The first episode of Starting a Business in Maine examines characteristics common to the entrepreneurial spirit despite the widely diverse personalities of those who possess it.  Viewers are introduced to Gabrielle Melchionda, who took a college hobby of making lip balm and turned it into Mad Gab's, Inc., a Westbrook company that now produces a wide range of health and beauty products using only natural ingredients and employs adults with physical and developmental challenges.

Gab, as her friends and customers call her, possesses a free-spirited nature and unconventional background that contrasts starkly with the common notion of hard-driving company executives. The episode’s examination of how Gab parlayed her existing knowledge and outgoing nature into a business that is both profitable and that reflects her social consciousness is an illustration of the variety of paths followed by successful entrepreneurs.

Experts on hand to talk with host Lou McNally and answer viewers' questions will help identify the traits and behavioral tendencies common to entrepreneurs and assist in helping viewers assess their own capabilities and readiness to start a business.

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network recognizes its program collaborators, the Maine Community College System, the Small Business Administration and the Maine Small Business Development Centers.