Martha Bentley
Consultant
About Martha
Martha Bentley is the Founder and Owner of Proprietor, a community for buyers and sellers of very small businesses. She dreamed up Proprietor from her previous experiences as the Small Business Ombudsman for the State of Maine, entrepreneurial support work at Maine Technology Institute, and as a small business owner. She comes from a family-owned small business that did not survive the transition-to-new-ownership experience and wants to help the next generation of small business owners.
In addition to her work on Proprietor, Martha is the owner of MMB Collaborative Leadership LLC, offering fractional and interim leadership. Currently her most loyal client is the Osher Map Library Foundation, where she serves as Executive Director.
Martha has been a leader in Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and was the program and operational manager for Blackstone Accelerates Growth, which became Maine Accelerates Growth. She has also served a facilitator for CEI’s Startup Studio Growth Phase cohort and is currently a Fellow with the New England Impact Investing Initiative.
Martha is committed to the idea that small businesses add value to our economy and communities and that business ownership is a key opportunity to build wealth. She is passionate about supporting a just economy and lowering barriers to participation for those often overlooked by the existing system.
Martha has a BA from Davidson College and an MA from the University of South Carolina. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Four Directions Development Corporation and Maine Outdoor Brands and is a member of Zebras Unite Co-op and the Startup Champions Network. Martha lives in and loves West Gardiner, Maine.
