Minnesota small business owners reported a positive climate for starting a microenterprise, with good local training opportunities, but rated local regulations poorly, according to Thumbtack’s annual Small Business Friendliness Survey. Complete results for Minnesota will be published at www.thumbtack.com/mn/
Nearly 18,000 U.S. small business owners responded to the survey, including 271 in Minnesota.
The study asked respondents to rate their state and city governments across a broad range of policy factors. Thumbtack then evaluated states and cities against one another along more than a dozen metrics.
“Small business owners on Thumbtack have consistently told us that they welcome support from their governments but are frequently frustrated by unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles,” said Jon Lieber, chief economist of Thumbtack. “In Minnesota, Thumbtack professionals tell us there is great support for them as they grow, but the regulatory environment could be improved by rationalizing some of the existing burdens.”
“Minnesota makes small business entry fairly simple,” commented a personal trainer in Minneapolis. “There are no annual filing fees and simple online renewal help is available.”
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Key Findings for Minnesota:
Minnesota performed worse in 2015 than it did in 2014, when it ranked #17 and earned a B overall.
Minnesota’s highest scores were A- grades for both training and networking programs and ease of starting a business.Minneapolis earned a B- grade for overall business friendliness.
Minnesota received low marks across the board for its regulations, with an F for tax regulations, a D for licensing regulations, and D+ grades for both labor and health regulations.
