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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X I X S E P T E M B E R 5 , 2 0 2 2 24 S TA R T U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P F O C U S As a destination community, he says, talented people come from all over the world to be on Mount Desert Island and figure out how to make a living. "is program, and the work that Mount Desert 365 is doing, gives them greater odds of success," he says. Boot camps can be tailored to local communities, he adds. "Here on MDI, we looked for relevant examples from aquaculture, retail, restaurants, hospitality, etc.," he says. "We also brought in local experts who know MDI and can offer practical advice to the enterprise." e program is also designed to be accessible to anyone regardless of background. "We dispense with the business jargon and make it easy for people to get what they need, when they need it," he says. "For example, we have designed a custom program called 'profit decoder' where, in a few clicks, participants can see what it takes to become profitable." Benefits to the local community, to date, include $30,000 in growth capital deployed to pitch winners and over 60 business owners participating in the program. "is is 60 people who have col- lectively received hundreds of hours of business education and have more skills to succeed in their business, benefiting everyone," Friedlander says. "If you talk to local entrepreneurs, many of them feel like they are alone or they are the only ones facing a certain set of prob- lems. During the boot camp, they realize that they share common problems and develop a bond between themselves, other businesses and the advisor." 'Beautiful' spreadsheet For Molly Friedland, the biggest lesson was how to realistically project profit- ability, thanks to resources and tools provided by the program, including a "profitability decoding spreadsheet." In 2021, Friedland and her part- ner Caleb Hawkins started Little Red Flower Truck, a flower farm and floral design business in Ellsworth. eir "flower wagon" is a red '93 Toyota pickup. Friedland won the Audience Choice Award this year. "I have been witnessing the business boot camp happening in the commu- nity for a couple of years and always loved seeing the entrepreneurs in our community shine," she says of her deci- sion to enroll in the program. "It was always in the back of my head that there were probably a million ways this could help our business." at spreadsheet? She's likely one of few who wax lyrical on the topic. "I feel like they gifted it to us," she says. "It was a beautiful Excel docu- ment that helps you see every cost you have and how it all works into your profitability." As someone with a passion who wasn't a business expert, it was also help- ful to learn she wasn't alone and that mentors were willing to help. "Another big takeaway was con- necting with other business owners and feeling like part of that community and having that network," she says. B U I L D Y O U R CA R E E R W I T H U S Join our team of construction professionals at an employee-owned company with over 60 years of experience. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Molly Friedland of Little Red Flower Truck waxes lyrical about business basics such as a "beautiful" Excel document introduced to boot camp participants. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F L I T T L E R E D F L OW E R T R U C K

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