Posts By: Jennifer Boutin

How to Reach Your Customers

Decorative imagery - hand with magnifying glass over wooden cutouts of people - identifying target market

Part 4 of the “Things we wish we knew” Blog series By: Tina Oddleifson, Business Advisor   “If you market to everyone, you’ll market to no one”  – Famous Marketing Guru As business advisors, we review a lot of business plans. One thing we see regularly are marketing plans with vague references to social media… Read more »

Palette Crêperie – Monhegan

Various crepes offered by Palette Creperie

Originally hailing from Morocco and residing New York City, Redwane Gatarny, a trained chef, embarked on a journey back to his culinary roots. After seven years in public health, he decided to return to his passion for good food with a dream of sharing the authentic flavors he remembers from his childhood. He wanted to… Read more »

Maine SBDC Releases 2023 Results: Supporting and empowering entrepreneurs throughout Maine

February 26, 2024 The Maine Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) is proud to announce the release of its 2023 Annual Report. The report, available here, highlights the Maine SBDC’s impact in supporting Maine’s entrepreneurs and small businesses. The report showcases the tangible outcomes in 2023 and spotlights individual success stories that underscore the powerful effect… Read more »

Ease Massage & Manual Therapy – Saco

Stefani Sellers, owner of Ease Massage & Manual Therapy, giving a massage to person laying down on a table, looking relaxed

Stefani Sellers has always been passionate about healing and helping others. This is why she launched her business, Ease Massage & Manual Therapy, in 2022. Ease is Maine’s only nationally board-certified medical massage therapy practice certified in manual lymphatic drainage. She provides her clients with effective healing solutions tailored to their individual needs including massage… Read more »

Create realistic financial projections

Part of a financial spreadsheet with pen and calculator

Part 3 of the “Things we wish we knew” Blog series By: Tina Oddleifson, Business Advisor   We get it, you’re an artist, a baker, or love working on cars.  You’ve decided to start a business doing what you love, and you plan to let someone else worry about the financial details later.   But when… Read more »

New Federal Reporting Requirements for LLCs and Corporations

If you have an LLC, corporation, or other entity registered through the Maine Secretary of State, you’ll want to know about your obligations under the federal Corporate Transparency Act. On January 1, 2024 the Corporate Transparency Act went into effect requiring millions of small businesses to register with the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes and Enforcement… Read more »

Essential Steps Before You Start a Business

Lightbulb and crumbled paper to represent starting a business

Part 1 of the “Things we wish we knew” Blog series By: Tina Oddleifson, Business Advisor When we asked Maine SBDC Business Advisors about the biggest mistakes they see new business owners make (including themselves) many of the responses boiled down to the same essential thing: Moving forward before you are ready. We’ve all been… Read more »

Things we wish we knew – Blog series

People talking to each other with paper in front of them

Sometimes clients reach out to the SBDC after they realize they made a mistake while starting or running their business.  As advisors and former business owners ourselves, we know the feeling.  Owning a business means having to learn a lot on the fly, and sometimes you don’t get it right. But you’re not alone because… Read more »

Main Street Provisions – Waterville

Outside of building of Main Street Provisions with large business sign and glass windows

Zachary Brann’s entrepreneurial journey is a testament to his passion for locally sourced food and beverages, coupled with a love for the Waterville area where he grew up and plans to raise his family. Now, he proudly contributes to Waterville’s revitalization through his new business, Main Street Provisions.