Blog

How and When to Hire Professional Help – For Maine Small Businesses

By: Christina Oddleifson, Maine SBDC Business Advisor 

Hiring Professional Help Finding the right professionals to advise you is an important step for a small business owner.  Understanding what services are worth paying for and what things you can do “on your own” is different for everyone.

At some point, however, you will probably need the advice of someone in a specific industry, like a lawyer or accountant.  If you are approaching lenders or investors, these stakeholders will want to know who is on your BAIL team (banker, accountant, insurance agent, and lawyer) to help you navigate the complex issues that inevitably arise when owning a business.

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PPP Forgiveness Application Videos

One program, two forgiveness application forms. Which form is right for your business? Where do you find the forms? How do you fill out the applications properly? 

PPP Loan Forgiveness Application - Maine SBDC

Maine SBDC has created walk-through videos to help small businesses understand the Paycheck Protection Program Forgiveness Applications. This is a three-part series that first helps business owners identify which application form they should be filling out. The additional two videos walk businesses through each of the applications: 3508EZ Short Form and 3808 Long Form.Read More

What You Need to Know About Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity - maine sbdc

By: Keenan Hendricks, Maine SBDC Intern, based on Basics to Cyber-Securing Your Business Webinar by Business Advisors Brandon McDonald & Jared Tapley.

As your business grows its daily operations and overall presence on the web, you must ensure that you are informed about the basics of Cybersecurity for your small business. It is easy for you to become victim to Cyber Security breaches as it can happen to anyone or any department at any given time, even in Maine. Here are the focal points you need to be aware of on Cyber Securing your small business. Read More

Literacy Tech Inc. DBA ReMo – Lewiston, Maine

ReMo Education Application Logo

Michelle DeBlois and Kathryn Lariviere, both full-time middle school teachers, tri-founded LiteracyTech, Inc. with Peter Janett, a web application developer in December 2019.  Their vision was to create a web-based application that would bring educators and students together in the independent reading process. The app, which they named ReMo, streamlines the cumbersome and obsolete data management associated with literacy education and helps students engage with books they’ll love.Read More

Understanding Your Customer: Using Market Research to Ensure and Shape your Future

Understand Your Customer - Maine SBDC

By: Madeleine Lutts, Maine SBDC Intern

Since everyday life and the general business landscape have changed dramatically for almost all of us this year, most consumers are acting and behaving differently in at least one way. If you think about your shopping habits, and whether or not your shopping experiences have changed in the recent past, there’s a good chance you’ve been adapting to regulations and accessibility. Read More

Employer Leave Obligations as Schools Reopen

remote distance schooling - maine sbdcAs the 2020-21 school year approaches, parents and employers alike face tremendous challenges. Will education be in person, hybrid, or entirely virtually? How will working parents care for their children while doing remote schooling? It’s important for business owners to understand Federal and State rulings that impact both employers and employees.Read More

G-Force Laser Tag – Brewer, Maine

G-Force Laser Tag Team - Loan

On June 5th, G-Force Adventure Center & Laser Tag in Brewer reopened its doors for the first time in three months, following a mandatory shutdown due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The business has been operating in the “new normal” for nearly a month now, and while business isn’t back to pre-COVID levels by any stretch, the small weekly increases in calls, visitors, and birthday party reservations bring hope for the future. While the past four months have been a challenge, owner Brian Plavnick considers himself one of the lucky ones.Read More

Farmington Underground Escape Room – Farmington, ME

COVID has caused massive disruptions in the way we all do business. Businesses throughout Maine are finding unique and interesting ways to connect with their customers, find new revenue streams, and keep their businesses afloat. Want to share how your business is pivoting? Contact us here.

Farmington Underground - LogoJoseph Musumeci and Mary Ellms own Farmington Underground Escape Room Center, which offers residents and visitors to the area a chance to fully immerse themselves in one of two (soon to be three!) themed rooms.  Guests have one hour to use puzzles, clues, hints, teamwork, and intuition to figure everything out and achieve victory.  The business brings much-needed recreation to Western Maine and has established a loyal following.  Read More

Cape Whoopies, Maine’s Gourmet Whoopie Pie – South Portland, Maine

 

Cape Whoopies Logo Marcia Wiggins founded Cape Whoopies, Maine’s Gourmet Whoopie Pie in 2012. Located in South Portland, Maine, Cape Whoopies offers gourmet, unique whoopie pies that feature ingredients from all over the globe, such as chocolate from the Netherlands and vanilla from Madagascar. Cape Whoopies has seen explosive growth, outgrowing their space multiple times.

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