Top Gun Final Showcase in Portland

After 5 months in the Top Gun Entrepeneur Program we ended with a final showcase held at the University of Southern Maine in Portland at the Abromson Center. Each business was given the option to present a 4 minute pitch to an audience including other business owners, investors, innovators, media and other professionals. After the 4 minute pitch we received 1 minute of feedback from a panelist assigned to us. I had been practicing my pitch for the past week and had it memorized but was still nervous about presenting to 300 people! The stage was really beautiful and there was a monitor on the floor so I could see what was displayed on my slideshow. I used the 4 minutes to share my new art project where I create a painting from the back of a horse. The Top Gun program encourages meaningfully unique ideas and I received so much positive feedback.

I would like to thank everyone involved in the Top Gun program including Jesse Moriarty and Jennifer Hooper for coordinating our Bangor group and connecting us with mentors. I had some wonderful mentors including Deb Neuman who has her own radio show Back to Business and Jeff Spaulding who gave me excellent legal advice. But I think the most valuable part of the program for me was meeting other business owners and sharing our struggles and our ideas together. The Bangor group included many wonderful businesses including Oats Any Time, Loyal Biscuit Co., Specialty Sweets, the Juice Cellar, Genotyping for America, and Twenty-Two Vodka. Please take a moment to check out their Facebook pages (click on their business name above).