Posts By: Jennifer Boutin

Maine’s Greatest Entrepreneurial Opportunity

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under News & Events.

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

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under Success Stories.

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

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under News & Events.

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

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under Success Stories.

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

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under Success Stories.

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 »

Maine SBDC names Ann McAlhany as 2019 State Star

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under News & Events, Staff Updates.

Bangor, Maine –The Maine SBDC has selected Ann McAlhany as the 2019 State Star. The award, given annually, recognizes a member of the Maine SBDC staff that has shown exemplary performance and a strong commitment to small business success. “Ann is dedicated to the success of her clients and the Maine SBDC program. She is… Read more »

Allen Family Stables – Caribou, ME

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under Success Stories.

After one successful business venture, Lauren Allen approached Center Director & Business Advisor Josh Nadeau for a second time with a larger business idea that was close to her heart. Lauren had always dreamed of owning her own horse stable. She had found an existing stable that was not being utilized to its potential and… Read more »

Transcapsule – Gorham, ME

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under Success Stories.

Tobey Tozier recognized a need in the transgender community. Through personal experience, he has found that this market of 1.4 million transgender adults in the U.S. lacks easy ways to document their transitions and track the effects of Hormone Replace Therapy (HRT) over time. Changes are usually tracked through photos, video, audio clips, body measurements… Read more »

Four Maine SBDC Business Advisors Receive Certification

Posted by Jennifer Boutin & filed under News & Events, Staff Updates.

The Maine Business Development Centers (Maine SBDC), a state-wide program that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses, recognized Marc Anton, Susan Desgrosseilliers, Raynor Large and Allison Watson who received their Core Competencies Professional Certification from the New England Professional Development (NEPD) group on Wednesday, May 15, 2019.