The beginning of a new year is a natural time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. This year, my thoughts are on 2014 and beyond as I observe the emergence of a new generation of business and thought leaders.

Small businesses that bloom usually succeed by filling a niche that no one else can, offering unique skills, personal service or a killer product. But they also often depend on the know-how of one or a few irreplaceable people. If tragedy strikes them, it can take down the whole firm.

Daniel Keen, 54, was named city manager of Vallejo in March 2012. He has worked for seven California cities over a span of 30 years and has held city manager positions for 18 years.

New Year’s is the quintessential time for small businesses to make (and keep) resolutions for growth. But achieving your company’s 2014 goals hinges on knowing some important numbers, and many businesses never go beyond their income to identify and track essential metrics. Here are the 14 most important performance measures to track this year.

Mikhail Chernyavsky, host of the video series “Emerge” for Comstock’s magazine, sits down with the owner of Capital Ink Tattoo, Irish Cash, to learn about what it takes to start a business as a young entrepreneur.

Mikhail Chernyavsky, host of Comstock’s Emerge video series, takes a behind the scenes look into Insight Coffee Roasters, where owner Lucky Rodrigues shared his vision for midtown’s newest coffee shop, his goal to develop sustainable relationships with producers and his take on launching a business in Sacramento.

Pilot and Arba see those offices and the traditional 8-hour workday as inefficient and outdated relics of the industrial age, when a set shift and common location were vital for communicating and performing work.

For business owner Ginger Hahn, her eponymous Sacramento chocolate shop is about more than sweets. It’s about freedom.