Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. V I I I A P R I L 2 0 , 2 0 1 5 26 H OW TO E very three days or so last sum- mer on the island of Vinalhaven, I made the drive into town to stock up. I popped into the grocery store, stopped by the wine shop and checked in at the Paper Store for local gossip and a copy of the newspaper. I saved my favorite errand for last. I stopped by ArcCafé, a coff ee shop and produce market, to pick up a latte and a bag of vegetables from Sparkplug farm, one of several sustain- able island-based farms. On Saturdays, I would go to the farmers market, a mini tent-city where locals sell locally produced lemonade, scones, produce, soaps, textiles and crafts. Memories of these experiences stayed with me long after the end of the summer. It got me thinking. What if there was a way to buy these products after I left the island? Sure, a phone call to a local artisan might yield a pleasant package in the mail; some even had developed sophisticated e-commerce sites. But it could take hours of Google searches to fi nd a particular handmade product from Maine, and many local artisans have no online presence at all. e seed of an idea was born, to create an online old-fashioned dry goods store with a focus on local prod- ucts from Maine. But I didn't want this to simply be the Etsy of Maine. I wanted our company to embrace social responsibility, to support local artisans and also give back to Maine. After many late-night strategy sessions with family and friends, we developed our mission: to support the individualism of Maine's artists and arti- sans, the beauty of its natural resources and the organizations that help support the state . In July 2014, we launched Crocketts Cove, an online marketplace that connects socially responsible con- sumers with Maine artists and artisans. So how do you move from an idea to a company? Turn your idea into a business plan: Possibly the best advice I had early on, was to stop thinking and start writing. Write down your idea, expand on that idea and plan for success. Surround yourself with key advisors: We turned to every suc- cessful friend or family member we could fi nd: business executives, web developers, accountants, designers and entrepreneurs for advice. Set tangible goals: We set up weekly conference calls to gather our team and brainstorm ideas and set goals and deadlines. Before we knew it, we were incorporated, our fi rst artisans were signed up and our partner nonprofi ts were cho- sen. ere was no turning back. Network and connect: Maine has been an incredibly supportive place to start a business. With connections and persistent outreach to vendors and nonprofi ts, we have created partnerships with some tremendous organizations who believe in our mission almost as passionately as we do. e more you step out of your offi ce and talk with people, the more accountable you are and the faster your company grows. Embrace fl exibility: Our original mission has not changed. But as fi ercely as we are committed to that mission, we are equally fl exible about making changes as the company develops. We originally partnered with a new nonprofi t every month, but it was exhausting for us and the nonprofi ts. So now we partner with two nonprofi ts per year, a change that allows us to cosponsor and participate in programming and events all year long. Crocketts Cove now has dozens of artists and artisans selling on the site. e site lets people know about events and pop-ups, artist conferences. e following continues to grow. Every day we are learning something new, taking on each new challenge one by one, with wonder and gratitude for how far we have come in so short a time. C W, CEO of CrockettsCove.com, an online marketplace that connects socially responsible consumers with Maine artists and artisans, can be reached at @ . TA B L E PAT R O N S Bangor Savings Bank Bernstein Shur CBRE | The Boulos Company Central Maine Power F.L. Putnam Hancock Lumber J.B. Brown & Sons John T. Gorman Foundation Lee Auto Malls Maine State Bar Association MEMIC Merril Lynch National Distributors Norman Hanson and DeTroy LLC Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios, LLP United Way of Greater Portland Unitil Unum WEX Inc. CO R P O R AT E S P O N S O R S Camden Foundation L.L. Bean Law Offices of Joe Bornstein Rep. Chellie Pingree and S. Donald Sussman Verrill Dana LLP U N D E RW R I T E R Maine Bar Foundation e 20th Annual Muskie Access to Justice Award Dinner May 27, 2015 Holiday Inn By the Bay Portland honors Hon. Howard Dana For his leadership in the community For sponsorship information or to reserve your seat, contact Helen Meyer at 207.400.3212 or hmeyer@ptla.org www.muskiefund.org e Muskie Fund for Legal Services People's United Bank, Bangor Bangor Federal Credit Union, Brewer Bangor Savings Bank, Malcolm E. Jones Center, Bangor Malcolm E. Jones Center, Bangor Malcolm E. Jones Center Proudly building Proudly building Proudly building financial institutions financial institutions since 1952…. Turn an idea into a business B Y C H R I S T I N E W I L L I A M S The more you step out of your office and talk with people, the more accountable you are and the faster your company grows.

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