Direct selling in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, 756,096 small businesses employ 1.5 million people. The state had 7,154,084 residents in the Census Vintage 2025 estimates. This page covers small business counts, recent labor figures, two UMass campuses and the state's consumer protection law. It also covers Princess House, the Taunton company in Plondo's directory.
756,096 small firms, 44.7 percent of workers
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 756,096 small businesses in Massachusetts. They make up 99.5 percent of all businesses in the state. Together they employ 1.5 million people.
Those 1.5 million workers are 44.7 percent of Massachusetts employees. By count, small firms are nearly every business in the state. By headcount, they employ less than half the workforce. The rest of the state's employees work for larger employers.
This is the business base a direct selling company recruits from in Massachusetts. A new rep who signs up here joins a state where almost every business is already a small one.
28,099 closings against 22,386 openings
From March 2023 to March 2024, 22,386 Massachusetts establishments opened. In the same period, 28,099 closed. The SBA Office of Advocacy reports the result as a net decrease in establishments.
The count of businesses in the state shrank over that year. Any company that asks Massachusetts residents to start a home business is asking them to do it in that setting. The openings and closings figures come from the same 2025 SBA profile as the small business counts above.
Small exporters: 8,265 of 9,487
The SBA profile identified 9,487 Massachusetts firms that exported goods in 2023. Of those exporters, 8,265 were small.
Small firms in this state already sell to customers far from home. The export count measures goods shipped abroad, not person to person sales. Still, it shows that small Massachusetts businesses commonly reach buyers outside their own towns.
Fewer jobs and a smaller labor force in May 2026
The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported that Massachusetts payroll jobs decreased by 2,900 in May 2026. The state labor force decreased by 9,000 in the same month.
The same release said Massachusetts had added more than 17,600 payroll jobs since September. Over the longer stretch, the state gained jobs. In May, it lost both jobs and workers.
The newest figure on this page comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It puts the Massachusetts unemployment rate at 4.3 percent for August 2026. That rate is seasonally adjusted and preliminary.
Amherst, a town campus, and Boston, a city campus
U.S. News reports total undergraduate enrollment for fall 2025 of 24,019 at UMass Amherst. It reports 12,178 at UMass Boston.
U.S. News lists the Amherst campus setting as a town and the Boston campus setting as a city. The larger undergraduate body is in the town. A company with reps near either campus is working in two very different places, even though both are part of the same university system.
Census, SBA, BLS, state labor office and U.S. News counts
- State population, Census Vintage 2025
- 7,154,084[1]
- Small businesses in Massachusetts
- 756,096[2]
- Small business employees in Massachusetts
- 1.5 million[2]
- Small businesses as a share of Massachusetts businesses
- 99.5 percent[2]
- Share of Massachusetts employees working at small businesses
- 44.7 percent[2]
- Establishments opened, March 2023 to March 2024
- 22,386[2]
- Identified Massachusetts exporting firms in 2023 that were small
- 8,265 of 9,487[2]
- Massachusetts seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, August 2026 (preliminary)
- 4.3 percent[3]
- Change in Massachusetts payroll jobs, May 2026 (preliminary)
- decreased by 2,900[4]
- Change in Massachusetts labor force, May 2026
- decreased by 9,000[4]
- Payroll jobs added in Massachusetts since September (as of May 2026 release)
- more than 17,600[4]
- UMass Amherst total undergraduate enrollment, fall 2025
- 24,019[5]
- UMass Boston total undergraduate enrollment, fall 2025
- 12,178[6]
Chapter 93A, enforced by the Attorney General
Massachusetts Consumer Protection Law (Regulation of business practices for consumers' protection)[7]
Chapter 93A makes unfair or deceptive acts or practices in business illegal. It lets the Attorney General and consumers take legal action over such conduct. It does not list specific prohibited business actions. This is general information, not legal advice.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Princess House and its Taunton head office
Plondo's directory lists one direct selling company with a Massachusetts head office. It is Princess House, based in Taunton. Its category is home goods, kitchenware, cookware, crystal and tableware. The list below updates as companies are added.
Boston, Amherst, Taunton and beyond
City pages narrow this state picture to one place. Pick a Massachusetts city below to see its own figures and any directory companies based there.
For leaders with teams from Taunton to Amherst
If you lead a team in Massachusetts and wonder whether another company would serve it better, Plondo can help you look. The placement service is free and confidential, and it charges no placement fee. Conversations stay private. A leader with reps around Taunton, Boston or Amherst can compare options before the team or the current company hears about it.
Apply confidentiallySystems a Massachusetts head office needs
A company based in Massachusetts answers to Chapter 93A. Its replicated sites and AI employees should describe products and pay plans in plain, accurate terms. Its commission engine has to pay correctly across a field of small sellers. Its back office should keep clear records for each rep. Plondo builds all four for direct selling companies, including home goods sellers.
See Plondo direct selling softwareFrequently asked questions
Which direct selling companies are based in Massachusetts?
Plondo's directory lists one, Princess House, with its head office in Taunton. It sells home goods, kitchenware, cookware, crystal and tableware.
Does Massachusetts have a law written just for direct selling?
The sources reviewed for this page show no Massachusetts pyramid or business opportunity statute. Direct sellers fall under Chapter 93A, the general law against unfair or deceptive business practices. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who enforces consumer protection rules in Massachusetts?
The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office enforces them through its Consumer Advocacy & Response Division. Chapter 93A also lets consumers take their own legal action.
What was the most recent Massachusetts unemployment rate?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a preliminary, seasonally adjusted rate of 4.3 percent for August 2026. In May 2026, the state reported that payroll jobs decreased by 2,900.
How many small businesses are in Massachusetts?
The SBA Office of Advocacy counts 756,096. They are 99.5 percent of businesses in the state. They employ 1.5 million people, or 44.7 percent of employees.
Does Plondo charge Massachusetts team leaders for placement?
No. The placement service is free and confidential, and there is no placement fee.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates Open source
- SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profile: Massachusetts Open source
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rates for States Open source
- Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Massachusetts' Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.5% Open source
- usnews.com Open source
- U.S. News & World Report, University of Massachusetts--Boston profile Open source
- Mass.gov, The Massachusetts Consumer Protection Law Open source