CAMDEN — Whether they're starting small lifestyle businesses or bigger operations with a few employees, women in Maine are proving themselves to be strong entrepreneurs.  Former Maine Women's Fund Executive Director Elizabeth Stefanski said in the last 10 years she had seen "massive growth in women-owned businesses," with women starting them "twice as often as men."

But starting a business, as anyone knows, is not easy. Running counter to the "Superwoman" credo that women can do it all, there are roadblocks to running a business. That's where Marita Fairfield comes in. She is the Women's Business Center Program Director & Business Counselor and is known statewide as a business counselor and workshop presenter on issues related to business website development and Internet marketing.

Up until this year, if women wanted free business counseling from CEI, they had to travel to Wiscasset to the main office. But some restructuring of CEI has now freed Fairfield to travel to the Midcoast twice a month to meet with women in two outreach locations. Through the generosity of Ballou and Associates, a bookkeeping and consulting service at 48 Washington St. in Camden, which donates a free closed conference room in their office complex, Midcoast women can make appointments to meet with Fairfield regularly as they take the pulse on their businesses. Another smaller outreach location donated by Camden National Bank in Belfast will allow Fairfield to meet with women in Waldo county and counties north of Belfast.

"This is an ideal space for women to have confidential meetings," said Fairfield. "Some women just feel it makes a difference that their business counselor is also a woman. We work in collaboration with our counterparts at the Small Business Development Center as well, regardless of where Maine women are located around the state. We can have someone get back to you in person or through virtual conferencing, phone or email."

Who is the ideal candidate for this kind of business counseling?

"Either someone who wants to start a business but doesn't know how to go about it or someone who is already in business and just needs to bounce her ideas off a business counselor," she said. "Perhaps you're good at what you do, but not good at finances or you're very good with bookkeeping, but don't know the first thing about how to market your business. We find that new business owners who work with a business counselor are more successful."

Fairfield added that the majority of her clients are micro-businesses, such as one-woman businesses, couples or people with two or three employees.

CEI has just revamped its online directory, www.wbcmaine.org, which features women-owned Maine businesses and offers in-person workshops and online webinars that cover everything one needs to know about starting a business, including record-keeping and financials, applying for a business loan, Quickbooks, marketing, child care business management, and websites/ecommerce.

Women who've already started their businesses can also join this directory at the free level. A premier level allows more online visibility and better discounts for workshops. Even without a premier listing, the workshops are considered reasonably priced, at $15 to $35. And, Fairfield stresses they never want income to be a barrier for woment to get the business training they need so they also offer a fee-waiver program and financial aid.

One other way the Women's Business Center works with the realistic schedule of modern women is to offer pre-recorded online workshops.

"That way you can listen to a workshop at 2 in the morning or when you're at home with a sick kid," she said.

Sometimes women just need a little push, along with a hand to hold, to make the transition from dreamer to business owner. The way to start is to make a request for free business counseling by visiting their web page. Or call Fairfield directly at 207-882-5158 or email mfairfield@ceimaine.org. She is in the Camden office (48 Washington St.) biweekly (usually Thursdays, but it's flexible) and in Belfast bi-weekly.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com.