Every business starts with an idea - an idea for a good or service that's new or an idea for improving something already on the market.
Bath Iron Works, for instance, started as an iron foundry on the banks of the Kennebec River and eventually diversified into shipbuilding.
The Hannaford Supermarket chain traces its roots back to 1883, when Arther Hannaford sold fruits and vegetables out of a horse-drawn cart on the Portland waterfront.
And Zootility started when Nate Barr locked himself out of his apartment.
All he had was his wallet, and he thought to himself that it'd be really handy if he had some tool stowed away in it.
The first thing Barr designed, PocketMonkey, has a host of tools squeezed into a small silhouette. But now Zootility has diversified, boasting combs, knives and bottle openers shaped like every state in the union.