Ailish Kress has always had a passion for helping others. With a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Graduate Certificate in Adventure-based Counseling, she’s turning her passion into a career. Ailish set out to launch Ground Well Counseling, offering experiential counseling that integrates nature and therapy through garden-based techniques. Her innovative approach helps clients address issues of adjustment, trauma recovery, and emotional, relational, and communication skills.Read More
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Our Commitment to You
The Maine SBDC is preparing for an upcoming shift in its organizational structure. Rest assured, entrepreneurs and existing small business owners across Maine will continue to receive the same high-quality, no-cost, and confidential Maine SBDC business advising services they rely on.
What’s Changing:
Starting October 1st, Coastal Enterprises Inc (CEI) will no longer be providing Maine SBDC business advising services. CEI is implementing this change to better align with its mission and strategic plan, and will focus on prioritizing its business advising services to entrepreneurs in specific populations and sectors.
Despite this change, Maine SBDC and CEI will remain collaborative partners, working together to ensure Maine’s entrepreneurs and small businesses have the resources needed to thrive.
What’s NOT Changing:
The Maine SBDC will continue to offer high-quality, confidential, and no-cost business advising services to diverse small business communities across Maine.
Over the past 45+ years, the Maine SBDC with the assistance and support of CEI and its other contract partners, Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG) in Auburn, the Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) in Caribou, and the University of Southern Maine (USM) in Portland, has provided one-on-one business advising services to thousands of entrepreneurs and small businesses across Maine.
The Maine SBDC looks forward to continuing to provide exceptional business advising services and embracing this change as an opportunity to better address the ever-changing needs of Maine’s entrepreneurial community.
If you have questions about this change, please contact mainesbdc@maine.edu. To request Maine SBDC business advising services, click here.
Choosing the Right Business Name
Part 7 of the “Things we wish we knew” blog series
By: Tina Oddleifson, Business Advisor
Your business name can be a cornerstone of a successful and memorable brand, or it can lead to unforeseen complications. For some clients, choosing the wrong name has resulted in administrative hassles, marketing missteps, and even cease-and-desist orders. To steer clear of these pitfalls, read on for essential tips. Read More
Gillies Law – Portland
Jennifer Gillies completed her law degree at the University of Maine before dedicating nearly 10 years to serving Maine’s immigrant community as an immigration attorney at a local firm. During her time at the University, Jennifer was introduced to immigration law through the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, igniting her passion for assisting asylum seekers and individuals navigating the complex U.S. immigration system.Read More
MainelyNP Primary Care – South Portland
Amy Brown, a dedicated nurse practitioner from South Portland, Maine, has always been passionate about healthcare. With over 20 years of experience in the field, she dreamed of providing more personalized and comprehensive care to her patients. This dream led her to establish MainelyNP Primary Care, a direct primary care practice offering a subscription-based model that allows for more meaningful patient interactions and better healthcare outcomes.
Read More
Maine Coast Creamery – Winslow
Originally from Haiti, Ismael Thadal immigrated to Maine in 2007. He met Molly Hodgkins, a Maine native, in 2014, and they bonded over their shared love of ice cream. Ismael and Molly began making ice cream at home, working on perfecting their unique recipes with the help of friends, family, and community members who served as eager taste testers. To deepen his knowledge, Ismael took an Ice Cream 101 course at Penn State, which helped him understand the complexities of manufacturing high-quality ice cream.Read More
Countryside Kids Childcare – Hiram
Karen Bachelder established Countryside Kids Childcare, a home-based daycare in Hiram, in 2020. After two years in operation and with several families on her waitlist, she recognized an opportunity to expand to better serve the growing needs of her community and support more families needing childcare. She envisioned relocating to a new building that would allow her to increase her capacity from 12 to 60 children. Read More
Dreamer Food – Bangor
Anik Derphilibossian is a Registered Nurse (RN), Armenian-born & raised in Lebanon, who immigrated to the United States from Lebanon in 2021. She found herself missing the flavors and food of her homeland. With a love for cooking and encouragement from her fellow nurse and best friend Kara, Anik started sharing her culinary creations – first with friends and then with the wider community. Thus marked the beginning of Anik’s business, Dreamer Foods. It started as a pop-up restaurant operating one day a week at a shared location, and within months, the public fell in love with her Armenian and Lebanese dishes. Read More
Intro to Using ChatGPT in Your Small Business
For small business owners, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) can be a game-changer. Among the various AI tools available, ChatGPT stands out as an accessible and helpful tool. ChatGPT specializes in generating text and having human-like conversations. It can assist with various tasks, including writing, brainstorming, planning, and more. In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can integrate ChatGPT into your business operations to enhance efficiency, save time, and stay ahead of the competition.Read More
Woof Daycare & Boarding – Glenburn
Peter Richmond has always been passionate about dogs. When he learned that a well-established dog-focused business was on the market, he saw it as the perfect chance to pursue his dreams. For guidance, his bank recommended he work with the Maine Small Business Development Centers (SBDC).Read More