New resource directories offer easy-to-find help for Maine entrepreneurs
Courtesy / Mount Desert 365
Mount Desert 365 has started an extensive directory of services throughout Maine that support businesses.
A nonprofit on Mount Desert Island has launched an online directory of business development resources in a searchable table format.
And Susan Morris, a founding organizer of Startup Maine, this month issued the fifth edition of "A Guide to Resources for Maine Entrepreneurs" in a downloadable PDF format.
MD 365 guide
Mount Desert 365, a nonprofit in the town of Mount Desert, set its sights beyond a single town with the establishment of its new directory, which includes resources throughout Maine that support businesses.
The directory lists at least 350 different entities in Maine offering a variety of services, the organization’s executive director, Kathleen Miller, told Mainebiz.
The entries are grouped in variety of categories and each entry has a link to that entity’s website. The directory is “a living resource” that evolves with updates, additions and deletions, said Miller.
Operations Manager Alex Birdsall built the directory in cooperation with organizations and individuals around the state. Birdsall credited Morris and her directory as a valuable reference that accelerated the process of building the Mount Desert 365 guide.
He also credited Shannon Byers, a certified business advisor with the Maine Small Business Development Center at Coastal Enterprises Inc., Judie Sproule at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Martha Bentley with the Department of Economic and Community Development and Suzanne Hamlin with Transformative Knowledge Group, all of whom reviewed and helped shape the directory, he said.
The directory displays information about support organizations, programs and opportunities available to help at any stage of business development. Birdsall presented the directory at the Startup Maine conference in June. Mount Desert 365 has shared the directory through Facebook, a newsletter and Maine Community Foundation’s Downeast Innovation Group.
Startup Maine guide
Since creating "A Guide to Resources for Maine Entrepreneurs" in 2014, Morris wrote in her introduction, “I’ve intended it to serve as a starting point for entrepreneurs seeking resources in the state of Maine. It is also designed to help individuals and organizations that support and guide entrepreneurs and startups and are looking for ways to match resources with those in need.”
Others are welcome to share the guide as a resource on their websites, she added.
As of 2019, the guide is produced in partnership with Startup Maine.
Resource categories include:
• Training, technical assistance and mentoring
• Financing and capital
• Libraries and chambers of commerce
• Networking and advocacy
• State and regional economic development
• Conferences and events
• News sources
The directory also cites the Maine Small Business Guide, published by the Small Business Administration, as another valuable resource for entrepreneurs and startups.
Morris is a Maine Angel investor, a founding organizer of Startup Maine and TEDx Dirigo, co-founder of NewHeight Group, and founder of Susan V. Morris LLC.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments