Here’s Why Pastures Look Greener for SW Florida Businesses


 

A surging economy and a favorable business climate in Florida serve as magnets for aspiring buyers of Bradenton-North Port-Sarasota homes for sale who likewise plan to set up a business enterprise in the region. One estimate put average economic growth in the Sunshine State at 3.1% from 2015 to 2018, an advance which could help push retail sales to grow at a 4.4% clip annually in the next four years.

For the Bradenton-North Port-Sarasota metropolitan statistical area (MSA), one contributory factor to overall economic strength is a hospitable tax structure that reins in business costs to low levels. It also enables entrepreneurs to maintain their margins and retain workers in challenging economic periods. This very same factor was specifically cited in the 2015 second quarter special presentation of the Area Development magazine which ranked the MSA among the leading 50 U.S. business locations for the year.

Labor-management harmony

Here’s Why Pastures Look Greener for SW Florida Businesses

The publication, besides noting that Florida companies operate at some of the lowest business costs in the nation, also gave credit to the relatively more harmonious labor-management relations in the Sunshine State, with its unionization rate for private-sector manufacturing ranked as the fourth lowest in the U.S. Area Development likewise saw as favorable for business Florida’s removal of the manufacturing and equipment sales tax, resulting in total annual savings of an estimated $141 million annually for the state’s manufacturing companies.

The pasture looks greener too for those enterprising individuals whose search for Bradenton-North Port-Sarasota homes for sale extend to possible startups in a small business. There are plenty of helpful community organizations in the MSA which encourage and assist entrepreneurs in the area.

This supportive environment, in addition to the relatively low cost of living in the locality, helped elevate the region in the top 50 list for small U.S. startups in 2015 as rated by WalletHub, a company compiling business, financial, and company data for consumers. Based on this rating, the area was second in terms of highest percentage of small businesses per 1,000 residents and third highest for net small business job growth.

All-encompassing business assistance

In Bradenton, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is one of the agencies which have accomplished much to help launch small businesses through grants and incentives. The DDA is likewise among the drumbeaters of local special events, such as the Bradenton Blues Festival and the Bradenton Area Riverwalk Regatta, contributing to vibrant business activity in this city.

Entrepreneurs with bright business ideas can likewise rely on Manasota SCORE, a nonprofit with funding coming from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Located in Fruitville Road, around which are several new residential developments and established bedroom communities, Manasota SCORE conducts business counseling and workshops for small businesses and startups in the region.

To accomplish its goals, this nonprofit has a partnership with the Manatee Community Federal Credit Union for Building Bridges for Entrepreneurs. Under this tie-up, counseling is extended to entrepreneurs or small startups on such matters as personal credit that is essentially the basis for seeking business loans from institutional lenders.

Through this program, aspiring small business owners can gain access to the Bodetree software of Building Bridges. This platform enables an accurate review of a user’s financial history and creates potential business scenarios to help entrepreneurs make intelligent decisions under various economic parameters.