Helping small businesses white-label apparel: Behind the Business with Happy Lilliput in Acton, MA

Helping small businesses white-label apparel
Megha Patil, a biochemist turned apparel designer and fashion business consultant in Acton, MA, shared her journey to entrepreneurship with us. Growing up in India, Megha always wanted to become a fashion designer but pursued a more stable career in biochemistry. After realizing she couldn’t shake her desire to create, Megha followed her heart and studied fashion design in India and fashion styling at the University of the Arts London.
Several years a...

Residential and commercial moving with care: Behind the Business with Movers on the Go in Revere, MA

Residential and commercial moving with care
Movers on the Go is a family-owned, full-service moving company in Revere, MA, and it has served commercial and residential clients in the Boston area since 1997. After spending years working for one of the major national moving companies, founder Domenic Fazio decided to branch out on his own and take a more personal approach to the moving industry in Massachusetts. During our conversation, the small business owner provided insight into how his compan...

Helping seniors navigate life changes: Behind the Business with Dovetail Companies in Wilmington, MA

Helping seniors navigate life changes
Growing older comes with life changes. Some mature adults downsize their homes and move to senior housing; others age in place or transition to assisted living—there are countless scenarios, and people experience aging differently. Erin DiCarlo and Lauren Watts, co-owners of the Dovetail Companies in Wilmington, MA, are age-well advocates and help older adults transition to their next life stage. The business owners noted that elders are often left out of co...

Precision in the polish: Behind the Business with Maine Recon in Scarborough, ME

Precision in the polish
Joshua Davis owns Maine Recon, an auto-detailing business in Saco, ME. Maine Recon specializes in detailing motorized vehicles, which includes cleaning and restoring an auto’s interior, exterior, or both. Davis works on personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, boats, motorcycles, RVs, and more. In his interview, Davis shared what led him on the entrepreneurial path, what his business is like today, and more. 
Davis started auto detailing in 2011. At the time, he was workin...

Legal matters: Behind the Business with the Law Office of Patrick M. Culhane, P.C. in Braintree, MA

Legal matters
Patrick M. Culhane, P.C. founded his law office in 2001 in Braintree, MA and offers services spanning estate planning, bankruptcy and real estate. The attorney chose to pursue a legal career in midlife, which inspired him to start his own practice. “I went to law school at night. I was working; I had a family. I was close to 40 when I went to law school. Getting into a firm when you’re older is hard, so I started my own practice and built it through word of mouth,” the attorney sai...

Construction on Cape Cod: Behind the Business with Coast Carpentry Home Improvement in Sandwich, MA

Construction on Cape Cod
Fagner Mirelio Lima Rodrigues owns Coast Carpentry Home Improvement, Inc. in Sandwich, MA. Serving Cape Cod, the construction company offers carpentry, roofing, siding, gutters, deck building and painting for residential clients.
Rodrigues immigrated to the United States from Brazil, where he was in construction for many years. After working for another contractor in Massachusetts, he decided to start his own construction company in 2021. “When I came to the USA, carpent...

Digging the foundation: Behind the Business with David Towle & Sons Excavating in Cumberland, RI

Digging the foundation
Homeowners encounter different maintenance and renovation needs for their properties, including septic systems. David Towle & Sons Excavating in Cumberland, RI specializes in septic system design and installation. Additionally, the company provides excavation for new home sites and trenches for electric, water and sewer lines.
Owner David Towle shared that the business has a rich history. His father started the company in the late 1970s, and today it serves all of Rhode Is...

Empowering nurses, enriching lives: Behind the Business with Home, Hope & Healing in Smithfield, ME

Empowering nurses, enriching lives
Sisters Jill Lufkin-Robinson and Jane Hall, both registered nurses (RN), shared a vision to provide medically complex children and adults with the medical support and care needed to keep them at home with their families. They founded Home, Hope & Healing, a private duty nursing company, in Smithfield, ME, in 2002.
“We're both registered nurses and have a very diverse background. Jane has done school nursing and many other things, and I've done a bunch of home c...

