Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 7 , 2 0 2 0 14 S TA R T U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P STARTUP JOURNEY I n 2016, Amanda O'Brien was a new entrepreneur who had started a business to make wine out of Maine-grown rhubarb. Calling the company eighteen twenty wines, she decided to enroll in Top Gun, an entrepreneurial training program of Portland's Maine Center for Entrepreneurs. e goal was to learn business basics and ramp up operations. "We were looking for a location where we could do production. We were establishing our brand and figuring out our sales channels," she says. "It's a unique time to go through the program, because it makes you realize how many things you don't know." rough Top Gun, O'Brien took classes on topics like non-debt financ- ing, customer discovery and marketing, and immersed herself in a network of peers and mentors. "I didn't have anyone in my social circle who was starting a business," she says. "I was insecure and scared, but you don't want to show that. So it was nice to find a peer group to talk about how hard it was, what didn't go well, what bank they used." Wine and pie e experience helped her make key connections. Since then, O'Brien established her production space and tasting room in Portland, is sell- ing through other retailers, has four part-time employees, and partnered with other Top Gun students who run bed-and-breakfasts and offer her wines. Just before the pandemic, she was preparing for her best year yet with numerous large events planned, such as farm-to-table dinners and wine tastings. e pandemic caused a pivot to delivery and pick-ups. She's partnered with other entrepreneurs, such as a cheese company and a bakery, to create P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S Amanda O'Brien enrolled in Top Gun in 2016 to grow her rhubarb-wine-making company eighteen twenty, which is now successfully weathering the pandemic in partnership with other entrepreneurs STARTUP STARTUP STARTUP JOURNEY JOURNEY JOURNEY Top Gun is part of a continuum of care that primes entrepreneurs for success B y L a u r i e S c h r e i B e r S O U R C E : Maine Center for Entrepreneurs THE NUMBERS 125+ Maine-based jobs produced since 2009 $7.5 million capital since 2009 $25 million revenue since 2009 Top Gun utilizes MCE's Maine Mentor Network, with over 150 members. Graduates report 31% revenue growth post-completion 31%

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