Supporting Female Entrepreneurship Across Maine
The CEI Women’s Business Center is a home for women* who want to start or grow their own business in Maine.
We work to understand the challenges that disproportionately effect female entrepreneurs and provide resources to help address those challenges.
Our team will help you build and hone your business skills and confidence from developing your business idea, to accessing capital, making strong management decisions based on a deep understanding of your financials, and more:
We offer courses, cohorts, workshops, and events which encourage peer-to-peer learning and community building, as well as 1:1 business advising support.
Until further notice, our services are entirely online.
*CEI aligns with the definition of women and female that explicitly includes not only cis women, but also trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer and non-binary individuals.
Want to learn more about what we’re offering?
“Our group’s weekly refuge served as a safe, forgiving place to dream and both give and receive peer support in a tangible way. My business would not be where it is today had I not signed up for our course. I knew it would force me to create necessary change and provide the gentle accountability to push myself.”
Suzi Pond, Red Bird Media Group – FOCUSME Participant
PROGRAMS
The CEI Women’s Business Center offers a variety of courses, cohorts, and workshops, as well as networking events; all geared towards aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. Join us for one of our upcoming programs!
“My CEI Women’s Business Center advisor was so instrumental in helping me create some systems for tracking finances and she helped me not feel embarrassed about my lack of comfort with that area of running a business. Even more, she really understood and made me feel heard about my other goals. She seemed to take a genuine interest in me as a person and my story. I don’t know that I would have become as successful as I had been without that support. ”
Sarah Ann Lapine, watershed floral
INDIVIDUALIZED BUSINESS ADVISING
The CEI Women’s Business Center offers free, confidential business advising on topics such as:
- Business plan development
- Accessing capital: how and when to access the right amount of financing for your business
- Business skills such as marketing and financial management
- Growth and expansion
- Buying or selling a business
Our experienced, knowledgeable business advisors can help you at any stage of your business, from start-up to expansion to exit. We will support you in building business skills through access to timely, accurate, tailored information and resources.
“In Propeller I, I found my distinct problem, the solution, and firmed up how to implement the solution. I also learned how to communicate with my customer, learn from my customer, and found a wonderful support group of crazy strong amazing women.”
Caitlin Houser, Milk Bottle Cocktails
|| CEI Women’s Business Center – Southwest || CEI Women’s Business Center – South || CEI Women’s Business Center – Northeast ||
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Interpretation is available upon request.