Alison Lane’s entrepreneurial journey is one many can relate to—full of hustle, heart, and hard-won lessons.
Growing up in Brewer, Maine, Alison always had a natural inclination toward business. She studied business at the University of Maine, earned her MBA, and along the way connected with Jason Harkins—an UpStart Board member and professor of entrepreneurship. Alison regularly shared business ideas with Jason, and when one truly resonated, he encouraged her to reach out to SBDC and SCORE to start turning it into reality.
That idea became Logical Sip, a café she launched from scratch in a downtown Brewer space that had never operated as a restaurant.
“I was so caught up in running the business that I forgot to leverage the ecosystem around me,” Alison admits.
The classic advice—“Work on the business, not in the business” (thank you, The E-Myth by Michael Gerber)—hit home later.Alison ran Logical Sip for three years before returning to SBDC—this time for guidance on preparing and ultimately selling the business. A few months later, fate took an unexpected turn: Alison joined SBDC as a business advisor. She suddenly found herself immersed in the very entrepreneurial ecosystem she once wished she’d leaned into earlier.
Lessons Learned the Hard Way (So You Don’t Have To)
Alison’s biggest takeaway? There’s no wrong door when it comes to finding support.
“The entrepreneurial ecosystem can feel overwhelming with all the acronyms—SBDC, SCORE, MTI, FAME, CEI—but just reach out.
We all know each other, and if you’re not in the right place, we’ll get you where you need to go.”
She also learned that confidence takes time.
“Being an entrepreneur requires rapid knowledge acquisition. It’s impossible to know everything—and that’s okay.
Your job isn’t to be the expert in every area; it’s to know what levers to pull and who to ask for help.”
For Alison, that meant outsourcing key tasks like payroll and accounting. Looking back, she wishes she had done the same for marketing. She also hadn’t realized just how many free resources are available to business owners.
“There are so many opportunities—info sessions, webinars, workshops, one-on-one advising.
It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to learn what you need to keep moving forward.”
Why This Matters
The statistics back it up: According to the SBA, small business owners who work with an advisor or mentor are five times more likely to grow and succeed.
And that’s exactly what UpStart is all about.
UpStart’s mission is simple: connect entrepreneurs with the right people, resources, and opportunities to help their businesses grow. Whether you’re starting out or scaling up, you don’t have to go it alone.
“Reach out. Ask the questions.
It can feel like you’re failing when you don’t know something—but the truth is, you’re not supposed to know it all.”
Now, as a member of the SBDC team, Alison spends her days helping other small business owners navigate the very ecosystem she once felt overwhelmed by. And she’ll be the first to remind you: there’s no wrong door to start that conversation.
Ready to Take Your Next Step?
If Alison’s story resonates with you, we’d love to connect.
Reach out to Lisa Liberatore, UpStart’s Program Manager, to find the right resource partner for your journey:
📧 innovation@upstartmaine.org
Or connect directly with Alison Lane, now serving as the Center Director and Certified Business Advisor – Central & Northern Maine at Maine SBDC at the University of Southern Maine.
📍 Location: Bangor – serving Southern Penobscot, Southern Hancock, and Waldo Counties
📧 Email: alison.lane@maine.edu
📞 Phone: 207-780-4982
If you have questions or need guidance, we’re here to help. Contact us at innovation@upstartmaine.org
UpStart’s mission is to be the Bangor Region’s innovation hub that connects entrepreneurs statewide with resources to grow their businesses.
For more information on UpStart, contact innovation@upstartmaine.org