Women to Watch: Grace Mo-Phillips is an entrepreneur, mentor to underserved women
Photo / Tim Greenway
Grace Mo-Phillips, program director of the CEI Women’s Business Center in Portland, leads the BIPOC Women’s Business Navigator.
CEI Women's Business Center
2 Portland Fish Pier, Portland ceimaine.org- What it is: Business center hosted by Coastal Enterprises Inc. and resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration
- What it does: Offers courses, cohorts, workshops and events that encourage peer-to-peer learning and community-building, as well as one-on-one business support
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Grace Mo-Phillips, a longtime business mentor to women from ethnically and socially underserved groups at the CEI Women’s Business Center in Portland, draws inspiration from the alumni of the BIPOC Women’s Business Navigator she has created and leads. The Hong Kong native is an entrepreneur herself, exporting frozen lobster and other seafood worldwide.
Mainebiz: What prompted your path to entrepreneurship?
Grace Mo-Phillips: I became interested in the lobster industry after discovering my love for eating lobster. I saw an opportunity to use my background in international trade to contribute to the community by exporting frozen lobster worldwide.
However, due to other personal priorities, it took another five years before Belle Cove came to be. Over the past 10 years, the business has expanded its product lineup to include other seafood items from the Northeast and Alaska.
MB: What’s been the most challenging part of starting your own business?
GMP: The hardest part was aligning my passion with reality. Initially, I had quite a different vision for what I wanted to create. I wanted to develop my own easy-to-prepare lobster products. However, after understanding the complexity and costs involved, I realized it was a major undertaking beyond my comfort level. I had to pivot and approach my business plan differently, considering the limited resources of a small business.
MB: In running Belle Cove LLC, what’s a typical day or week like for you?
GMP: Like many other entrepreneurs, I hold more than one job. Because all of my customers are overseas, it enables me to maintain my day job at CEI Women’s Business Center, while I run Belle Cove at hours when the other side of the world wakes up. It involves mostly WhatsApp communications with customers overseas.
MB: Who are your clients at the CEI Women’s Business Center?
GMP: We offer programming across the state and assist entrepreneurs in varying industries and stages of business development. Much of my work focuses on serving women of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Last year we worked with 1,557 entrepreneurs statewide. Over 53% of the women we assist come from underserved or under-represented communities.
MB: What sparked the idea for creating the BIPOC Women’s Business Navigator?
GMP: In Maine, the proportion of businesses owned by women of color lags behind the state’s growing diversity. Recognizing this gap, we saw a need to support early-stage BIPOC female entrepreneurs in solidifying their business ideas.
The Navigator program helps them assess the essential elements of creating a business — from product development and financing to branding and marketing. This program provides a safe and supportive environment to build confidence as these entrepreneurs navigate the steps to start a business.
MB: Two cohorts in, how do you measure success?
GMP: Success is generally defined by whether a business gets off the ground or by its sales growth. However, I believe true success also lies in the confidence gained by knowing, as an under-represented individual, a woman has the option to build her own business, achieve financial independence and work on her own terms. Along the way, building professional connections and feeling a sense of belonging in a supportive community is invaluable.
MB: What have you learned from the women in the program?
GMP: I have had the privilege of meeting many women with impressive life experiences and a determination to excel. Despite facing barriers that may slow their ambitions, their resilience has truly inspired me.
MB: What’s next for the program?
GMP: We are excited to bring the Navigator program to Lewiston this fall. There’s a strong demand in that area, and I believe this program will complement the existing programs available. We will also continue the in-person cohort in Portland next spring.
MB: And for Belle Cove LLC?
GMP: Belle Cove will continue to strengthen relationships with customers overseas and partners domestically. In the longer term, I hope to introduce more innovative food products from Maine to other parts of the world.
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