In Brunswick, Maine, art is bringing people together in unexpected ways. Nicole, founder of Cobra Queen Printing, shares how her journey in fashion design turned into a screen-printing studio with a purpose. What started as an effort to meet a local need for printing services led her to build a space where art could connect with everyday people. Today, her studio works with local businesses and Maine artists, producing custom apparel and small-batch prints that make art easy to share and enjoy.

Q&A as told to CEI by Cobra Queen Printing founder, Nicole, in her own words, with minor editing for context.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Nicole. I’m the owner of Cobra Queen Printing. My business is located in the Fort Andros Mills in Brunswick.

Can you share a bit about your background?

I moved to Maine 10 years ago. I never intended to be in Maine; I’m from Rhode Island, but I ended up here through college friends, came and never left. I started working in Brunswick right when I moved here, so I’ve just been here since.

What unique strengths or skills do you bring to your business?

As a creative individual, I bring an artistic eye to this business. I also have a lengthy background in customer service, gained through restaurant work, where I take care of customers from start to finish and communicate effectively. I have a background in yoga teaching, which helps me to clearly communicate people’s expectations, discuss details, and speak to how things are progressing.

Describe Cobra Queen Printing in one sentence. 

Cobra Queen Printing is an apparel screen printing service dedicated to serving local businesses and producing small-batch artist prints.

How does your business represent you? 

The name Cobra Queen Printing came out of nowhere, and I love it. I love snakes. I love the snake symbology. I believe it truly represents who I am and where I stand in life—transmuting bad into the good, and creating something new.

Do you have any other businesses or projects? 

My other business is Gnykol, it’s an art fashion design business. Spelled G-N-Y-K-O-L.

I use sustainably sourced leather, also called recycled leather, which is post-industry waste. For example, after the center of a hide is used, the edges would be thrown away. I take that, and I create one-of-a-kind works of wearable art. Jackets, bustiers, vests, original designs, and I have a lot of fun with that.

What has been the greatest challenge as you started your business? 

My greatest catch-all challenge in starting Cobra Queen Printing has definitely been keeping up with the back end of the business. There are so many nuances and details from taxes, bills, subscriptions, and all these little details that are so important to making the bigger picture of the business run. Learning how to manage those in a timely fashion, in an organized fashion, and preparing for those things that are coming or that have arrived. That’s definitely been one of my biggest challenges.

How did you overcome those challenges? 

Perseverance and hard work. I overcame many of these challenges with the help of my CEI advisor, by asking questions and researching the answers, both with and without his guidance. Getting guidance also from my peers, fellow small business owners who have gone through some of these challenges.

What has been your greatest business triumph so far? 

The relationships I have created so far. I have had some truly incredible small businesses and organizations in the town of Brunswick reach out to me for print jobs, and the relationships I have formed with them have been absolutely triumphant.

How has running this business changed you? 

Running this small business has made me feel more empathy and compassion for other businesses, first and foremost. As I mentioned earlier, there are so many nuances that go into running a business that you don’t see at face value—all of these little things that you have to manage and pay attention to.

I have also had to change the way I organize myself. I always want to be doing something, physically creating something, talking to people, and getting things done. I had to edit that and realize that a lot of the work is quiet, slow, done independently, and involves stepping back from the go-go-go.

Was there a moment when all your business learning paid off? 

Every time that I have a happy customer, my business learning has paid off. When I can pay my bills, deliver the finished product to the customer, and walk away from that job with everyone feeling satisfied, that is definitely a great reward.

How do you stay motivated when faced with something completely new? 

It’s tough to stay motivated when faced with new challenges or new moments of learning. I have an inner drive that keeps pushing me to do more and do better. I want to keep learning more, continue improving my craft, and see my business thrive. That’s the motivation for me.

Who were your biggest supporters when you started? 

When I first got started, my biggest support was my partner, who always gave me positive reinforcement and encouraged me to keep going when I was full of self-doubt. My parents were the same. They would say it was ok, even if I failed. They have always believed in me and supported me. My CEI business advisor provided me with the foundational support that helped me overcome the initial starting point.

Q: Do you feel like you are serving a specific community or need? 

Community is incredibly important to me, and through Cobra Queen Printing, I feel that I am able to support local mid-coast businesses more effectively than I have before.

As mentioned, I have been a server for a long time, and I have been able to connect and take care of people in a very special way. However, by opening this printing business, I have been able to help people with their businesses, which is even more meaningful to me. It’s more than buying a product to show support. Through printing, I’m able to help other businesses enhance, sell, and showcase their brand or their art. That’s been incredible.

What advice would you give to new or aspiring business owners? 

For a new business owner, I would say “Buckle Up”. Be prepared to put in a lot of work for very little payback at first.

When you start up, unless you have starting capital, it is very difficult. You put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. There’s a lot less time with friends. There was a lot less time to do all those fun things that you get to do when you just work a job and clock out, go home, and don’t worry about anything. And there are days that all you can think about is the project that’s coming up or what’s next. Just stay steady, see the bigger goal at the end, and keep going for it.

How did you first hear about CEI? 

I first heard about CEI back when I started my art fashion business. I had a great time working with an advisor and got some amazing help with that business. I took a break when I felt like I had gotten the advice I needed.

