When Alice Nichols presented a business plan for what would become a successful pet-accessory company to a consultant, she was shocked by the response. “This is good,” the consultant said. “Did your husband write it?” It was 1984 and much has changed, both for women in business and Nichols, pictured above with her new puppy, Minnie. Up Country, the startup she founded that year, now employs 30 in an East Providence studio. The firm started with six designs for dog leashes and collars and now has 120 for those and a host of other products sold worldwide. more

Started 35 years ago in a Warwick family basement and garage, William J. Riley Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc. has survived housing booms and busts by staying nimble as a family-owned business. Since the beginning of the Great Recession, staffing has stayed steady, at approximately 10 employees. And while new construction has been sparse in recent years, the company has grown its service business to compensate. Riley, the company president, is pictured above with his daughter, Operations Manager Elizabeth Muzzy. more

When Peter VanLancker, president of Hunt Yachts, joined the company two years after its inception, in 2000, he saw a solid business idea but a fledging execution for a boat-building business. more

The Garage is the new, flexible structure for business strategy-sharing, inspiration and anticipated collaboration created by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce to replace the orderly aisles of exhibitors that for two decades populated its erstwhile annual Business Expo. more

Customer referrals are one of the most powerful and lucrative ways of building business. While word-of-mouth gets you noticed, referrals are even better because the best ones bring purchase-ready customers or clients right to your doorstep (or website) complete with an existing customer’s endorsement. more

Amaral Custom Fabrications has worked on projects ranging from outdoor sculptures for internationally known artists to dozens of 6-foot-tall versions of Mr. Potato Head for Hasbro Inc. The latter were used in a tourism campaign to promote Rhode Island as a family-vacation destination. Last month, owner Paul Amaral, above at his Bristol shop, won a contract from the Lichtenstein Foundation for an outdoor sculpture that will allow him to add as many as 10 workers to his current staff of 14. more

William F. Hatfield is president of Bank of America in the Rhode Island market, a position that allows him to see the details of the state’s economy as well as to cast an eye toward the nation. As the bank emerges from the “hard work” of cleaning up after the nation’s financial meltdown, Hatfield sees “great opportunity” for his company and the region. more

Like their competitors in the recreational boating industry, C&C Fiberglass Components Inc. struggled through the recession. “In October 2008 my phones just stopped ringing,” owner Jose C. Daponte said. “We went from 38 employees to 12. For us it lasted almost a year.” But the Bristol company survived in better shape than most, with staffing now back up to 30. A 23-foot, in-shore racing sailboat built by C&C dubbed the J/70, won this year’s Sailing World magazine best-boat distinction. more

Ahh, the joys of self-employment – being your own boss, setting your own hours, doing what you like, and, oh yes, establishing a life-long bond with your accountant. Being self-employed also means being responsible for a wide range of critical tax-related duties. more

The vast majority of Rhode Island’s enterprises are small businesses, with fewer than 100 employees. It is no exaggeration to say that as they go, so goes Rhode Island. more