Plan will boost small business jobs in Boston

Posted on March 10, 2016

A new citywide plan will help small business jobs in Boston.

Boston’s first small business plan is a roadmap that will guide the city’s approach to supporting small businesses as they start and grow in Boston.

The plan reflects the Walsh Administration’s commitment to understanding the needs of Boston’s small business community and streamlining small business services.

The creation of the plan is the result of a year-long effort, co-led by the City’s Department of Neighborhood Development and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

The development of the plan was aided by the Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Council, which was comprised of 34 small business community members representing diverse sectors including industrial, women and minority owned businesses, and startups.

One of the critical outputs of the plan is the “State of Small Business in Boston,” a database detailing the full universe of small businesses, business assistance organizations, and capital providers in Boston.  The State of Small Business in Boston found that:

• There are 40,000 small businesses in the City of Boston.
• Annually, these businesses generate $15 billion in revenue, and create 170,000 jobs.
• Minority-owned businesses comprise 32 percent of the city’s businesses, generating $2.7 billion in revenues, and employing more than 32,000 people.
• 85 percent of Boston’s small businesses are considered to be micro-businesses, employing fewer than 10 employees and generating less than $500,000 in revenue.
• 44 percent of Boston’s employees in private, for profit businesses work in small businesses.
• 37 percent of the revenues generated by the city’s private, non-profit businesses come from small businesses.

“As I’ve grown my cleaning companies from two to more than 40 employees, the City of Boston has been a key supporter,” said Victoria Amador, owner of Tremendous Maid and Boston’s Best Commercial Cleaning, and a member of the Small Business Plan Advisory Council. “I’ve built my businesses on excellent customer service, by paying close attention to the needs of my employees, and growing through new contracting opportunities with institutions in the city. I am pleased to see that the City is increasing its commitment to customer service and to helping business owners like me grow their businesses.”

“The City of Boston has been a tremendous partner in helping my wife Rokeya and me start and grow our restaurants in Savin Hill, Roslindale Village and, most recently, in Dudley Square,” said Solmon Chowdhury, Small Business Plan Advisory Council member and co-owner of Shanti Taste of India and Dudley Cafe. “After investing so much as small business owners in Boston, we’re thrilled to see the City of Boston investing so much in small businesses with the launch of the Small Business Plan.”