Running a small business in the gilded city of San Francisco is a drag, or so says contractor-for-hire site Thumbtack, which just released a study asserting that because of roadblocks like "regulations," San Francisco gets a "F" grade when it comes to "small business friendliness."
Thumbtack, which is headquartered in San Francisco (coincidence?), finds that "approximately 27% more locals called licensing rules 'unfriendly' than 'friendly.' In other U.S. cities, licensing was 60% more likely to been seen as 'friendly' than 'unfriendly.' "
Got that? But wait, there's more: According to the survey, "Locals gave the city a D+ on health and safety rules."
The Business Times picked up the report, and noted that only two cities — Oxnard and Syracuse — came in below SF. "This rating makes sense," Gwyneth Borden, the executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, told the Times. "All the mandates, all the permits, they are well-intentioned but the question is, should it be the onus [sic] to figure out how to comply with them?"
Now, having myself spent countless hours mired in Brazil-like nonsense at City Hall, frustration with city bureaucracy is understandable. But is it really that much worse right here at home than in other places? And do we really want to live in a place that ranks the "most friendly" to business when health and safety regulations are considered "unfriendly"?
And just what city, exactly, is the most friendly to business? According to Thumbtack, that would be San Antonio.
Related: Business Licenses For Some SF Uber And Lyft Drivers Cost Hundreds More Than Expected