Miami’s an A+ entrepreneurial capital

In business, opportunity is always knocking, and in Miami this certainly rings true.

The Aug. 28 story Is the Miami area business-friendly? Survey says C+, on the results from Thumbtack’s annual survey of small business owners, painted our region as average. We beg to differ. The evidence about Miami’s entrepreneurial activity suggests otherwise.

For instance, in June the Kauffman Foundation’s Annual Index ranked Miami as the No. 2 city nationally for start-up activity, beating perennial favorites Silicon Valley and Boston.

As in any major metropolitan area, Miami entrepreneurs can meet challenges when starting a business. It is the nature of the beast. But just as the Thumbtack survey spoke to potential obstacles, it also spoke to favorable factors. Environmental, tax and zoning regulations all received high grades, and when diving deeper into the sentiment of those polled, Miami stood out. Miami small business owners were ranked the sixth most positive nationally.

Different surveys always will return different results. But no matter what the feedback, it is our responsibility to constantly monitor and address any obstacles head on. The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the voice of South Florida business, and The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade’s official economic-development partnership, are relentless in their efforts to grow and enhance the business climate, and we are seeing results.

We hear great things from local business people and future corporate residents. Our favorable business climate is a key factor in why venture-capital groups and organizations such as Launch Code, Endeavor Miami, Refresh Miami and eMerge are investing in the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Miami’s global appeal puts us in an elite league of growing world-class business destinations such as Shanghai, Dubai and Singapore. Comparisons to domestic locations do not tell the story of Miami’s diverse, multilingual workforce, low cost of doing business, exploding arts and cultural scenes and general livability.

Miami is more attractive than ever for entrepreneurs. Combined with a strong banking and investment community and location as an international hub, our “Magic City” truly is the entrepreneurial capital of the world.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Miami’s an A+ entrepreneurial capital."