Small Business

Former State Treasurer Steven Grossman, now CEO for a Boston-based nonprofit organization that aims to revitalize urban economies through business and job development, is leading the charge for business training in Massachusetts' 26 Gateway Cities, which include Worcester, Fitchburg and Leominster.

The transition from military to civilian life is a notoriously tough one, but many veterans have a set of skills that's well suited to running a business. And there are a number of public- and private-sector resources devoted to helping ex-military people move into the business world.

There are a lot of exciting things about starting your own business, but the isolation many entrepreneurs feel when they start out can be debilitating, said Venkat Kolluri, the chief executive of Internet advertising firm Chitika in Westborough. He remembers working alone in his home back in 2003 when he was trying to get Chitika off the ground. After the first few days, he said he started talking to himself because there was no one else to kick around ideas with. “How well can you be motivated when you're alone?” Kolluri said.

Low-interest economic injury disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will be available to Massachusetts small businesses and nonprofit organizations affected by the record-breaking snowfall and extreme cold temperatures between Jan. 26 and Feb. 22.

Businesses in Fitchburg, Leominster and Groton recently received a total of $91,500 in small-business loans from the...

Corporate giants such as GE Healthcare Life Sciences and Boston Scientific have lifted Marlborough's profile as a prime destination for businesses by making the city their home in the last couple of years. But local economic development leaders don't want to leave the small players in the dust.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index dropped 1.1 points in April to 59.1. March's figure of 60.2 had been a post-recession high.

Optimism among small businesses in the United States is at an all-time high since the Great Recession, but most are finding it hard to grow, according to a survey by financial services firm Capital One.

A recent survey of 250 small-business owners around the state pointed to an overall optimistic outlook for 2015.

Worcester is the best city in New England to start a business, but not necessarily one of the best among the largest cities in the United States, according to a national survey released Monday.