Source

This article talks about the best cities for small business in the US. Find out if your city is one of the best. 

If you own a small business, you already know how much the surrounding economic conditions can dramatically affect your sales. In the news we hear about cities all over the country filing for bankruptcy, one after another. Unfortunately nowadays, the news rarely delivers an optimistic story to us viewers. So for once, it's time to hear the good side of things. Let's take a look on the bright side! Where exactly are the best cities for small businesses to operate in? But wait, determining the best cities for small businesses is rather tricky. Luckily, the folks at Thumbtack.com put together a study in order to answer this burning question.

How did they figure out what the Best Cities Are? 

In early January of this year, Thumbtack.com distributed a survey to 7,766 small buisinesses. Note: Surveys are generally better than polls when gathering information about small businesses. In every state and in several cities within each state, Small Business owners were given a survey to complete. The survey asked questions regarding the difficulty of doing business in that state, restrictions, ease of operating, economic conditions, level of local support, and information about taxes as well. They requested demographic information such as race, gender, and age. Their sample was very diverse.

So, What do Small Business Owners Think? 

Turns out, according to the study, Small Business Owners in Utah felt that the state fostered a culture of entrepreneurship, of striking out on your own. Interesting right?

The friendly southern state of Alabama was perceived overall as a small business-friendly state say respondents. And in New England, according to one survey participant, "New Hampshire has fewer regulations than Massachusetts and that makes a big difference for us," a builder based out of Exeter, New Hampshire noted. In the great state of Texas, Austin and Houston received great praise among their citizens. These people claimed, "There are many free training programs available that support small businesses owners." Also from the survey, it has been noted that communities in Texas have a constant effort to try to purchase from the local small businesses. Among the lowest ranking states were states such as Hawaii, Maine, and Rhode Island. Small Business Owners in these states say, "Many of the regulations were confusing, and businesses dealt with overlapping agencies. People are attuned to that here." According to writer Jana Kasperkevic of Inc.com, "Small business owners felt that the low ranking states were more interested in making them jump through many hoops with a variety of forms than in helping them start and grow their business and that regulations "felt almost like a penalty." However, for most, owning a business isn't a job, it what they've always wanted to do.

Author Bio
Lauren Rockwell, Marketing Staff at Liberty Capital Group.

You can also download a free pdf version of this article.