America's favorite businesses

The Robot Garage opened its doors in 2011, offering kids who love Legos and robotics a place to come together, to learn and to get creative.

"Lego has a huge following," said co-founder Jonathan Jacobs. "We went to schools and saw groups of kids really interested in robotics. This is a place where kids and grownups can come together and invent."

Best business advice: "Be prepared for the workload. I thought I'd be building robots all day, but I do that the least," he said. "I spend a lot of my day running the business, handling payroll and other matters."

Biggest challenge: "Marketing and getting the word out," said Jacobs.

What he plans to do with the grant money: Jacobs plans to revamp the business website, open a second location and "set up a mobile unit to do more outreach in the community."