Nicole Stanford is the owner of Freckle Salvage Company, a business located in the Western Maine foothills that features unique vintage mixed with new home goods. Alongside her husband and son, she had been selling her products successfully online and at markets and decided it was time to expand her business. Her goal was to leave her full-time job and open a retail location in Winthrop, Maine.
To understand her next steps, Nicole reached out to Raynor Large, business advisor at the Maine SBDC at AVCOG. Raynor helped Nicole understand the steps to starting this new venture. He provided information on the different business entities and insurance options. The pair also worked to get a better understanding of the business’ finances. They were able to build out a set of financial projections that helped her understand how much she would need to sell in order to stay profitable and continue moving forward.
Freckle Salvage Company opened its doors in August 2019. Located at 129 Main Street in Winthrop, the business has received rave reviews. Reviewers comment on the amazing products (“treasures”), the affordable pricing and the friendliness of Nicole and her family with phrases like “Incredible shop & lovely owner”, “This is what the downtown needs!”, and “Awesome store with awesome finds!”
Nicole continues to work with Raynor to control costs, discuss new opportunities for growth and work on marketing strategy.
Business Advisor: Raynor Large
For more information about this new Maine business, follow them on Instagram or Facebook.
When Paige Wilcox and her husband Mike first opened Wilcox Wellness & Fitness six years ago, they worked extensively with Maine SBDC business advisor Tom Gallant. Tom helped the Wilcox’s to create a business plan in order to obtain the necessary financing which allowed them to open the doors of their 4,000 square foot facility in Bangor. Tom challenged them to think through the value proposition and the transition process. With that, they were set up for success from the beginning. Paige remembers, “Tom was amazing for us – 1 part business advisor, 2 parts marriage counselor, and 100% amazing.”
Have you ever gotten your vehicle detailed and felt the stress of dropping your vehicle off for service and not having access to your vehicle for a full day? Anyone who has gotten their vehicle detailed will tell you this is the biggest downside to the service. Although many people take pride in their vehicles and want clean rides, sometimes the hassle of not having a vehicle to use during the day stops people dead in their tracks. This inconvenience is what sparked Taylor Nadeau’s creative juices to open a mobile detailing business. Nadeau has been detailing vehicles on the side for years and has worked for local dealerships in the past, and in his experience, it was always a challenge getting clients to drop off and leave their vehicle for any extended amount of time. Nadeau saw the inconvenience this caused clients as an opportunity for himself.