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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 J U N E 1 1 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S Many organizations in Maine, like SCORE and the Small Business Development Center, focus on start- ups. MCE sees its role as helping companies that are ready to scale up. So in April, MCE launched the Cultivator program. e program's focus on food, beverage and agriculture stems from a Harvard Business School study showing the industry is strong and has potential for growth in Maine. " e skills necessary to start a business and go from a zero to half a million or a million dollars in revenue are very diff erent from going from $1 million to $4 million," says Rainey. "When you're an entrepreneur, you're trying new things, you're fl ying by the seat of your pants." Often in early stages businesses pivot from one concept to another. ere's a diff erent mindset involved in getting to the second stage of growth. "By the time you get further along and ready to scale up, you should not be doing that level of experimenta- tion anymore," Rainey says. "It should be — you've tested the market, you have a team in place. It's more about the infrastructure, the processes and procedures, the mundane specifi cs, quite frankly, of getting the business growing to the next level. It's replicat- ing your success on a large scale. It's a diff erent mindset. So what we're try- ing to do is help these companies that have been in the start-up mode shift gears and start thinking more like a scalable business." Self-infl icted wounds Maine Center for Entrepreneurs started in 1997 as a startup incubator, designed to help entrepreneurs avoid "self-infl icted wounds," Rainey says. MCE has graduated over 200 busi- nesses from its signature Top Gun program — a 15-week classroom- style program off ering networking, workshopping and mentor meetings. Top Gun helps companies hone their Have a big goal for your business? www.bhbt.com • 888-853-7100 Steve Gurin, SVP/Business Banker likes big challenges. Without a running background, he decided to run a half marathon. With guidance from experts, Steve created a training plan to help him succeed. Call Steve, who has 25 years of experience and knowledge working with entrepreneurs, to turn your big idea into reality. Photo by: Chris Pinchbeck C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow I'm sure I could grow more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it more, but I want to do it correctly instead of by the seat of my pants. — Ryan Wilson Commonwealth Poultry Co. C O U N S E L O R S A T L A W Where the Legal World Meets the Real World ( 2 07 ) 94 7 - 4 5 01 w w w. r u d m a nw i n c h e l l . c o m Intellectual Property Employment Entity formation Contracts Financing Incorporation Patents Real Estate Business Disputes Venture Capital Our commitment to your success begins the moment we become a part of your team. E X P E RT I S E Our business team offers a diversified practice to bridge the gap between your business needs and legal needs:

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