Consultant as Connector: Helping Businesses Find the Right Resource at the Right Time

Consultants and professional service providers create value not only by advising clients directly, but by helping them find, evaluate, and access the right resources: partners, programs, funding, experts, and networks.

Businesses often struggle not because resources are unavailable, but because they do not know which resources fit their needs or how to reach them. Consultants, chambers, incubators, grant programs, and other advisors frequently serve as connectors, helping businesses navigate funding opportunities, technical assistance, strategic partnerships, and support networks. This panel explores how to identify client needs, match businesses with the right resources, build trust across organizations, and strengthen local entrepreneurial ecosystems.

What you will take away:

• The consultant's role as a connector within the business support ecosystem.
• How different organizations identify and refer businesses to the right resources.
• Best practices for making introductions that lead to real outcomes.
• The common gaps and challenges in resource navigation.
• Firsthand experience from a business that has grown by drawing on multiple support resources.

Panelists:

• Emily Braley, Coordinator, Maine Entrepreneurial Resource Corps (MERC), Maine Technology Institute.
• Terry Johnson, Maine Mentor Network Manager, Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, and immediate past president of ACE.
• Susan Ruhlin, Executive Director, Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
• A Maine business owner, sharing the view from the other side of the table.

Register here. Registration is handled through the LA Metro Chamber.