| Navigating The Real World

Hussein Ahmed Intro

Hussein moved to the U.S. from Somalia in 2001 and settled in Georgia. In 2002 he moved with his family to Lewiston, Maine. Hussein is currently the owner of a store in Lewiston, Barwaqo.

Posted: 08/30/2010 - 09:25

by: kjoseph

Other stories:

Why he started his business

Starting a business is challenging at first

Assistance from Coastal Enterprises with advice, and later, with special financing

Expanding his products and serving the needs of his community

Halal meats for Islamic community

What it takes to succeed in business

Mistakes new immigrant business owners make

Advice for immigrants starting a business

Views of clothing and food sections

Brett Wickard Intro

Brett grew up in Illinois and came to Maine to attend Bowdoin College. When the record store in Brunswick went out of business in the 80s and Brett had no summer job, he decided to open up his own record store. At the last minute he found a location, ordered some CDs with money he had saved, and Bull Moose was born. Twenty years later there are ten Bull Moose locations in Maine and New Hampshire. Brett also runs Crickery Wood, a software development company in Portland.

Posted: 08/27/2010 - 16:26

by: kjoseph

Other stories:

How Bull Moose got started

Where the name 'Bull Moose' came from

How Bull Moose has stayed alive in a struggling economy

The future of music, movies, and video games

Bull Moose expansion through Maine and NH

Artists visit the stores and attract wild fans

Challenge: Trusting other people with important jobs

Working with very little money

Now is a great time to start a business

Advice for starting a business

Allow yourself to make mistakes

How his job has evolved over the last 20 years

Gabrielle Melchionda

Gabrielle grew up in Amherst, MA and graduated from UMass Amherst in 1992. As a junior in college she began making lip balm out of her mom's kitchen. By the time she graduated she was selling her products in 40 stores across New England. Today her company, Mad Gab's, sells natural bodycare products all over the world. Gabrielle shares the story of how she started her business, how it has evolved, and what she would do differently.

Posted: 08/20/2010 - 14:11

by: kjoseph

Other stories:

Starting a business and discovering her strengths

The evolution of Mad Gab's

Good advice for starting a business

Things she would do differently

Good advice: Learn to live within your means

Jim Dyer Intro

Jim grew up in Mars Hill, Maine and graduated from Central Aroostook High School in 1996. He spent one year at Northern Maine Technical College before deciding to move to Dover, NH in search of a job. On his trip to Dover he stopped to help a stranger which he says is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to him because it resulted in a job. He has been working at Sullivan Tire since 1997 and is now the manager of Sullivan Tire in Portland.

Posted: 08/16/2010 - 08:45

by: kjoseph

Other stories:

A good deed helped him land a job

Progressing and learning on the job

What he looks for when hiring

What keeps him from hiring someone

Story of someone who had to be fired

Good technical school programs

A good field that requires hands-on training

Mike Hunt and Matt DuBois Intro

Mike and Matt met while attending The Connecticut Culinary Institute. After graduating from there, they decided to open a bakery together. They renovated an old bank, and turned it into a well established bakery. For the past two years, Mike and Matt have started doing wedding cakes, which have brought in even more business.

Posted: 08/12/2010 - 13:42

by: sophdoodles

Other stories:

Qualities They Seek In Employees

Things They Have Struggled With

Suggestions On Opening a Business

Mistakes They've Made With Their Business

What They Would Have Done Differently

How They Got To Where They Are Professionally

On What They Wish They Had Been Told

How They Started Their Business

Good and Bad Things Related To The Hiring Process

Larry Charrier Intro

After college, Larry got a job working in Boston as a florist and became the highest paid florist in the Boston area. Instead of opening his own shop in Boston, he moved back to Skowhegan, Maine; he has been open for 27 years.

Posted: 08/12/2010 - 11:27

by: sophdoodles

Other stories:

Advice On Opening a Business

On How The Industry Has Changed and How He Was Affected

About His Mistakes

What He Seeks In An Employee

Good and Bad Things About the Hiring Process

How He Started His Business

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Printed Edition PDF

The printed edition was delivered to all Maine high school students at the end of April.

Check it out here.

(The links are clickable.)

Our next printed edition will be out for the fall semester.

Tell your stories

Tell your stories and help current high school students:

1. If you are from Maine and in your 20s.

2. If you work with Maine people in their 20s.

Post your own stories
In video In text

Or interview interesting people for us:

Post interviews
In video In text

Features

How Jay Harper brings interviewing to the classroom

Jay Harper is the Freeport High School JMG Specialist. For months his students have been interviewing young professionals in career fields that interest them about their experiences since high school. Hear Jay talk about how the interview project is working in his classroom.

What not to do in an interview

It's pretty easy to interview someone for theDailyMistake, but Seth found five ways to screw it up before he got it right.

Our Sponsors

Meet employees of some of our sponsors:

NavigatingTheRealWorld.org is produced by Navigating the Real World, Inc., a Portland, Maine, based nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that will launch the companion publication, Navigating The Real World, in high schools all across Maine in Spring 2010. Our purpose is to gather and publish information and perspectives to help people in their teens and 20s navigate important life decisions and challenges - and to have some fun while we are doing this! Over the coming year we will roll out a range of new offerings using social media and other communication and information technology.

©2009 NavigatingTheRealWorld.org