Open for Business (Barely)
Maine's entrepreneurs have the drive. The state's red tape is what's holding them back.
Jake wanted to open a sandwich shop in Bath. He had the recipe, the savings, and a lease on a storefront. He figured the hard part would be the food.
It wasn't. It was the eleven permits. The four inspections. The seven months of waiting. Three different agencies told him three different things about his ventilation requirements. One inspector flagged an issue that another inspector had personally approved. By the time he finally opened, he'd burned through his savings buffer and was operating on fumes.
Jake's shop is open now. He's doing well. But he knows a dozen people with similar dreams who looked at what he went through and decided it wasn't worth it. Those are sandwich shops and hair salons and auto repair places that will never open — and the jobs and tax revenue that go with them.
The Problem
Buried in rules nobody enforces
Maine businesses spend $2.1 billion annually on regulatory compliance — money that could go to hiring, expanding, or simply keeping the lights on.
The state has over 10,000 pages of regulations. By the state's own admission, roughly 70% are either unenforced or selectively enforced. That's not regulation — it's uncertainty.
Getting a simple business permit can take months. Contradictory requirements between agencies turn a straightforward process into a maze.
Small businesses bear the heaviest burden. Large companies have compliance departments. A person opening a sandwich shop has themselves.
“When it takes seven months and eleven permits to open a sandwich shop, the system isn't protecting anyone. It's just stopping people from getting started.”
Ideas Worth Exploring
Make it easier to build something
These aren't campaign promises — they're conversations we need to have. Real change takes coalition-building, and I want to bring these ideas to the table.
One-stop business licensing
Instead of bouncing between agencies, new businesses should be able to apply for everything in one place with one process. Technology exists to make this seamless — we just need the will to build it.
Sunset rules that aren't enforced
If 70% of regulations are unenforced, they're not protecting anyone — they're just creating confusion. Mandatory sunset provisions would force a regular review: does this rule still make sense?
Automate routine compliance
This is what I do for a living — help businesses use technology to cut through complexity. Much of regulatory compliance can be automated: digital filings, real-time reporting, instant permit processing. Faster for businesses, cheaper for the state.
One-in, two-out for new regulations
Before adding a new rule, we should be required to find two that are outdated, redundant, or counterproductive. The regulatory pile only grows if nobody ever cleans it up.
This matters to you?
Then let's do something about it. Every yard sign, every conversation, every bit of support moves the needle.