In today's competitive business landscape, effective marketing is essential for success, but it can be challenging, especially when you're working with a limited budget. Join us for a webinar presented by Dan Reed, an experienced marketing professional, as he shares valuable insights on how to make the most of your marketing efforts without breaking the bank.

During this webinar, you will gain a basic understanding of marketing principles and learn how to identify and target your ideal customers. Dan will also explore various advertising options and take questions about what makes sense for your specific business.

The webinar will cover essential topics, including:

Understanding the fundamentals of marketing and its role in reaching different audiences.
Identifying and defining your ideal customers and understanding their behaviors.
Practical dos and don’ts based on market research.
Exploring advertising options that align with your budget constraints.

You will also discover the power of data in making strategic marketing decisions. Dan will explain how to leverage demographic and psychographic information to understand your customers better, refine your marketing messaging, and select the most effective platforms to reach them.

Additionally, the webinar will provide practical resources and tools to assist you in conducting market research. Dan will introduce the assistance available from the local library, highlighting valuable databases and services accessible through them.

Do you need expert support to grow your business but aren’t sure where to start—or how to afford it? The MERC program, offered by the Maine Technology Institute (MTI), is designed to help you do exactly that. MERC connects eligible Maine-based businesses with high-quality consultants and covers up to half the cost of a short-term project, up to $30,000.

In this workshop, you'll learn how MERC works, what kinds of consulting projects qualify, and how to apply. Whether you need support in marketing, operations, legal compliance, product development, or financial strategy, MERC can help you find the right professional and fund your work together.

What You’ll Learn:

What the MERC program is and how it supports Maine businesses
Eligibility requirements and how to apply
Examples of funded projects—from website design to legal support to custom software
How MERC fits within MTI’s broader innovation and funding programs
Details about MERC AI, the free Coursera-powered AI training opportunity

Register now for this free workshop and find out how MERC can help you grow with expert support and shared costs.

Tired of pouring time and money into marketing and not seeing results? flyte School LIVE is a half-day, in-person workshop designed to help you create better content, improve your website’s performance, and focus on the marketing metrics that actually drive growth. Whether you're a small business owner, nonprofit leader, or marketing professional, this session will give you practical tools to boost your online results without the fluff.

The event takes place on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Portland’s downtown district. Now until August 31, enjoy early bird ticket pricing of just $49 ( originally $99!). Registration is required and can be completed on flyte's website.

Throughout the morning, you’ll attend three expert-led presentations that cover the essentials of content marketing, website conversion, and marketing measurement. Izzy Siedman will explore how timeless content strategies can still win in the age of AI. Rich Brooks will reveal the behavioral triggers that influence user action and help convert traffic into leads and sales. And John Paglio will show you how to cut through data overwhelm and focus on the metrics that actually move the needle.

This hands-on workshop is designed to be actionable, accessible, and immediately useful. You’ll gain marketing clarity, pick up useful tools, and leave with a focused strategy you can implement the same day. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot early to take advantage of the discounted pricing.

A practical, three-part webinar series designed to demystify search engine optimization for small business owners and DIY web designers. Each session provides actionable insights to help small business owners improve their online presence—whether you're building a site from scratch, trying to attract more local customers, or crafting content that gets noticed. Learn how to build a strong SEO foundation, boost your local visibility, and create content that ranks and resonates. No tech background required!

In the final session, we’ll dive into content writing best practices for SEO. Learn how to write copy that appeals to search engines and real people, plus explore how AI tools can support your content creation process.

This is a free webinar put on by Maine SBDC and WanderWeb!

Corey Daigle is the founder and CEO of WanderWeb, a Maine-based boutique agency (est. 2019) specializing in SEO-first web design for health, wellness, nonprofit, and MedSpa clients. She also leads DIY SEO workshops for small business owners, sharing practical guidance to improve Google visibility and website performance.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact mainesbdc@maine.edu

Join us every Thursday for the Local Goods Market @ Fork Food Lab, your weekly celebration of local flavor, community vibes, and culinary creativity! This market features a rotating lineup of Fork Food Lab members and other Maine makers offering delicious bites, sips, and one-of-a-kind products.

It’s the perfect after-work destination: grab a bite, connect with friends, and explore what Maine’s vibrant food scene has to offer. Whether you’re a die-hard foodie or just looking to support small businesses in a laid-back setting, the Local Goods Market is the place to be!

