business

Not all entrepreneurs want to grow and scale their businesses — some, like Natasha Williams, founder and CEO of Natasha’s Organic Homemade Body Butter, keep them intentionally small.

Looking at the more than 8 million active job postings on ZipRecruiter each month, these are the jobs, cities, skills and trends that made 2018 such a fantastic year to be a job seeker.

In 2018, minority-owned businesses across Boston saw significant growth, expansion and development. In addition, several entrepreneurs of color launched new ventures this past year, adding hope of increasing local economic empowerment that could help curb residential and small business displacement.

Sometimes even the highest expectations are exceeded. The job market did just that in October, adding 250,000 jobs and showing 3.1 percent year-over-year wage growth, which is the most wages have increased since the recession.

Mayor Martin Walsh’s Office of Workforce Development gave $14 million in funding for job training and career development to local organizations, according to the 2018 fiscal report released by the mayor’s office last week.

A Boston-based startup company is cutting down on food waste produced by the local food industry while providing affordable meals to consumers and increasing revenue for restaurants.

The Boston Ujima Project last week announced the launch of the nation’s first democratic investment fund. Through the Ujima Fund, community residents and other investors will create a pool of funds to be allocated by local stakeholders in ways that benefit Boston neighborhoods and businesses.

Ever since he was in high school, Javy Caraballo wanted to open his own fitness gym. Once he discovered the challenging dynamics and community-driven aspects of CrossFit as an adult, he knew he had found his niche.

Although recent statistics have shown that the U.S. freelancer workforce is growing, living costs in metropolitan areas continue to serve as a barrier to using freelancing as a sustainable source of income, especially in Boston.

Chai was an essential part of Vishal Thapar’s and Rushil Desai’s upbringing; Thapar started making chai as a young 10-year-old boy in India and Desai cannot recall a family breakfast without chai also being served at the table. The two entrepreneurs were disillusioned at the lack of authentic chai readily available in the U.S. and formed Boston Chai Party, LLC in 2015 to fill this gap in the market.

Just before Thanksgiving, local baker Teresa Maynard, founder of Sweet Teez Bakery, breathes a sigh of relief as she recalls the past four weeks spent fulfilling a major wholesale order for Whole Foods.

Clara Angelina Diaz is a life coach, author, and speaker who helps clients become laser-focused on their professional and personal goals to gain more purpose and power in their lives, and infuses the process with compassion, support and spiritual insight.