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V I E W P O I N T S bernsteinshur.com Meet Helen Sterling Coburn. She provides strategic counsel to companies at all stages of the business lifecycle – giving you the tools and guidance you need as you form, get funded, grow, and navigate an exit. We're attorneys. But we're people first. Helen Sterling Coburn, Shareholder W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 S E P T E M B E R 4 , 2 0 2 3 From the Editor E ntrepreneurs are used to failure, rejection and being called crazy. A brick wall is just catnip for someone crazy enough to launch a startup. We see people take on this journey but often give little notice to what it takes to start a successful business. In 10 years at Mainebiz and more than three decades as a business writer or editor, I've seen few quotes that sum this up like the following. Senior Writer Renee Cordes interviewed the founders of Bite Into Maine, which launched as a single food truck in 2011 and today has 40 employees. Renee asked founders Sarah and Karl Sutton how they financed the startup, and Karl replied: "In 2011, after yet another failed loan applica- tion, the loan officer looked at me and suggested we seek out the three F's for financing. e three F's? I hadn't heard of this. He explained: 'Friends, Family and Fools.' It was pretty clear we had to figure it out on our own." And so it goes in the life of an entrepreneur. See more of Renee's interview in the "On the Record" section, on Page 23. Elsewhere in the issue, Renee interviews the owners of some independent bookstores, another diehard breed. Her story, "Turning the page," starts on Page 18. In Greenville, Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber writes about a manufacturing opera- tion that's getting off the ground. See "Biochar is on fire," on Page 12. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz CORRECTION: In the annual Fact Book, published Aug. 28, the "Start ME Up" feature had a photo that had the wrong image for Jaimie Logan, who heads up Tech Place. The feature has been updated online. Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get Maine's top business news daily at mainebiz. biz or by signing up for the Daily Report and Real Estate Insider newsletters. Here is our top content from Aug. 14-28: 1. Here are the 134 Best Places to Work in Maine 2. 14 Maine companies make Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing in the US 3. Maine deemed safest haven from natural disasters 4. Portland Lobster Co. buys lobster pound on Bailey Island in Casco Bay 5. East Boothbay inn sells to second-time Maine buyer in off-market deal 6. A Maine ZIP code ranks in 50 'hottest' for home buyer interest, and is also among priciest 7. Calling all chefs: With increase in visitors, Bangor looks to add restaurants downtown 8. Not your parents' dorm: USM unveils Portland Commons Residence Hall 9. Strike a pose: Maine handbag designer headed to runway show during New York Fashion Week 10. InterMed plans to move surgery center to the Downs in Scarborough 1 A new take on 'friends and family' financing. The entrepreneur's journey boils down to this

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