November was National Entrepreneurship Month, and how!
The following blog post was written by SCN Member Martha Bentley. Martha works in Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development at Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and also serves on our ICU Committee.
“Entrepreneurs doing amazing things are all over our great state
and those who support, champion and invest in Maine’s entrepreneurs pulled out the stops to celebrate them this month.”
- Martha Bentley
The word “entrepreneur” is a mouthful. According to the internet, the concept was created in 1800 by the French economist John-Baptiste Say - “The entrepreneur shifts economic resources out of an area of lower and into an area of higher productivity and greater yield.”
And isn’t that just what Maine’s economy needs? More folks who take an idea and make it into something of higher value for our economy and our communities?
November was National Entrepreneurship Month in recognition of the contributions that entrepreneurs make to our country. And wow did the activities happening in Maine reflect this designation. Entrepreneurs doing amazing things are all over our great State and those who support, champion and invest in Maine’s entrepreneurs pulled out the stops to celebrate them this month. And, psst, it wasn’t just in Portland.
There were three big events, back-to-back, celebrating entrepreneurship in Maine last month. The first was the Maine Community Foundation’s Invest in Maine Summit in Bangor on November 13th with the theme is “Maine Grown: Building a Future on Big Ideas” .
Photo Courtesy of Maine Community Foundation
This event was significant for Maine. The confluence of entrepreneurship and philanthropy is important for us. That all Mainers are benefit from supporting Maine’s entrepreneurs, and the recognition that a strong economy is part of the solution to problems philanthropy seeks to solve, is a welcome and important message. The Community Foundation’s production, Maine Grown, featuring both entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders, was a lasting contribution.
The second event was Blitz Bangor. Blitz is a homegrown conference held in multiple locations in downtown Bangor. The conference is for founders, side hustlers, makers, scalable and corporate entrepreneurs, providing a time for everyone to connect, learn and engage. Blitz supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem for all in the great Bangor area and reflects the tireless efforts of many leaders to build a strong network of community support for owners of young businesses in this region.
Photo courtesy of Blitz Bangor
3rd Annual Central Maine Converge and Connect Weekend took place November 15th and 16th in Waterville at Thomas College. This event focused on elevating the innovative, entrepreneurial and revenue potential of Central Maine's people and businesses. It culminated in the opportunity to attend the preliminary round of the Greenlight Maine Collegiate Challenge, Maine’s own kinder and gentler “Shark Tank”, that gives Maine college student entrepreneurs a chance to be on the next season and compete for $25,000 and other supports that encourage the businesses to stay in Maine after graduation.
Photo Courtesty of Thomas College
So, three events in three days celebrating Maine’s entrepreneurs – those who put it all on the line to follow their dreams and start something.
If this wasn’t enough, the State of Maine itself weighed in on the Month, awarding sixteen grants for $200,000 to coworking and other collaborative work spaces across Maine.
“Attracting talented people to live and work in Maine, especially in rural communities across our state, is critical to expanding our economy and building a better future for our state.”
“Coworking spaces create community hubs that foster the flexibility and ingenuity employers and employees need to work in our 21st century economy. I look forward to the economic and community development these grants will support.”
“Collaborative work spaces are part of the future of work, building community and connection for early-stage entrepreneurs, free-lancers, and remote workers. They foster dreaming, sharing, iteration, and risk-taking through their energy, density of people, and community-building activities.” Department of Economy and Community Development Commissioner Heather Johnson said, “In addition, coworking spaces are at the nexus of multiple areas of economic strategy – they are among the amenities that can be offered to tourists, they serve as a hub of information and community for remote workers, and they serve as a signal to entrepreneurs and new businesses that a community understands the value of connection.”
The sixteen spaces will come together as Maine’s first “Coworking CoDesign Cohort” to design together the future of collaborative work space and ecosystem building in Maine. Through my engagement with Startup Champions Network, I was able to source ecosystem builders nationally, who are experienced in the field of community driven coworking models. It was indeed a good month!
“I was impressed with the range of coworking offerings across of the state of Maine that provided creative and unique solutions to driving entrepreneurship in communities of all shapes and sizes. I am eager to follow the journey of this initiative and share Maine’s unique solution to statewide ecosystem building with other states across the country. This is an excellent model for other states to adopt as they think about innovative approaches to entrepreneurial ecosystem building.”
“It was inspiring look at all the different coworking spaces and see their passion and ideas regardless of size and scope. But the best part was seeing four SCN members come together for one, statewide initiative. Funding, strategy, and implementation. This was the perfect reflection of what SCNs purpose is - to connect people. We came together to help 16 coworking spaces in Maine get funded. ”