Here's How Boston's Mayor Wants to Boost Small Business

Boston, MA - It's hard work to be a small business owner, and often harder still in a city where rents run high and you're competing shoulder-to-shoulder for customers.

The City of Boston identified some of the biggest challenges to small businesses and announced steps toward addressing them in a report released by the mayor's office Wednesday.

Per a press release, the new plan is the result of a year-long effort, co-led by the City's Department of Neighborhood Development, the city's Office of Economic Development and the mayor's 34-member Small Business Advisory Council.

Input from those sources in addition to community surveys and focus groups found the needs of small businesses range from accessing capital to affordable real estate.

A key part of the Walsh administration's plan is to ensure resources already available are easy to find and access for small business owners. The city is consolidating its business outreach operations and creating a new Office of Small Business as a first step.

Another key component is what the mayor's office calls the "State of Small Business in Boston," a database that tracks the small businesses in the city and resources available to them. The city will also establish a small business center, a hotline for owners to call and a web portal for better access to city support already offered.

New initiatives include launching to a "Boston-to-Boston" network to increase purchasing from and among local services and small businesses, a new mentorship network program and targeted, one-on-one coaching programs for certain small businesses.

You can read more about the city's plan here.