Your business may be well established where it is, but just maybe you're thinking of starting something new. Or maybe you're thinking of expanding your successful enterprise into some new locations. So where will you build your next business? If you believe a recent Thumbtack survey of more than 6,000 small businesses, you'll consider doing business in one of the following seven most business-friendly cities:
1. Oklahoma City, OK gets bonus points for a low cost of living combined with the ease of starting a company, hiring, licensing, and regulations. A nonprofit organization, i2E, helps find entrepreneurs funding, while CareerTech provides free education for employees.
2. Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX benefits from low taxes and the state's tort reform law that shields companies from lawsuits. In addition, Dallas-Ft. Worth has become a bit of a haven for older entrepreneurs who first work corporate jobs then begin their entrepreneurial journeys in middle age.
3. San Antonio, TX enjoys the same low taxes and tort reform law as does Dallas-Ft. Worth while also benefiting from an active Small Business Development Center and active local college scene.
4. Austin, TX is yet another big Texas city that benefits from low taxes and tort reform (do you sense a trend here?). The University of Texas's McCombs Entrepreneur Society and the micro-enterprise development organization BiGAUSTIN both provide added support and expertise for local businesses.
5. Atlanta, GA has a large number of Fortune 500 companies, and these companies take on a supportive role for smaller businesses in the area.
6. Colorado Springs, CO is very supportive of entrepreneurs and it has a highly educated workforce, with more than one-third having advanced degrees.
7. Omaha, NE -- one-quarter of this city's workers consider themselves underemployed, which means that businesses have a plentiful pool of talented people from which to draw. In addition, Omaha draws job seekers from throughout the Midwest, bringing with them their skills and desire to work hard.
