Posts By: Jennifer Boutin

Grasshopper Academy – Houlton, Maine

Happy baby, Grasshopper Academy

Lacey made the decision to leave her business partnership and go out solely on her own. She wanted to purchase this existing daycare and keep the doors open. She turned to Josh Nadeau, Maine SBDC business advisor located at Northern Maine Development Commission.

Six Last-Minute Ideas for Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday helps promote Maine communities and the businesses that make them special. It’s a great day to highlight your business and show how much you appreciate your customers. It provides a unique opportunity for small businesses throughout Maine to increase holiday sales. Use Small Business Saturday to generate sales, foot traffic and visibility… Read more »

Lorne Wine – Biddeford, Maine

Maine SBDC helped this couple to complete their business plan and access financing to start their new wine business Lorne Wine in Biddeford, Maine.

Maine’s Greatest Entrepreneurial Opportunity

Starting a business from scratch is one of the most rewarding – and difficult – challenges to undertake. Filing for an LLC is easy, but helping the business to grow and develop requires time, effort, and unconditional (and sometimes unrequited) love.

The hurdles are significant: 20% of startups fail in the first year – a rate that jumps to well over 40% by year 4. [1] Top reasons for failure include: No Market Need (42%), Not Enough Cash (29%), Not the Right Team (23%), Product without a Business Model (17%), and Poor Marketing (14%).[2]

But, if you want the coveted title of Entrepreneur, what’s the alternative? How can you reduce these risks and still achieve your goals?

Buy a Business that already exists.

Experience Maine – Cumberland, Maine

Rachel Sagiroglu is passionate about all that Maine has to offer. That is why she decided to start Experience Maine, a new full-service travel concierge and event planning company. Rachel knew that tourism is Maine’s largest industry, but noticed that the corporate meetings and events segment of the industry has only grown by 50,000 business-related… Read more »

New Workplace Violence Prevention Training for Retail Small Businesses

Maine SBDC has partnered with the University of Southern Maine’s Cutler Institute to create a FREE, self-paced online training just for retail and foodservice small businesses! DID YOU KNOW? As an employer, you are legally responsible for safety in the workplace. Workplace violence is the 2nd leading cause of workplace fatalities in the U.S. overall… Read more »

Purple Shed Woodworks LLC – Portland, Maine

After losing their father to cancer in 2016, Renée Ledoux began to question her career choice as an emergency room nurse. Jason Ledoux began to question his career path after spending time working a desk job, quickly realizing pushing papers was not for him. Neither felt passionate about their career paths and wanted more. One… Read more »

Swanson Consulting & Associates – Trenton, ME

Terri Swanson has successfully held several professional roles over her career. In March 2018, she decided it was time to fulfill her dream and utilize her experience in a new way. With a passion for helping people, she started her own Human Resources consulting business, Swanson Consulting & Associates. Terri was in the beginning stages… Read more »