Business
Study: Bradenton among best cities to start a small business
Debating whether to start a small business in Bradenton? If so, this might convince you to take the risk and go all in on the new venture.
A WalletHub study released this week ranks Bradenton No. 114 out of 1,261 small cities around the country for starting a business.
“This is an exciting accolade to achieve. I’m not surprised that our local business environment and business cost ratings helped to place Bradenton in the top 10 percent of best small cities in which to start a business,” said Jacki Dezelski, the interim president of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.
“Florida is growing. The great quality of life and economic opportunities of the Bradenton area support an environment well-suited for business growth.”
Sarasota, meanwhile, came in at No. 391, while North Port was at 613.
The personal finance website compared the nearly 1,300 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on three key factors – business environment, access to resources and business costs. Those factors were then evaluated using 16 metrics such as affordability of office space, length of work week and financing accessibility.
Bradenton, which had a population of 54,437 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, ranked 204th in business costs, 240th in business environment and 707th in access to resources.
Sarasota, which had a 2016 population of 55,118, was 186th in access to resources, 346th in business costs and 990th in business environment.
“A city with a smaller population can offer a greater chance of success, depending on an entrepreneur’s type of business and personal preferences,” said Richie Bernardo, a senior writer at WalletHub and the author of the study.
Of the more than 1,200 cities compared for the rankings, 79 were in Florida, including seven others from the Tampa Bay area.
Pinellas County landed four small cities on the list – Largo (No. 142), Pinellas Park (198), Dunedin (240) and Palm Harbor (516). Hillsborough County had three earn spots in the rankings – Riverview (No. 58), Plant City (173) and Valrico (309).
The top 10 were Holland, Mich.; Carbondale, Ill.; Springville, Utah; East Chicago, Ind.; Jefferson City, Mo.; Wilson, N.C.; Enid, Okla.; Rio Rancho, N.M.; Clearfield, Utah; and Cheyenne, Wyo.
At No. 22, Deerfield Beach was the highest-ranked small city in Florida.
Mike Garbett: 941-745-7011; @MGarbett52
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