About Pearl Partners Group, LLC

We help Maine small businesses and startups grow without losing what makes them work. Based in Southern Maine, Pearl Partners Group and its affiliate, smalldesign.studio, work with founders and small teams at pivotal moments: when a business has won new funding and needs a plan, wants to hire and build a team the right way, is ready to use AI tools practically and responsibly, or needs a strategy reset to stay competitive or making UX a strategic differentiator.

We specialize in short-term, high-impact projects — the kind MERC is designed to fund — that give your business a clear plan, better structure, and the right practices to move forward with confidence. We are practical, not theoretical. We show up, listen, and build something you can use now.

We are industry agnostic and have worked across most of MTI’s targeted sectors, including biotech, IT, environmental technology, precision manufacturing, fintech, and more — from early-stage Maine startups to companies navigating rapid scale.

Four areas, one team:

Strategy, Value Proposition & Brand
• Strategy resets and upgrades, so you are aligned with the market and your next funding stage
• Value proposition and messaging clarity — who you are, what you offer, and why it wins

Leadership Readiness & Team Development
• Build leadership capacity and hiring plans before growth exposes the gaps
• Align people, roles, values, and direction so your organization moves as one
• Coaching for founders and first-time managers stepping into bigger roles

Responsible AI Design & Adoption
• Practical AI readiness — what tools are right for your business, simply explained
• Human-Centric AI adoption roadmaps — governed, ethical, and built to last
• Workflow redesign so AI amplifies your team’s work without adding complexity
• Ideal follow-on support for businesses that have completed MERC’s AI training through Coursera

Operating Models, Systems & Execution
• Lean, scalable operating models built for where you’re going, not where you’ve been
• Clear processes so your team knows who does what and how decisions get made
• Communication and decision tools to keep teams in sync as you grow

• HR Policies
• Operations and Organizational Systems
• Organizational Structure
• Hiring Systems
• UI/UX Design
• Operational Processes
• Project Management Systems
• Software Development
• Other

More Information

• Reference 1
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• Reference 2
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