Success stories
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Maine 2024 Woman Owned Small Business of the Year Tiller & Rye
Opening a grocery store may seem like a relatively straightforward path to business ownership, but with Tiller & Rye there is much more to it. Owners Sarah and Lindsey came from very different...
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Maine 2024 Microenterprise of the Year Graze, LLC
Hearing the phrase “Maine made” or “Maine grown” tends to evoke a sense of wholesome, quality products that are good for you. Kate Hall’s business, Graze, lives up to that reputation easily...
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Maine Small Business Exporter of the Year Belle Cove
If there is one Maine product that is instantly recognizable as ours nationwide and around the world, it’s lobsters, and that makes them integral to Maine’s coastal economy. When Grace Philips moved...
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Maine 2024 Veteran Owned Business of the Year Shore Shop Gifts
It’s clear that as retail businesses have become consolidated in large companies that small businesses have difficulty competing, that’s even more so for businesses based in rural areas, and...
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Maine 2024 Home Based Business of the Year Studio Choo11
While many of the headline grabbing businesses tend to be large manufacturers and bring massive numbers of jobs into a town, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of small businesses here in...
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Maine 2024 Young Entrepreneur of the Year W.E. Farm
Aroostook County has been shaped by its family owned farms, and over the years the importance of preserving the farming traditions has become clear. At a time when many farms are being sold off to...
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JMLM Restaurants Recipe for Success with Support from SBA
Born and raised in Northeast Iowa, Manuel “Manny” Perez started what would become a lengthy career in the restaurant industry by waiting tables after high school. Upon moving to Minnesota, he...
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A Side Hustle Turned Full-Time
LaKeya Scott was a high-performing, 16-year, full-time professional working in the automotive dealership industry. In 2016, while still employed, Scott launched “Embracing Fire Designs,” her side...