The federal Small Business Administration recently launched a new website aimed at promoting stories of entrepreneurship from business owners who have received loans or help from the agency.The site, called “Small Business Owners Speak,” features videos from business owners around the country who used SBA loans and programs to get their ideas off the ground.One […]
The federal Small Business Administration recently launched a new website aimed at promoting stories of entrepreneurship from business owners who have received loans or help from the agency.
The site, called “Small Business Owners Speak,” features videos from business owners around the country who used SBA loans and programs to get their ideas off the ground.
One video on the site features Michael Cote, president and CEO of Looks Gourmet Food Co. Inc., based in Whiting, who says the loan he received from the SBA around 10 years ago allowed him to pump life back into a sputtering coastal seafood cannery. Cote was selected by Mainebiz as its 2010 Small Company Business Leader of the Year.
“I immediately recognized that if I didn't do something different than my predecessors that I wouldn't be around to tell this story,” Cote said in the video. “Without the support of the SBA, I never could have done what I did and what I'm doing.”
Cote's video was submitted as part of the agency's “Small Business Week,” as were the other videos featured on the site from around the country.
Karen Mills, administrator of the SBA and a Maine resident, said in a press release that she hopes the new site will provide a forum for sharing the stories she hears while meeting with business owners around the country.
“I have the great privilege of meeting small business owners from across the country as I travel every week,” Mills said. “But now, thanks to 'Small Business Owners Speak,' you can hear their stories, too.”
Darren Fishell
