Two entrepreneurs raise $4,560 through a crowd-funding campaign and get an early boost when larger, established local businesses came on board.

The business rents a kitchen in Yarmouth, partners with four local farms and isn’t afraid to use lard.

Dream Local Digital occupies space in a building on Rockland’s Main Street that abuts a utility pole strung with fiber-optic wiring.

The company also looks for integrity as it competes to recruit top employees in a tight talent market.

‘Rather than focusing on getting beer out there to restaurants and stores, we decided to focus on getting people to come here,’ says Mary Weber of Monhegan Brewing Co.

The company uses higher pay, good benefits and off-season projects to avoid an exodus of expertise every season.

The eclectic retail section has been key to stabilizing revenues.

Demand is high for items made by Alaina Harris, who owns Alaina Marie, and she finds that managing her response to that demand is crucial.

The owner of The Holy Donut has her own algorithm to determine how many doughnuts to make each day, even if it means selling out.

The solution: An innovative packaging process that uses foam insulation to dramatically reduce breakage.