What exactly is a transplanted partner, and what does it have to do with small business? We invented the term in response to the idea of a “trailing spouse,” which is often used to describe a person who follows their partner to a new city or town because of a work assignment. This phenomenon frequently occurs in island communities—for example, when a schoolteacher moves to the island with their spouse. However, what is more common is what we’re calling a “transplanted partner,” or when someone from the mainland partners with an islander, moves to their island, and then has to figure out what they’re going to do for work.
While we don’t yet have the hard data to back this up, our qualitative research gathering of working with small businesses tells us that a large portion of new businesses are started by transplanted partners, and beyond that, a large portion of them are women. There are many examples of coastal and island communities where many or most of the downtown businesses are run by women. Whether they set out to be entrepreneurs and community leaders or not, they are one, and their business adds to the vibrancy of the community and contributes to the island or coastal communities’ economy.
Women entrepreneurs are central to economic growth everywhere—whether we’re talking about downtown North Haven or rural economies of developing countries. This is why we’re hosting a Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference on March 25-26, 2020. This conference will be a part of the Island Institute’s ILEAD series. Island Leadership Exploration and Development (ILEAD) Seminars are leadership training programs for island and coastal leaders. The programs are targeted at specific sectors of island economies and are designed to bring participants together to develop leadership and management skills and create a professional network of island leaders.
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference is designed to bring women business owners and leaders together to learn from each other, hear from experts in the field, and create professional peer-to peer-networks. This program will help participants gather information and tools to use as leaders in businesses in coastal and island communities and help them grapple with difficult questions and innovate for the future.
We are excited to offer this program and support our local women business owners in this way. In the months ahead, we will be sharing registration information and more details about the conference. Should you have any questions before that, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
About ILEAD Seminars
ILEAD Seminars are leadership training programs for island and coastal leaders. Each program is targeted at specific sectors of island economies and designed to bring participants together to develop leadership and management skills and create a professional network of island leaders.
Through the seminars, municipal and community leaders learn from each other, hear from experts in the field, and gather information and tools to use as they work with their communities to address challenges and issues they face.
Part of the Island Institute’s leadership program portfolio, the programs are designed to support islanders through lifelong learning and skill-building opportunities needed to keep their communities vibrant places to live, work, and educate children. For more information, visit: https://www.islandinstitute.org/leadership
What We Do
The Island Institute’s Small Business Team provides business and financial planning to help entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of starting and growing a business. For more information on our small business support services, feel free to contact Craig Olson or Claire Donnelly
Commercial Currents is an email and blog newsletter that shares buoyant stories from Maine’s island and coastal communities about economic stability and resilience. To find archived editions, go to islandinstitute.org/blog/economic.
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