Blades of faith: Behind the Business with Khalsa Raj in Millis, MA

Blades of faith
Jot S Khalsa owns Khalsa Raj in Millis, MA, where he designs, creates and sells fine jewelry, artful objects and collectible knives. His artful designs can also be purchased via Khalsa Raj’s online store.
Interestingly, Khalsa discovered his faith and the practices of yoga and meditation in the early 70s. These discoveries influenced the designer’s choice of careers. For reference, Khalsa practices Sikhism, an Indian monotheistic religion India that believes in equality for all a...

Independent wealth management: Behind the Business with Apex Wealth in Danvers, MA

Massachusetts native Cliff Ambrose worked in management at a large insurance company for years and had a small financial advising practice on the side. Then, in 2019, Ambrose decided to go all in on his business, opening Apex Wealth. In his interview, Ambrose shared his business philosophy and why he was set on running an independent financial advising practice.

“Primarily, Apex Wealth focuses on wealth management and retirement planning, and we also work with business owners on financial plann

Keeping families together: Behind the Business with The Law Office of Kevin Seaver in Boston, MA

Kevin Patrick Seaver founded The Law Office of Kevin Seaver in Boston over thirty years ago. His journey into law and establishment of his firm represent his commitment to justice and belief in the power of individual agency.

After graduating from law school, Kevin Seaver, driven by a sense of independence and a desire to chart his course, sidestepped the traditional path of joining a law firm. Kevin Seaver told us, “There were two things I knew when I graduated from law school. Number one: I d

Craft and community: Behind the Business with Laurie’s Certified Construction, LLC in Colchester, VT

Laurie Goldsmith and her husband of 28 years operate Laurie's Certified Construction in Colchester, VT. With over four decades of experience, Goldsmith shared that her company offers a broad spectrum of construction services and aims to provide personalized and detail-oriented service.

The entrepreneur elaborated on the types of projects her company takes on. “We build additions, and we remodel kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, and add on apartments and bedrooms and stuff like that. So, we pr

Continuing a roofing legacy: Behind the Business with DeCarney Roofing in Beverly, MA

Decarney Roofing is a local business out of Beverly, MA that services the North Shore with a commitment to excellent customer service. Third-generation roofer Mario DeCarney began his entrepreneurial journey in 2017 after working for years with his father.

“I started roofing because my father owned a roofing company, and my grandfather also owned a roofing company. I started working with my dad pretty much every day after school and then eventually started my own company,” recalled Mario when a

Science, sustainability, community: Behind the Business with Cambridge Scientific in Watertown, MA

In Watertown, MA, Cambridge Scientific sells laboratory equipment and provides furnished labs for startups to kickstart their research endeavors. The company's origin story is inspiring. In the 1990s, Barbara Pearlman worked in sales for a medical equipment company that sold hospital gear, such as beds and x-ray machines. While in the field, she "ran into a lot of research equipment for laboratories," which inspired an idea. Pearlman recommended that her employer begin selling the research equip

Reviving mind and body: Behind the Business with Sewall House Yoga Retreat in Island Falls, ME

When yoga instructor Donna Davidge was a child, she spent summers visiting Sewall House, her great grandparents' home in Northern Maine. Davidge’s great-great-grandparents settled in Island Falls, where the property is located, in the mid-1800s. "My great-grandfather was the first non-Native American child born in Island Falls. So, he learned about nature from Native Americans since age three. So, that's what I heard about as a child. I grew up in Connecticut, but my heart was always in Maine. I

Empowering threads: Behind the Business with Falsetto The Label in Marlborough, MA

In September 2017, tragedy struck Katrina Lloyd’s life when she lost her sister Sherrie to domestic violence. After recovering from Sherrie’s murder, Lloyd wanted to keep her sister’s memory alive. “Over the years after healing, I wanted to find a way to honor her. So, I dug deep and thought, what's the best way I can honor her? And something that we always did was we sang together around the house. Growing up in church, we would sing together. My mom would always play music in the house. I’ve a

Condo and rental property management: Behind the Business with Skyline Realty in Medford, MA

Skyline Realty in Medford, MA, is a real estate firm that has thrived in the Boston area for over two decades. Alex Haidar’s journey into real estate began right after college. At first, he honed his skills at another real estate company. Then in 1999, he and two partners opened their firm in a modest 150-square-foot office in downtown Boston. The business partners started off leasing rental homes and selling properties. “Then we moved into condo conversions and property management,” Haidar said

The realtor role for this mother-son team: Behind the Business with Anderson Real Estate Group in Smithfield, RI.

