Blog

Exporting Series

Maine's Top Exports - Maine SBDCConsidering “Small and medium-sized companies account for almost 97 percent of U.S. exporters, but still represent only about 30 percent of the total export value of U.S. goods”, you may have asked yourself…

  • How do I even start? I don’t know what I don’t know!
  • How do I write an international business plan?
  • Where do I find the best possible places to export to?

In this three-part series, Maine SBDC Business Advisor and Center Director Peter Harriman spoke with partners throughout Maine to provide tools and resources to get started with exporting! Read More

Alchemy Chiropractic – Falmouth

Alchemy Chiropractic Logo - Falmouth - Maine SBDCMaking adjustments can seem scary, but they’re an important step toward finding relief in the future. This can be said about life, chiropractics, and business planning alike! Dr. Sergey Terrio, DC of Alchemy Chiropractic knows all too well how making small adjustments can lead to healing and growth. Read More

Peace House Studio – Bath

Peace House Studio Package - Maine SBDCPeace House Studio, the name conjures up a quiet space… someplace restful, to reflect, and be creative. But Peace House Studio in Bath Maine is anything but a quiet place for reflection as sewing machines hum and vibrant children’s clothing is manufactured, and an active family lives a life aligned with their values! Read More

Lessons Learned: Disaster & Crisis Planning

Pushing Rock Uphill - Disaster & Crisis Planning - Maine SBDCBy Tina Oddleifson

The sixth and final part of an ongoing series of blog posts on lessons learned from COVID 19. Nobody likes to think about a disaster or crisis impacting their small business.  But the Covid 19 global pandemic brought the importance of disaster planning to the forefront.  Properly preparing for a crisis means your business will survive, recover and even thrive when times are tough.  

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  –Benjamin Franklin Read More

Game Fish Guide Service – Cumberland Center

Glenn and Hallye Anderson - Game Fish Guide Service - Cumberland Center - Maine SBDC

When Hallye Anderson contacted the SBDC in February, she and her partner Glenn Richardson were working on a plan to launch their new business, Game Fish Guide Service. They were looking for an outside review of their plan and needed help obtaining a loan to fund their startup costs.  Glenn is an avid fisherman and licensed Maine Guide and Hallye has the skills to manage the operations side of the business. Their plan was to start offering trips on the inland lakes and coast of Maine with an eye toward expanding to other New England states over time.  Like many people just starting out, the two will continue working other jobs until their business is fully established. Read More

Washburn Trailside – Washburn

Opening - Washburn Trailside - Maine SBDCPrior to former Washburn police officer Jarad Carney purchasing the Washburn Trailside in 2020, it was just another struggling small town gas station. But thanks to Jarad’s strong ties to Washburn, his values around community, and his understanding of the local seasonal industries the Washburn Trailside has become a true “one-stop” experience for locals and tourists alike. Improvements included successfully merging the local redemption center into the gas station and breathing new life into the associated restaurant, offering new and changing menus at the only restaurant in Washburn while staying true to the hometown-style Maine charm that has come to be expected. Read More

KV Tooling Systems – Augusta

Brian Beland - KV Tooling Systems - Augusta - Maine SBDCSpecialty products are produced using special tools, but when each of those tools is made up of extremely specialized parts, you’ll need the help of someone like Brian Beland from KV Tooling Systems in Augusta to make them for you! Beland started working with Maine SBDC at CEI Business Advisor Brad Swanson in 2001 when KV Tooling Systems was just him in a basement.

Over the past twenty years, they have developed a supportive working relationship and during that time Brian has created a thriving business producing tooling to meet a wide variety of industrial needs including those used in the production of COVID rapid tests! Swanson was working with Beland on the process of navigating his financing sources and uses for a business expansion when the pandemic hit, and everything was put on hold. Read More

Happy Retirement to Business Advisor Brad Swanson

Bradshaw SwansonAs a Master Certified Business Advisor at CEI located in our Brunswick & Augusta offices, Brad has been an integral part of the Maine SBDC staff for 30 years. He’s helped over 2,977 entrepreneurs and small business owners to start 158 new businesses, save or create 1, 682 jobs and obtain over $85 million in capital to start and grow their businesses.

Brad’s vast knowledge in business growth, development and strategic planning plus his management experience have been invaluable in the advising services he’s provided to his clients. Read More

Lessons Learned: Top 6 Trends Impacting Businesses

Paper Plane - Top 6 Trends Impacting Businesses - Maine SBDCBy Tina Oddleifson

The fifth part of an ongoing series of blog posts on lessons learned from COVID 19. The pandemic created new trends and business models that changed priorities and planning for small business owners. These are the top 6 business trends that will impact your business in 2021 and beyond.

As the pandemic hit and in the months after certain terms have popped up in the news with growing frequency – Supply Chain Disruption, Worker Shortage, Inflation, Social Distancing, Remote Work, and Cyber Security to name a few. As a business owner, you’re always trying to predict trends in order to prepare for or get ahead of the market.   Read More