Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S S TA R T- U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S Aroostook County tater tech Potatoes are big business in Aroostook County, where Steve Wimmer co-founded Sweden Street Software & Consulting in Caribou. For client County Super Spuds in Mars Hill, Wimmer's startup pioneered an automated system for tracking and managing potatoes throughout the pro- duction cycle as well as contracts between the company, which grows and sup- plies potatoes, and its customers. From multiple sources Spud Tracker gathers information on contract prices, inventory and storage, shipments, quality metrics and payments into a single databases, saving time and manpower. "What previously took two people tens of hours a week is now done by one person is less than one hour per week," says Wimmer, part of Sweden Street's five-person team. e 48-year-old says he's not seen anything similar on the market, though some large Idaho potato distributors have their own software packages. By early 2019, Sweden Street aims to release a cloud-based, lighter-weight version of Spud Tracker for smaller distributors. "e potential is huge," says Wimmer. ADVICE: "You will never be completely ready. It will work out." Ask your contractor about instant 866-376-2463 can reduce energy costs as well as save you downtime, headaches and repair calls. How many boiler repair calls did you make last winter? C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y W Y L D E P H O T O G R A P H Y / S O U L S H I N E S O A P C O. Making skin-friendly soap Michelle Byram, 36, used to raise pigs and now makes soap. She launched SoulShine Soap Co. in Winterport in 2013 when looking for a way to earn a living while caring for her Alzheimer's-afflicted mother and rais- ing a daughter on her own. "I wanted to be able to create something that could be sold retail or wholesale, I wanted to be involved in farmers' markets and local festivals, and I wanted it to be something that wasn't so perishable and seasonal," she says. After deciding on soap, she read as much as she could and spent a day shadowing a local soap maker. In 2013 she launched her company, whose tagline is "Clean up your act," spe- cializing in soaps made from certified organic and sustainable palm oils that are gentle on the skin. She first sold the products on e-commerce site Etsy and later also on her own website. She moved to Hampden in 2017. Today, SoulShine Soap is doing a brisk business online and at independent retailers in Maine and elsewhere. "I haven't moved out West yet," Byram says. "at's on my list." ADVICE: "Take time away from production to map out a business plan." Michelle Byram runs a one-person soapmaking business in Hampden.

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