If your clients/customers are not “Maine based” (i.e. they are scattered all over the globe) then you already have a following and you can easily work from wherever you choose to live – especially in these times of the Internet, FedEx, e-mail and fax machines. However, it your business will depend on attracting Mainers to buy your services/products, then you will need to do some marketing research to see if your business is really viable in the Maine marketplace. Ideally, it should meet an unmet need to be successful. Some people whimsically say “do what you love and the money will follow.” Hmmmm, sounds good,  but if you are “a shepherd” looking for work, I don’t think you will find many people in Maine looking to hire shepherds!

I’m a very big fan of Seth Godin’s books, especially, “The Purple Cow” and more so of “All Marketers are Liars.” http://www.amazon.com/All-Marketers-Are-Liars-Authentic/dp/1591841003 . His thoughts on building a market will work anywhere – even in Maine. So, do your homework.

Next, you need get your story out there. Seth warns that people make instantaneous decisions on whether they are interested in what you are marketing and… it’s all based on their first impressions of how you present yourself. So, unless you are gifted with exceptional talent in graphics, you will need some help. Ideally, some professional help with your graphics and your marketing design would be well-advised – preferably, by someone who himself moved his family from an out-of-state metropolitan area to Maine and someone who fully understand “the mindset of Mainers.” While there are several people who come to mind, I’m most impressed by the talent of Ronn Orenstein who lives in Darmariscotta (http://satoriphotodesign.com/wp/). He’s very good and very reasonable to hire!

Once you have framed a thoughtful overture to your clients/customers you can be optimistic about not only moving to Maine, but working from a Maine-based location with confidence.

I can be a resource to help you make this transition.