The realtor role for this mother-son team

Eric Anderson and his mother, Pam Anderson, own Anderson Real Estate Group at HomeSmart Professional Real Estate in Smithfield, RI. “My mom has been in the business for over 40 years and was a nurse before that. She’s licensed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Over 20 years ago, I started working with her, and I’m licensed in Rhode Island. In addition to residential sales, we do commercial, land, and subdivisions. We encompass a huge amount of specialt

Prepping homes for sale: Behind the Business with Anderson Property Resources in Smithfield, RI

Eric Anderson, the owner of Anderson Property Resources in Smithfield, RI, took a unique path to become a general contractor. The idea to open a construction business came to him while working in real estate, and today, Anderson runs two companies. He co-owns Anderson Real Estate Group at HomeSmart Professional Real Estate in Smithfield, RI—a BBB Member Accredited Business.

While working in real estate, Anderson served many retirees who were downsizing and moving into retirement communities or

Condo and rental property management: Behind the Business with Skyline Realty in Medford, MA

Skyline Realty in Medford, MA, is a real estate firm that has thrived in the Boston area for over two decades. Alex Haidar’s journey into real estate began right after college. At first, he honed his skills at another real estate company. Then in 1999, he and two partners opened their firm in a modest 150-square-foot office in downtown Boston. The business partners started off leasing rental homes and selling properties. “Then we moved into condo conversions and property management,” Haidar said

Remodels, renovations and restorations: Behind the Business with Pratt Builders, LLC in Gorham, ME

In the charming state of Maine, where pristine landscapes and a sense of community thrive, Pratt Builders, LLC brings craftsmanship and dedication to the home-building trade. Carpenter Christian Pratt founded the business in 2013 in Gorham, ME. In this article, Pratt discusses the evolution of his company from when he started over ten years ago to where his business is today.

Pratt's journey into the world of carpentry was destined from the start. Coming from a family of carpenters on both side

Creating Pleasing Landscapes with Trees: Behind the Business with Schwartz Tree Care in Cranston, Rhode Island

David Schwartz, owner of Schwartz Tree Care in Cranston, RI, has been a practicing arborist for over 50 years, but it didn’t start that way. David was a psychology major at Post College in New York, but he took a class that, in his words, “drove him to start climbing trees” instead.

“After college, I needed something that put me in touch with nature,” Schwartz explained. “With tree climbing and being immersed in nature, there is no sense of time, no rush. You have to stay in the moment and be f

Vacation rental management made easy: Behind the Business with Coast Maine Vacations in Knox, ME

Coastal Maine Vacations is a local family-owned business specializing in vacation rental management located in Knox, ME. Justin Jurist, a native of Ohio, discussed what prompted him to move to Maine and ultimately run a vacation rental management company.

“Ever since I was about 12 years old, I wanted to move to Maine. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the latest “Maine Vacation Guide” and read it from cover to cover. I never visited Maine until I turned 26, but I knew one day I would live her

Craftsmanship at its finest: Behind the Business with Backus Remodeling, LLC in Waitsfield, VT

Richard Backus, owner of Backus Remodeling in Waitsfield, VT, studied woodworking in high school, and he’s brought his meticulous attention to detail to every job he has had since. “I took six years of woodworking in high school, including construction, tech, mechanical drawing. I built furniture. Then, in the early 70s, there wasn't a lot out there after I graduated. I did get a job as a carpenter, but it was a fairly short economy at that time. So, I ended up getting into excavation for a few
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