Fork Food Lab is Maine’s only non-profit food business incubator and shared manufacturing and processing facility. They have around 80 small businesses working out of their shared commercial kitchen. Their mission is to support a just, diverse, and sustainable food economy in Maine, where food entrepreneurs are supported in their quest to produce high quality and sustainable products utilizing locally sourced ingredients.

Follow @forkfoodlab on Instagram for weekly vendor updates

If you're an active senior looking for local activities, a caregiver searching for a service provider information, or living options, or a Baby Boomer wanting resources for healthy living or estate planning in Maine, you don't want to miss the Successful Aging Expos.

Fraud & Scams Are on the Rise: Is Your Business Protected?

Picture this: It’s a busy morning and you get a call demanding payment—or else your utilities will be shut off. It’s a scam, and it’s happening to small businesses across Maine every day.

Today’s scams are more sophisticated than ever. From fake invoices to spoofed websites and urgent calls from “official” agencies, small business owners are being targeted in new ways, and the financial fallout can be devastating.

Join Maine SBDC Advisor Dan Umphrey and Brandon McDonald from Northern Maine Development Commission for a practical session that breaks down how to spot scams before they cause harm. This webinar will give you the tools to strengthen your defenses and feel more confident navigating common threats.

You’ll learn how to:

- Spot the top 5 scams currently targeting Maine’s businesses

- Verify suspicious emails, callers, and websites

- Check if your business info has already been compromised

- Understand your legal options and how to report fraud

- Decide if your team needs cybersecurity training

Whether you’ve been scammed before or want to tighten your defenses, this webinar offers a clear starting point.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact mainesbdc@maine.edu

Parking onsite is available. The Thompson’s Point campus is pay to park. Parking is $2 per an hour and can be paid via kiosk or the passport app by selecting zone 1213.
Join the Institute for Family-Owned Business (IFOB) for the 2025 Maine Family Business Awards (MFBA) (hybrid in-person and remote option). It’s our largest fundraiser of the year and we’ll have a new trade show to showcase your products, amazing networking, heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar and the awards show.

Now in its 25th year of recognizing family businesses with the awards, we present them in partnership with MEMIC. Since its inception, more than 100 businesses have been recognized for various categories of excellence. Businesses are nominated by members of the public, submit an in depth application and judges score them to see if they make it from, semi-finalists, to finalists to possible winners! The winners will be announced LIVE – like the Oscars – at the awards!

One comment, may best capture the essence of the awards, and in many ways describes the Institute: “While applying for the awards, we discovered a lot about ourselves…and that alone made the effort worthwhile.”

The gala attracts family businesses large and small with an audience of over 500 (hybrid). The Maine Family Business Awards is a celebration that pays more than just recognition; it serves as a vehicle for networking and opening up all shades of possibilities for families seeking to grow their business.

Exciting sponsorship opportunities available including tables with a “showcase” space during networking..

Join us every Thursday for the Local Goods Market @ Fork Food Lab, your weekly celebration of local flavor, community vibes, and culinary creativity! This market features a rotating lineup of Fork Food Lab members and other Maine makers offering delicious bites, sips, and one-of-a-kind products.

It’s the perfect after-work destination: grab a bite, connect with friends, and explore what Maine’s vibrant food scene has to offer. Whether you’re a die-hard foodie or just looking to support small businesses in a laid-back setting, the Local Goods Market is the place to be!

Fork Food Lab is Maine’s only non-profit food business incubator and shared manufacturing and processing facility. They have around 80 small businesses working out of their shared commercial kitchen. Their mission is to support a just, diverse, and sustainable food economy in Maine, where food entrepreneurs are supported in their quest to produce high quality and sustainable products utilizing locally sourced ingredients.

Follow @forkfoodlab on Instagram for weekly vendor updates

🌟 MFBA Speaker Luncheon
🎤 Building a Legacy: Succession & Family Business Success
🗓 Thursday, October 9, 2025
🕚 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
📍 BerryDunn + Zoom (Hybrid Event!)

🔍 Program Description:
Join us for an inspiring and insightful luncheon as we dive into one of the most critical—and personal—challenges facing family-owned businesses: succession planning. Building a Legacy brings together top-tier family business leaders and advisors to explore how strategy, governance, and generational transition intersect within the 3-Circle Model of Family Business.

Through real-life stories and expert insights, this session will reveal what it takes to align family values with business goals, ensure leadership continuity, and build a shared vision for the future. Whether you’re facing a generational shift or mapping out your next chapter, you’ll leave with tools and takeaways to strengthen both family ties and business performance.

