As Texas Sponsor A Highway® begins to take shape throughout the state of Texas, our sponsors and we must know a little about the business climate in each of our five markets. The U.S. economy grew 4% in the second quarter of 2014, and things are looking up for businesses nationwide.
In an article released in the Dallas Business Journal, Bakeries, beauticians, and boutique owners are among the small service marketplace Thumbtack has used to rank Dallas as the fourth best city in the country for starting a small business.
For the third year in a row, Thumbtack.com has partnered with the Kauffman Foundation to survey small businesses nationwide. With this particular survey, the goal is to learn what small businesses believe is a healthy political a regulatory climate by having them rate how it is to do business where they live. The survey aims to learn what creates a healthy, vibrant local business environment by asking owners & operators about these issues in the cities where they live.
Ranked among other country areas like Colorado Springs, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; Austin, Texas; and Louisville, Kentucky; Dallas took top marks in all but two categories. Evaluation criteria are based on several categories, such as ease of starting a business, ease of hiring, regulations, health and safety zone, tax code, licensing, environment, zoning, training, and networking programs.
In fact, FIVE Texas cities made Thumbtack’s Top 10 for overall business friendliness, with Houston coming in third, Austin in fourth, Dallas in sixth, Fort Worth in seventh, and San Antonio in eighth!
The nationwide Sponsor A Highway® program has businesses of all sizes sponsoring in its different states, from major corporations to smaller “mom and pops.” The program is affordable and suitable for all business types, from the smaller service industry to the constantly growing automotive industry.
According to Thumbtack, some of the key findings for Dallas include:
- Dallas was the fourth-best city in the country for starting a small business.
- Five Texas cities made the top ten for overall business friendliness – Houston (#3), Austin (#4), Dallas (#6), Fort Worth (#7), and San Antonio (#8).
- Dallas could improve its score on the visibility of its training and networking programs – even though small businesses have said these are important, Dallas earned a C grade for training and networking programs.
- Dallas earned an A+ for its health and safety, tax, and labor regulations.
- Small businesses say hiring is significantly easier in Dallas than in neighboring Fort Worth – Dallas earned a B+ for ease of hiring, while Fort Worth earned a D+.
- The top-rated cities were Colorado Springs, Boise, Houston, Austin, and Louisville. Sacramento, Providence, Buffalo, Bridgeport, and San Diego were the lowest rated.
For more information about the survey & to review its full methodology and analysis, follow the link below:
2014 Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey: Methodology & Analysis