Launch or Grow conference offers entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their business ideas

Southern Maine Community College is hosting a conference for entrepreneurs and small business owners on Friday.

The Launch or Grow Small Business Success Conference will feature a host of panel discussion and interactive activities to help small-business owners and entrepreneurs take their business or ideas to the next level.

The keynote speakers will be John and Brendan Ready, two brothers from Cape Elizabeth who have successfully grown their seafood business, Ready Seafood, into a 50-employee operation.

There will also be breakout sessions in two tracks (one for entrepreneurs looking to start a business, and another for small-business owners who want to grow their business), a “Meet the Masters” lunch that will give attendees an opportunity to sit down with several professional service consultants, and a Shark Tank that will give a few attendees the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of experts.

The conference will be held at SMCC’s McKernan Center. Conference registration is $50 for individuals, or $25 for SMCC students and alumni. Here’s a full agenda.

I’ll be there, and look forward to meeting the small-business owners and entrepreneurs that will build Maine’s economy, one idea at a time. Feel free to stop me to introduce yourself.

Whit Richardson

About Whit Richardson

Whit Richardson is Business Editor at the Bangor Daily News. He blogs about Maine business, entrepreneurs and the economy.