Arizona, Phoenix graded a B- in small business friendliness

A recently released annual survey of Small Business Friendliness by Thumbtack reveals that the state of Arizona and Phoenix itself received a "B-minus" grade, ranking it in the top 50 percent of nationwide. 

The study drew upon data from nearly 18,000 small business owners nationwide, asking merchants to rate their city and state governments according to factors like ease of starting a business, ease of hiring, regulations, health and safety codes, zoning, and other factors relating to the everyday operations of owning and maintaining a small business. 476 business owners in Phoenix responded, with 597 responding in Arizona total.

"Small business owners on Thumbtack have consistently told us that they welcome support from their governments but are frequently frustrated by unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles," says Jon Lieber, Thumbtack's Chief Economist. "Small businesses in Phoenix gave the city solidly average grades across the board for its regulatory environment."

Ranking #42 out of 95 cities in 2015, Phoenix's scores have been on an nearly uninterrupted rise: in 2012 it was rated a "C," and 2013 a "C-plus". Still, 2015's grade is a slip from 2014 when it was awarded a B score. For contrast, small business owners gave Massachusetts, Maryland, and New York a "D" grade and California, Connecticut, Illinois and Rhode Island an "F." Thumbtack reports Providence, New Haven, Buffalo, Albuquerque and Hartford were the worst­-performing cities.

The areas of improvement for the city appear to be its employment and labor regulations as well as the lack of training programs available to small business owners. These two metrics were earned a C+ and C-, respectively.

"Given that there is a crisis of entrepreneurship in the United States, seen in the broad collapse of self-employment across industries and states," continues Leiber, "creating the right environment for business start-ups is more important than ever."

If you are considering opening your own business, Arizona LLC, or are in need of legal council, contact The Law Offices of Donald W. Hudspeth, P.C. Our Arizona business attorneys will review your case and give you the advice you need. 

Categorised in: Arizona LLCs, Business Law

This post was written by multi_admin