entrepreneurs part 1
A little while back, I stepped across the hall and into In House Achitecture + Construction to talk about life as a new entrepreneur.
Carrie and Steve Shores moved from San Francisco to Rockland to oversee construction of a house she had designed. They stayed, Carrie founded In House in 2003, then Steve joined her and the business took off from there. This is their first business and the work is steady and they're adding employees. They're also getting recognized for innovative design in the community (so of course, Carrie's a natural on the MidMag Board).
So what does it take to be an entrepreneur in Midcoast Maine? Here's the list we came up with:
- affordable space
- a community that understands entrepreneurialism
- pool of talent
- market
- professional community
- civic life
- desire to learn
- hunger
More on what these mean next time.
Lots of young families
I had coffee with two different Rockland-area guys this week. One grew up here and recently returned, the other just moved here. They both have small children and they both said the same thing, they and their families need more connections to other young families and things to do, places to go.
Here's an off-the-top-of-my-head list for the Rockland area: Wednesday morning, Story Hour at the Rockland Library. Thursday and Friday mornings, The Toy Library at the church that's between the library and the playground downtown. Those are fun for the rainy and snowy days. Now that it's warm and sunny again, you can't go wrong anywhere.
Report Party
Last Friday's Report Release Party was great! We had a packed house in the empty storefront at 410 Main, including a Midcoast Legislators Bowen, Mazurek and Rector. Amalfi, Atlantic Baking, the Black Bull and Central Distributors donated excellent food and drink, the place was decked out with lights, graphics and music, we passed out copies of the new Report to the Community and stimulating conversation was everywhere you looked.
Governor Baldacci spoke about the creative economy and the Midcoast's position as a leader in recognizing its potential. He also praised Midcoast Magnet for being proactive in moving our economy forward in a way that encourages the uniqueness and beauty of our region. He made a great analogy about cultural institutions as the anchor tenants of our economy and expanded on that to say that each Maine town should be as unique as each business on Main Street - that no one wants "big-box towns" that look the same no matter where you are.
The Governor hung around for quite a while after he spoke. At one point, I came upon him in coversation with several MM Board members talking about the potential for greater venture capital access for Midcoast entrepreneurs. For me, that's a perfect party.
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