YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Missouri ranked worse than the majority of its neighboring states on professional referral company Thumbtack’s 2017 survey on small-business friendliness.
The Show-Me State scored a B- on the survey. Only Missouri’s neighboring state of Illinois scored worse on the survey, with an F. Arkansas and Iowa led with A ranks among the neighboring states.
Thumbtack surveyed more than 13,000 small-business owners across the country, asking them to rank states based on employment, labor and hiring regulations; licensing regulations; tax regulations; training and networking programs; and government websites, among other metrics.
Missouri ranked 32nd in small-business friendliness among the 50 states. Its evaluations were 4 percent better than last year’s survey.
The state scored highest — a grade of B — in employment, labor and hiring regulations and health and safety. It ranked the lowest in ease of hiring, with a D+.
"The small-business owners we heard from in Missouri were 1 percent less positive about their state’s support for small businesses than the national average, leading to their B- grade overall," Thumbtack economist Lucas Puente said in a news release.
Missouri also scored:
• B- in ease of starting a business;
• B- in government websites;
• B- in licensing;
• B- in training and networking programs;
• B- in zoning;
• C+ in environmental;
• C+ in regulations; and
• C+ in tax code.
Thumbtack also published anonymous comments from survey respondents. One came from Springfield and another was from Bolivar. Springfield was not among 80 cities given a rank on the Thumbtack survey.
“There is a lot of competition for music students and it’s difficult to become known,” a Springfield voice coach said.
A Bolivar cleaner said, “I have joined a networking community and it makes finding new people to work with easy.”
On the overall survey, Wyoming ranked No. 1, followed by Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana and Maine, according to Thumbtack.
Utah-based gourmet cookie chain Crumbl Cookies opened its first Springfield shop; interior design business Branson Upstaging LLC relocated; and Lauren Ashley Dance Center LLC added a second location.
