Ambition Unlimited

From the letters I receive from readers longing to move here, I have to believe that if jobs were easy to come by here, the population of Maine would soon rival California. Or at least Rhode Island. So, in a sense, "the struggle" to make a go of it here contributes in a big way to making Maine "the way life should be."

Suffice it to say that even in this booming economy, one cannot simply walk into a job around here - not in your career of choice, anyway. If you're a tradesperson, like a carpenter or electrician, you'll have no problem. And if you can put up with telemarketing, you'll likely be in nirvana in these parts. But, by-and-large, professional careers in the state are as elusive as smooth skin during black fly season. And if you do happen to have the luxury of working in a career for which you have trained, you can expect that your pay scale for the job will be substantially less than it would be in most other parts of the country.

But money isn't everything, and so we persevere - satisfied to forgo wealth in exchange for clean air, low crime, lots of trees, moose, and picture-postcard scenery never far from reach.

My own personal employment journey in Maine has been a rollercoaster of feast and famine, but, the bottom line is that I'm still here. I was one of those risk-taking fools who dropped anchor without a job. During my first year here, I spent more than a few days hitting the highway and heading to Massachusetts where the jobs were (and still are). Typically I'd spend Mondays and Tuesdays at some high tech company in Massachusetts, helping to fulfill their technical writing needs, and spend the rest of the week working out of my house in Maine. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it paid the bills and still allowed me to spend the majority of my time in Maine.

There were many times when I was ready to cash it all in and head back down to "easy street," but it seems like whenever things would approach the breaking point, an opportunity would pop up and give me a reprieve. Eventually, I had enough clients in-state to give up the weekly jaunts down south. Then, for a few years, I took "permanent" jobs with real Maine companies. Now, I'm firmly back in the "self-employed" category and am doing just fine without having to travel to Massachusetts.

If you ask around, you will find that my experiences are the norm rather than the exception. To make it in Maine, you have to be resourceful, resilient, and, perhaps, a little bit touched in the head.

This past weekend, I was in the company of a few hundred "touched" folks at the Mid-Coast Home-Based Business Conference. This conference is a bit unusual in that it is held in Belfast rather than the typical "big city" venues of Portland or Bangor. In it's fourth year, the conference draws individuals from all over that state to participate in a variety of workshops and seminars covering topics like "Pricing Your Product," "Financing for Growth," and, my personal favorite, "Building Your Website." Okay, I admit a bit of bias because I was the presenter for the website workshop, but we don't get paid, so at least I can get a pat on the back.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the conference is the diversity of the professions, or, often, the ambitions, of the participants. when it comes to making a living in Maine, people can be very creative. Consider, for example, the following:

• A man who was is in the process of creating an auction website for used musical instruments.
• A masseuse, also looking to start a website.
• A man who makes fine writing instruments out of old lobster trap wood.
• A woman who makes stained glass windows incorporating sea glass.
• A man that has created a solar panel that is used for cooling as well as heating.
• A woman who produces granola for wholesale.
• A woman who buys wool from farmers at a premium, sends it to Canada to be woven into rugs, and then offers the rugs to the farmers at wholesale so that they can then profit from reselling them.
• A rather large contingent of florists and nursery owners. Apparently, plants and flowers are big business in Maine.
• A woman looking to market children's music on the internet.
• An astrologer

Interestingly, two-thirds of the attendees at the conference were women. It seems that when it comes to drive, determination, and fortitude, Maine women lead the charge.

There were also an encouraging number of attendees who were in the planning stages of starting a business. Being among 200 or so small business owners, it is no doubt gratifying for someone contemplating taking the plunge to witness first hand that there are more than a few who have been successful in just such endeavors.

And in this age of "spaceless" businesses created by the Internet, Mainers aren't afraid to think big. One of the seminars I took was given by the owner of the local movie theater. He has started a website aimed squarely at those in the movie theater business - an industry in which the principal players are primarily located in southern California. He related many a sleepless night trying to get the site up and running under a tight deadline and in complete secrecy. It's too early to tell whether his venture will pay off, but it's nice to see that us "small town" folks can have a presence in the international arena.

So, to those of you out there who have ambitions to move to Maine, but are waiting for the right employment opportunity to surface, perhaps you should take a cue from those of us who are here. Chances are nobody is going to hand you the perfect opportunity, but with a bit of hard work and imagination (and the courage to actually make the move), you could find yourself on the inside looking out rather than the other way around. As my shoes would say, "Just Do It."