prowess, Chenevert’s role is more social. Chenevert described himself as a good researcher by trade, able to find and apply information about local business and activities.
“My favorite part is connecting with the community,” Howard said. “Our main goal is to inspire adventure. To be able to do that with anybody is great.”
Currently, Howard said he sees the site as a “community advocate.” Working with nonprofits and small enterprises, 2 Broke Guys helps to get the word out to the city about Baton Rouge events. The blog still stands, churning out several posts each month that allow inter-community contact and volunteer opportunities for local service work.
“What keeps me going is doing good work,” Howard said. “If I didn’t get to see the smile on a kid’s face just because we designed a flyer for them…that wouldn’t mean that it’s worth it. What still keeps me going is just to provide a resource to everybody.”

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Javier Fernández

Attorney Ryan Chenevert and LSU strategic communications grad student Joshua Haward are the partners behind 2 Broke Guys.