Express Grant Program

There is an expression “Give me a fish and I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I will eat for a life time.” This applies to the mission and goals of the Massachusetts Express Grant Program. Governments, at the federal and state levels, have a variety of programs to assist businesses and individuals. Many of these programs are often viewed as “hand-outs” with no accountability. We often wonder how effective some of these programs are and if they are worthwhile.

The small to medium size businesses are the ones that shape and determine the health of our cities and towns. This is where a vast majority of the jobs are created. They also define the spirit and personalities of our communities. The Massachusetts Commonwealth, through some good leadership and planning, put together a grant program that provides support from true professionals on a variety of business subjects. Owners of small to medium size businesses struggling in many areas may not have the expertise to effectively put together a business plan and execute. They’re pulled in many directions each and every day. It is extremely difficult to stay focused, or in many cases, tackle the demands that need to be dealt with in order to keep their business afloat.

The Express Grant Program was designed to provide support in a number of areas that business owners can select to address their greatest concerns. One of the most common concerns businesses struggle with is how do they develop a truly cost effective marketing plan on a tight budget. We find businesses simply advertise from time to time by placing an ad in a local media publication or posting something on a social media platform. This can be a waste of time and resources, but the businesses owners feel good that they took some type of positive action. With the support of the Express Grant Program businesses can be provided with some ideas of what to do, but often even more important what to stop doing.

We were introduced to Sarah Marshall, owner of Lucille Wine Shop & Tasting Room in Lynn, MA. After spending many years in the wine and events business at some of the top restaurants and shops in Boston, she was encouraged by her mother to start her own business. She had gotten burnt out from the demands of the restaurant business, but decided to open a wine shop.

She had graduated from Northeastern, but did not take any business classes. Like many students going to school in Boston many stick around. She had moved to Lynn for a number of reasons, one of which was purely economics. Lynn has a great deal to offer including it’s proximity to Boston, beaches, public transportation, and lower rents.

When she decided to open up a Wine Shop the city of Lynn was in the genesis of re-developing it’s entire city. The city had put together a number of Economic Development incentives to attract more people to live there as well as start or grow their business. Sarah described Lynn as “It’s a gem. There is nothing around here. There’s stuff on the North Shore of Salem and going further north and then Boston. But it’s like you have the perfect hub, particularly right downtown, that you can cater to.”

To get started, Sarah worked with many of the community resources that were available. The Greater Lynn Economic Development Corporation was excited about her idea, but she was told she needed to get more down on paper. She was able to finally get a core plan in place and researched the demographics and location. She ended up talking to Jim Amato, who was the lawyer for the city of Lynn. His advice was to petition the city for a “vulnerable petition” where you basically petition the town that you’re providing something the town needs. The core of the message was having a “community driven store” that is needed downtown. She went on to tell the city, city council, mayor, governor, the House, and Senate. The entire process took over 20 months.

Along the way, she got to know her senator, Brendan Creighton, who was extremely helpful. In addition, she had the pleasure of getting to know the staff at City Hall. It was quite the journey to finally open the doors of Lucille Wine Shop & Tasting Room. There were some setbacks including opening up six weeks before the pandemic. So much of what she was doing had nothing to do with wine, but trying to run a business.

It could not have come at a better time when she was introduced to Robin Samora, who is one of the qualified experts to work with the Massacusetts Express Grant Program. Her expertise is in the Marketing and Public Relations area. Robin explained to Sarah how the Express Grant Program worked. The core idea of the marketing component of the Express Program, was to work one-on-one with each business to create a strategic marketing plan that is customized to the particular needs of a business. Sarah said, “It actually taught me the elements that I did not know or even have the time to research.” The marketing plan that was put together was a little overwhelming, but through the support and guidance of Robin Samora, she was able to break it down into manageable components, and train me how to grow my business.

Sarah described Robin as… “very professional, very well versed in her field, and gave me individual attention”. She felt Robin took the extra time to really learn her product. Without hesitation, Sarah would definitely recommend the Express Grant Program and the services of Robin Samora. She found Robin to be smart and thoughtful. Because of the support she received, she has been able to navigate these challenging times.

Plain and simple, Sarah says… “The Express Grant Program is the best secret in town!”