I was in the planning phases of purchasing this business when I contacted CEI again, and I met my new advisor. I started seeing CEI for Cobra Queen in September, before I even had physical space. I didn’t have a lease until October, and I didn’t move into this space until November of last year [2024]. My advisor was with me through all of those times.

What resources or support from CEI were the most helpful to you? 

One of the most helpful things that CEI has afforded me was the grant that I received for my Gnykol business. That grant allowed me to expand and excel threefold, if not fourfold. That gave me such a major boost at a time when I was not in a position to make regular money through the business. It really helped me with some development that I’m still using today. That grant was foundational.

I’d say the other most helpful piece of support that I’ve received is all of the back-end information with Excel and all of the numbers. It is so confusing to do long-term projections, especially starting out, when I have so many X factors. Being able to get help setting up those sheets, seeing examples, and understanding what my projections are was incredibly helpful.

How has working with CEI influenced your goals as an entrepreneur? 

Working with CEI has made me more mindful as a business owner and more aware of all the intricacies that are involved. There is no packet of information when you start a small business that says, “here’s all the stuff you need to do”. Without my advisor and resources from CEI, I would be in the dark and would probably unknowingly owe some kind of money to the state.

Hearing the statistic that people who go through the CEI program stay in business longer than people who don’t has influenced me to try harder. The support that I have gotten has influenced me to just keep going.

Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?  

In three to five years, I would like to see a link between my two businesses. So, Gnykol, my art fashion brand, and Cobra Queen Printing, I would love to see them united more. That was a goal from the get-go, but I knew that Cobra Queen was going to require a lot more time and growth before I could start to incorporate it with my art fashion designs.

I also see myself in a much more stable position to be able to do more community outreach. I really would like to be able to work with more organizations in the area, like some of the amazing food banks, community centers and special education programs. It’s just getting to a place where I can afford to have the time to do that, and I think that in three to five years, I will be set up to do more.

What excites you most about the future of your business? 

One of the major points of my business is working with and celebrating artists.

In the next month, I’m going to be rolling out small batch artist prints. It’s a collaboration between me and an artist, and we’re going to be doing exactly that. A small batch of the artist’s prints made accessible for people to get art. It’s interesting and exciting! We’re going to be having fun with colors, prints, and different garments that we’re printing on. This ongoing project will allow me to collaborate with multiple artists and just focus more on the art. That’s something I’m really excited about, and it’s been a slow growth.  But it’s coming soon.

Are there any innovations or practices you’re exploring to make your business more resilient and sustainable? 

There’s an undercurrent of environmentalism in all of my businesses, because I am passionate about the environment and sustainability. With my leather business, I’m using post-industry waste, aka: recycled leather. These are the parts of the hide that would be thrown away, or it’s second-grade leather. It’s marred, it’s overstock, and it’s deemed not usable anymore. I’m taking that trash to create something new, exciting, and beautiful. And one of a kind!

With Cobra Queen, I am really committed to trying my best to keep it as sustainable as possible. For example, in my studio, I have a DIY water filtration system set up. When I’m washing screens, any chemicals or emulsions go through an intense filtration system before they go down the pipes. It’s something that I decided to do without any recommendation. I’m really passionate about reusing materials where I can, trying not to create waste, and moving towards more eco-friendly options, like water-based inks in the future. 

How is art important in your life?

Being in the Mid Coast area feels difficult at times because there are so many artists here, but we’re all so spaced out. Bowdoinham, for example, has an incredible population of artists, and everyone is in their own little spot. But it’s hard to find gathering points or bring artists together to collaborate and celebrate. Through Cobra Queen Printing and the small-batch artist prints, I’m aiming to find those artists and bring them together not only through printed collaboration, but through community.

This business has given me an opportunity to connect with different businesses, with different individuals, and it feels important because we’re in a time right now where everyone feels so separated. Cobra Queen is an effort for me to get out into the community, to connect with people, and maybe make something else happen. I’ve been talking to artists about just that. Especially right now, the most important thing that we can do is support one another and our neighbors.

What do you want your art to ultimately accomplish?

As a creative individual, my ultimate goal is to create and fulfill my constant urge to make something beautiful, cool, and create something out of nothing that other people can use, wear, enjoy, and vibe with. I’m all about the experience, being interactive and having people interact with art.

I’m also really passionate about community. My goal would be to have my business create community, bring community together, and celebrate in a really fun artistic way. Life can be rigid, and that’s where art comes in. It can help break things up, and can help keep things interesting, playful, and joyful, and we all need that. Cobra Queen’s ultimate goal is to help support the community, have fun while doing it, and provide professional prints.

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As Nicole reflected on her entrepreneurial journey, one thing stands out—her commitment to learning more and growing her skills. That dedication didn’t go unnoticed by her advisor. Raynor Large, Director of Business Advising at CEI, shared:

Nicole’s work at Cobra Queen Printing shows how creativity can strengthen local artistic connections and support small businesses. With guidance from her CEI advisor and loan resources, she’s built a studio that reflects her values of collaboration, sustainability, and community. As she looks ahead, Nicole plans to keep growing her local partnerships and creating art that brings people together, one print at a time.