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V O L . X X X N O. X X V N OV E M B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 16 FA M I LY - OW N E D B U S I N E S S F O C U S they started in Houlton in 2016. e couple, who are in their 40s, designs and builds compact abodes on wheels designed to withstand harsh New England winters. "We had planned to grow the busi- ness until retirement or initially pass it down to one of our three children," says Corinne, who was honored on the Mainebiz Next list in 2020. After navigating regulatory hurdles, the passage of two laws related to tiny homes in Maine, and the pandemic, the couple faced their most difficult test in September 2023 — a fire in 2023 that destroyed leased space where homes were being manu- factured. at slowed but didn't stop orders from being delivered. "ese experiences have toughened us, but they also made us reflect on the future and recognize that, while we loved the business, we had become open to new opportunities," Corinne Watson says. An unexpected opportunity arose after the fire, when Kevin Hancock of Hancock Lumber got in touch offering encouragement, which led to deeper discussions about the housing crisis and challenges in the conven- tional building industry. "rough several Zoom meetings and in-person visits, we discovered a shared vision for Tiny Homes of Maine," Corinne Watson says, prompt- ing the couple to agree to sell the busi- ness to Hancock Lumber in a deal that closed in late October. While financial terms were not disclosed, Watson said that she and her husband sought advice from mentors and business advisers on valuing their business and were satisfied with the outcome. Under the new ownership, the Watsons plan to stay on indefinitely, with Corinne as general manager and her husband as a designer and opera- tions manager. ey also hope to take their first vacation in several years. Back at Elm City Photo in Waterville, the Goodines — former hippies who traveled around the country in a Volkswagen bus for a year before getting married — are giving themselves about a year and a half to land a suitor for their business. Hesitant to hire a broker, they have begun putting out feelers and letting customers know about their plans in case there's any interest. "We aren't looking to travel around the world — our focus is on our fam- ily and our lives together," says Celine. "We have our health, and we want to have time together." In the meantime, they've still got photos to print and a business to run. Renee Cordes, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz SPREADING SHARED LEADERSHIP IDEAS "What if everyone on Earth felt trusted, respected, valued, and heard? What could change? I think everything could change." —Kevin Hancock TheBusinessofSharedLeadership.com Kevin Hancock Speaks with Maine Organizations Earlier this fall, Kevin Hancock presented to three Maine organizations—550 of Maine Health's leaders, Maine Housing's senior leadership team, and Leadership Maine's 45-member Flagstaff class. His remarks focused on the ideas and values Hancock Lumber embraces about empowering employees to lead and share their voices, using the place of work to foster high levels of engagement, and how to drive business performance through his shared leadership concepts. To hire Kevin or learn more about his leadership principles, scan this code: 2024_1023_MaineBiz_BoSL_RELEASE.indd 1 2024_1023_MaineBiz_BoSL_RELEASE.indd 1 10/25/24 7:06 AM 10/25/24 7:06 AM » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E We aren't looking to travel around the world — our focus is on our family and our lives together. — Celine Goodine Elm City Photo John Goodine pulls photos off the printer at Elm City Photo in Waterville P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R

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