We’ll have a front row seat for an intimate discussion with our Maine Family Business Awards Guest Speaker, Matt Nielson, on his family’s use of this model and what it means to their family’s legacy and success

🎙 Featuring a dynamic conversation with:
✨ Tammy Buss, Founder & Family Business Advisor at BlueRoots
✨ Matt Nielson, VP of Strategic Initiatives at Nielson-Massey Vanillas (and MFBA guest speaker)

💡 Don’t miss this opportunity to gain fresh perspective, connect with fellow leaders 🤝, and learn how to future-proof your family business while honoring the legacy that built it.

Sponsored by: Blue Roots family business exit strategists, BerryDunn, M&T Bank / Wilmington Trust and Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc.

A Silver Tsunami resulting from a wave of aging Baby Boomer business owners threatens businesses, jobs, and growth over the coming years. Business owners considering transition often don't know where to turn for help.

In this webinar, Maine SBDC Business Advisor Chris Dodge will discuss exit plan options and introduce employee ownership options, including cooperatives and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPS).

There will also be time at the end for Q&A.

We’ll cover:

-Exit plan options, including open market, family transition, and employee ownership
-When and why a business might consider employee ownership
The fundamentals, benefits, and challenges of worker-owned cooperatives
-The difference between worker-owned cooperatives and ESOPs
-Actionable steps and resources to explore

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact mainesbdc@maine.edu

Join us every Thursday for the Local Goods Market @ Fork Food Lab, your weekly celebration of local flavor, community vibes, and culinary creativity! This market features a rotating lineup of Fork Food Lab members and other Maine makers offering delicious bites, sips, and one-of-a-kind products.

It’s the perfect after-work destination: grab a bite, connect with friends, and explore what Maine’s vibrant food scene has to offer. Whether you’re a die-hard foodie or just looking to support small businesses in a laid-back setting, the Local Goods Market is the place to be!

Fork Food Lab is Maine’s only non-profit food business incubator and shared manufacturing and processing facility. They have around 80 small businesses working out of their shared commercial kitchen. Their mission is to support a just, diverse, and sustainable food economy in Maine, where food entrepreneurs are supported in their quest to produce high quality and sustainable products utilizing locally sourced ingredients.

Follow @forkfoodlab on Instagram for weekly vendor updates

Run, walk, or roll for autism acceptance!
Together with our Pine Tree Camp, all contributions will benefit Pine Tree Camp and make a difference in the Maine Autism Community!
Over its history, the Flutie Foundation has distributed over $20 million to schools and organizations who provide essential services, programs, support and more for people and families with autism.

Planning your business is more than just writing a plan. It’s about building a roadmap you can actually use.

In this second installment of our Startup Series, Maine SBDC Business Advisor Vien Dobui will introduce practical tools to help you turn your business idea into a working strategy. Whether you’re still developing your concept or looking to get organized before launch, this session will help you move from idea to execution.

Topics may include:

- Visual planning tools like the Business Model Canvas
- Setting business goals and building action steps
- Using checklists, templates, and planning apps to stay on track
- Tips for prioritizing when everything feels urgent

This session is ideal for entrepreneurs who have done some initial thinking and want to go beyond the basics. You’ll leave with tangible tools and frameworks to help clarify your direction and take the next step with confidence.

This is Part 2 of our Startup Series, following our Startup Checklist webinar. Future sessions will cover Financial Forecasting and Marketing Essentials.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact mainesbdc@maine.edu

The Tax Practitioner Institute (TPI) is a one-day program designed to help tax professionals apply the latest federal and Maine tax updates directly to their work. This year’s agenda includes key topics such as 2025 tax law changes and the tax treatment of digital assets, with practical guidance for both new and seasoned professionals.

Attendees will have the option to receive the latest University of Illinois Federal Tax Workbook, a valuable reference filled with examples and applied scenarios, bringing practical insights, relevant examples, and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by tax professionals today.


Who Should Attend?

This program is ideal for tax professionals who need to stay current on federal and Maine tax law while earning continuing education credits, including those working as tax preparers, Enrolled Agents, CPAs, and tax attorneys.

Tax Practitioner Institute – TPI is expected to provide 8 IRS CE (Continuing Education) credits (or 7 if you attend the Maine Tax Update breakout session), 7.5 CLE ( Continuing Legal Education) credits, and 8 CPE (Continuing Professional Education for CPAs) credits, and your certificate will be sent to you via email two weeks after the completion of the Tax Practitioner Institute.