She/Her
Michelle Bond
Business Advisor
About Michelle
Michelle Bond is a Business Advisor at Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a Maine-based community development financial institution with a mission to build just, vibrant and climate-resilient futures for people and communities in Maine and rural regions by integrating finance, business expertise and policy solutions in ways that make the economy work more equitably. Michelle serves on the Specialty Food and Beverage Advisory Group convened by the Union River Center for Innovation, where CEI’s Ellsworth office is based.
As one of CEI’s Business Advisors, Michelle works with founders, makers and entrepreneurs to develop their business concepts, offerings and revenue models. She brings a community development approach to entrepreneurship that leverages lived experience to develop expertise and set small businesses up for sustainable pathways to grow and measure success on their own terms. Michelle specializes in supporting clients in Food and Agricultural sectors.
Prior to CEI, Michelle sought to elevate the experiences of underrepresented founders as the creator and co-host of the Proofing State Podcast, examining entrepreneurship and the progress, wins, and setbacks of the small business journey. Michelle is also the co-founder of Bottoms Up Bagels, where she established a successful bagel business from ideation to operation by providing high-quality handmade products to customers in the Baltimore, MD region and beyond. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Michelle was Vice President at a social change consulting firm, heading up a variety of mission-driven projects, including VISTA’s 50th Anniversary outreach and programming. She brings a wealth of intercultural competencies in communication, along with a deep passion for community-centered work.
Michelle has served as a Peace Corps Volunteer and AmeriCorps VISTA member and is a proud alum of the Shriver Peaceworker Program and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. Michelle has run 11 marathons and loves finding the perfect container for just the right-sized item!
Education
- M.A. Intercultural Communications, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- B.A. Public Relations & Psychology, Mount Saint Mary College
Community Connections
- Main Streets Board Member
- Specialty Food and Beverage Advisory Group
- Maine Farmer Resource Network
Get To Know Michelle
What is your favorite food?
Paella.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
The power to make emotionally moving physical art.
What book, film, tv show or album do you return to again and again?
The Goonies.
