Success Stories

Client Success Stories

AWEN – Portland

Brinn Flagg, a white women with blonde hair leans on a wooden wall. Wearing a tan wide brimmed hat, denim overalls, and a dark patterned long sleeve shirt. AWEN; Family Recovery and Relationship Coaching, is an educational and counseling service for friends, partners, and parents of people with substance use disorder. It is different from most programs, as it uses a holistic experience-led approach. The coaching program offers support, education, resources, and community.

Founded by Brinn Flagg, AWEN is unique in that Brinn is an impacted loved one herself. Feeling the effects of her sister’s substance use disorder with nowhere to turn at the time, she sought support, strength, and knowledge by becoming a certified coach and counselor in order to share her experiences. Read More

The Nexus Arcade and Gaming Lounge – Winslow

The Nexus Arcade and Gaming Lounge logo, on black background. Cobalt blue graphic lines outline "The Nexus" in white, the X is larger and insects the whole logo.Mark Blaschke and Nicholas Murray, the partners behind The Nexus Arcade and Gaming Lounge, wanted to create a place that brought the local gaming community together around their shared passions. They brought a lot of enthusiasm to the project but not much knowledge about the business side of things, Mark knew he needed help making sure he was doing things correctly and legally. He was seeking expertise from someone who already had experience running a small business when he connected with Maine SBCD at CEI Business Advisor Peter Piconi. Read More

CIA Cafe – Saco

In early 2022, Jamie Bissonnette and his business partner Duncan Taylor were presented with the opportunity to purchase CIA Cafe (pronounced see-ya), a successful coffee, sandwich and art shop located in Saco. With tons of food and beverage business management experience, Jamie decided it was time to take a chance and step out on his own, but he needed financing. His lender recommended that he reach out to Anne Lancaster, Maine SBDC business advisor at the University of Southern Maine. 

As first-time business owners, Jamie and Duncan wanted to be as thorough as possible in making sure this new-to-them venture would be successful. They worked with Anne to perfect their business plan. They went through each section of the narrative and focused heavily on the accompanying financials. In just a couple of weeks, they were ready to submit their plan to Bangor Savings Bank. Read More

Aegir’s Den Meadery – Palermo

Mark and Carrie Mancini both come from families familiar with fermentation and preserving, but a friendly competition leading to the accidental brewing of a honey mead made Aegir’s Den Meadery possible!

After nearly a decade of experimenting and testing different meads with friends and family encouraging them, they opened their Pittsfield storefront in 2019 and gained some good traction prior to the COVID shutdowns. They had a strong brand and partnerships with a local winery for bottling space and were being distributed throughout the Bangor and Portland area.

They connected with the Maine SBDC as they were getting ready to expand last year. They needed to grow in order to keep up with production and that meant they were also going to need capital to hire more employees and purchase additional equipment. Maine SBDC at CEI Business Advisor Peter Piconi was able to work with Mark and Carrie to understand their capital needs and provided resources that helped identify the best avenue to pursue. Together they developed financial forecast worksheets and reviewed the business plan so they could understand how grants or traditional lending would fit into their plan. Read More

Wine House on Main – Kennebunk

Betsy Ross owns the Wine House on Main, a small wine shop and bar located in downtown Kennebunk. Since 2021, Wine House on Main has offered wine selections from small families around the world. With decades of experience in hospitality and the wine industry, Betsy shares the stories of winemakers, vineyards and regions with her customers to deepen their connections to the wines they purchase. Wine House on Main also hosts educational wine classes, paint and sip events, and wine tastings. 

Betsy heard about the Maine SBDC through another business owner. Dedicated to making her business a warm and welcoming space for the community to come together, Betsy reached out for general business guidance and was connected with Anne Lancaster, Maine SBDC business advisor at the University of Southern Maine. Read More

Odyssey Event Designs – Portland

Rachel Johnson pivoted in college from Fine Art to Hospitality, which set her on the path of finding her passion in event planning! She worked her way through boutique hotels and luxury resorts learning as much as she possibly could and eventually started a side hustle while continuing to work her 9-5 job. She even used her lunch break to walk down to city hall and register Odyssey Event Designs! Nearly 5 years later, she was ready to pursue event planning full-time and was able to connect with Maine SBDC Business Advisor Susan Desgrosseilliers to help her take things to the next level! Read More

To Purchase or Not to Purchase? – Penobscot County, Maine

black and white image of a person in a black suit on a white background with many Yes's and No's streaming out of their head into a cloud of confusion in the skySuccess stories come in all shapes and sizes, but sometimes avoiding a bad situation is the best-case scenario! While Maine SBDC Business Advisors are usually helping their clients towards a traditional happy ending, they are often tasked with helping aspiring entrepreneurs avoid potentially damaging situations. We saw it first-hand this past year when Shawn Bouchard came to the Maine SBDC for help. Read More

Snow Dogs – Camden

 If you’ve ever visited Camden you’ll know there is a little something for everyone, food, shopping and outdoor adventures! It also has the only ocean view from a ski area on the Eastern Seaboard at Camden Snow Bowl! Another thing you’ll only find at Camden Snow Bowl, Snow Dogs! Jason Doppelt’s food stand opened last winter and was a “frying” success and now he’s gearing up for another season! Read More

Black Bear Mobile Maintenance – Harrison

Black Bear Maintenance Logo, includes black lettering with a graphic wrench. One side of the wrench cleats are in the shape of a black bear  Jonathan Daggett of Black Bear Mobile Maintenance is a military veteran with the ability to repair everything from small engines to helicopters! Through his years of working experience at a tractor repair shop, he saw an opportunity to (quite literally) serve customers where they are at. Read More

Campfire Booking – Windham

 Campfire Booking Photo of Owners, Mandy Caruso and Ashley Hanson standing in front of Sebago LakeWhile the Covid-19 pandemic caused a large-scale economic disruption for most small businesses, it also fueled a historic surge in entrepreneurship. According to the US Census Bureau, new business starts in 2021 were the highest on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2020. 

For good friends Mandy Caruso and Ashley Hanson, the pandemic provided the impetus they needed to leave their careers in teaching and disability insurance. Combined with a background in hotel revenue management they knew they could follow their dream of opening a vacation rental business in the Lakes region of Maine.  As homeowners and real estate investors on Sebago Lake themselves, Mandy and Ashley each bring a deep knowledge of the area and an understanding of the level of service that homeowners are looking for from a rental management company. Their value proposition is to offer a more modern and tech-focused marketing and management program, along with a higher level of hands-on service than is currently being offered by competitors in the area. Read More