Blog
Grants for Micro-Enterprise Businesses
The Maine Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD) in partnership with the Maine Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) will provide grants of up to $5,000 for businesses with five or fewer employees, with an owner whose income is in the low to moderate range as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Sonny’s Gun & City Jewelry – Caribou, ME
Founded in 2011, Sonny’s Gun Shop is an Aroostook County adventure. They buy and sell a huge variety of quality pre-own and new goods. Whether it’s guns, jewelry, musical instruments, or video games, Sonny carries a range of products that meet the needs of a vast array of customers.Read More
Coastal Equipment Corporation – Portland
Corey Grobe’s years of experience in consulting and management were the perfect foundation for his next step: the purchase of a successful material handling equipment sales & service company Coastal Equipment Corporation in Portland, Maine. Coastal Equipment Corporation designs and manufactures special equipment and custom fabrication to solve their customer’s problems. Corey’s expertise in technology solutions, innovation, and efficiency are the perfect complement to a profitable, yet traditional business, in which he can apply his knowledge and take it to the next level.
WanderWeb – Bangor
For years, Corey Zimmerman had worked in healthcare management. She was ready to exercise her creative brain and decided to make the leap into entrepreneurship in 2019. She started The WanderWeb, a web design and digital marketing firm located in Bangor. Corey found her passion for helping local businesses grow by optimizing their web presence. The WanderWeb provides extensive assistance in web design, search engine optimization, photography and video, and social media marketing.
Bath Sweet Shoppe – Bath
An entrepreneur at heart, Jennifer DeChant had always dreamed of owning and running a small business. When her corporate job was eliminated, she took stock of her options. Was now the time to take the leap? During a pandemic? Was it just too crazy?
Show Your Love For Small Businesses This Valentine’s Day
By: Keenan Hendricks, Maine SBDC Intern
Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to express love and support to those in your life. It’s also yet another opportunity to support your local small businesses. Purchasing from local businesses not only provides a unique and special gift but also helps support those in your community who need you now more than ever.
Here are a few ideas for shopping small this Valentine’s Day:Read More
Should I Raise My Prices?
By: Business Advisor Lori Allen
Even in the best of times, pricing decisions can be agonizing. It is one of the most critical decisions you need to make in your business model because your profit margins hinge on being able to price effectively. Price too low and you will lose money; price too high and you risk losing sales. Read More
The Love Card – Penobscot
Even before the pandemic changed the way we interacted with each other, people were looking for deeper connections. Joanne Steenberg found a way to create those shared moments with something called a “Love Card” A simple green circle with a pink heart in the middle and a message on the back saying ‘You are holding this card because you are loved…” They quickly became an easy way for people around the world to make a positive impact in someone’s life.
Why Business Planning Matters
Business planning is an essential aspect of your business and can help guide your business’s success. Your business plan is not just a document that you compile and put on a shelf. It’s a living, breathing roadmap that outlines goals and provides details on how you plan to achieve those goals.
5 Steps To Keep Moving Forward
By: Anne Lancaster, Business Advisor
Feeling overwhelmed? Exhausted?
2020 has been a year of accentuated anxiety, seemingly endless stress, and unparalleled uncertainty.
Keeping a positive outlook can be challenging with daily updates of COVID-19; local, state, and federal mandates; personal and professional changes. We live with this dynamic tension ALL the time. It’s natural, it’s real, it’s everpresent.
How we deal with this tension makes all the difference.
We can react to this tension with fear OR we can respond to this tension with a choice.
Adapted from David Emerald’s Power of TED* and the 3 Vital Questions, below are 5 steps you can take at any moment in time to move you forward. Read More
Wilcox Wellness & Fitness – Brunswick
They say the first year of a small business is the hardest, but for Allison Hopkins year 2 hasn’t been without its challenges as small business owners adapt to COVID-19. In January 2019 she worked with friends Paige and Mike Wilcox to open her own franchise of Wilcox Wellness & Fitness in Brunswick. All things considered, things were going really well. She certainly faced her fair share of challenges and difficulties but while working with Brad Swanson, a Maine Master Certified Business Advisor from the Maine SBDC at CEI, she met her sales goals and a profitable business was well within her sights. She had big plans for the upcoming year.