What’s one policy change that would immediately improve small business conditions in your city?

When we launched Japantastic, we got buried in local permit paperwork. The process was so confusing it held up our inventory and frustrated our suppliers. I've seen friends hit the same wall, and now I tell everyone to start that stuff months ahead of time. If the system were simpler, new businesses could actually open their doors and start making money faster. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

In Scottsdale, we spend way too much time on local taxes. At Brander Group, I have to pull my team off client work just to figure out these rules. Other tech companies I know run into the same problem. If the regulations were simpler, all of us could spend more time on what actually matters - building products. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

Here's what would actually help local businesses: simplify the permit process. At my company, Hyperion Tiles, we got stuck in paperwork for months last year just trying to update our showroom. The whole thing was confusing and slow. If we could handle it all online, we'd have more time for customers and less time fighting with forms. It's a simple change that would make a real difference. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

Here's one change that would actually help: simplify the permit process for small businesses. Getting our payment system approved took way too long, and those delays killed our launch dates. If permits were easier to get, founders could spend more time growing their business and less time buried in paperwork. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

Here's what would make a difference fast: expand grants and tax breaks for early-stage tech companies, especially in health. When we started Superpower, even a small grant let us buy better data tools and train our team. Without that money, we couldn't have competed with bigger players. Making these resources easier to get early on gives startups like ours a real shot. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

If I could change one policy overnight, I'd fix the permit process for local software companies. When we got our business licenses fast-tracked in another region, it saved us months of waiting for legal approval on our integrations. Predictable permit timelines would save founders huge amounts of money and stress. The city should just put all this stuff online and make it simple for tech businesses to get started. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

One thing that would help small clinics here immediately is faster credentialing for therapists. I've seen new counselors wait for months, unable to see kids who need them. If the state or city could cut through that paperwork, our teams could help so many more families, and much sooner. It's a straightforward change that actually works. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

I've seen the rate hikes in the Jewellery Quarter hurt local shops firsthand. Last year, two people I know almost closed their doors, even though customers were still coming in. If rates were tied to what businesses actually make, they could hire another person or stock new products instead of just paying the tax bill. It's not a fix for everything, but it would keep more shops open. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

City should make small business grants less of a headache. When I launched my polar cruise business, we got stuck in confusing eligibility checks that stalled us for months. If the city made funding easier to get, more local travel companies could try new things and create better trips for visitors. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

I'll tell you what would help immediately. Offer tax breaks or wage subsidies for businesses hiring entry-level or seasonal workers. At my company, Jacksonville Maids, bringing on Gen Z staff is tough because of the initial costs. If the city helped with that, we could expand our team faster and create more jobs for people right here in Jacksonville. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

My creative studio would breathe easier if Vancouver had more affordable workspaces. The rent keeps climbing and zoning rules push us out of good neighborhoods, which is brutal for new teams. Honestly, if city leaders just sat down with local business owners, they'd get it. They'd see exactly what kind of support would actually make a difference on the ground. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

If we're going to change one thing, it should be making the small business permitting process less of a headache. Our past attempts didn't do much, but that new single online platform actually worked, cutting approval times by weeks for my clients. You make it easier to start something, and more people will invest. That's how you get things moving around here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

The city's approval process is killing small business deals in the Bay Area. I'm in real estate and I've seen solid deals fall apart, sitting idle for weeks waiting on permits. It puts everyone in a tough spot and often forces people to walk away. The city should create a single contact person or a fast-track lane for small community projects. It would let homeowners and investors actually get things done and improve our neighborhoods. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

Here's something that would help small businesses right now: fix the grant application process. I run a SaaS company, and we've wasted weeks waiting for simple government approvals. That's time we could have spent building our product. A straightforward online system would make a huge difference. It works for us and other companies in Singapore. This would let ventures like CLDY grow faster and actually innovate instead of getting stuck in paperwork. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

If I could change one thing, it would be making permits easier for small businesses. I've watched clients wait months just to get basic approvals while their rent keeps piling up. The paperwork is ridiculous and nobody knows what's happening with their applications. The city should put everything online in one place so a coffee shop or bakery could actually open in weeks instead of months. Let people run their businesses instead of fighting with forms all day. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

I run a marketplace connecting startups with buyers, and I've seen deals fall apart because a company spent months just trying to get a basic business license. If the city made the paperwork less painful, those deals would go through. More people would start businesses here, and our local economy would get a real boost. It's that simple. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

I'm based in the San Diego area, and if I could push one policy change that would move the needle fast for small businesses here, it would be streamlining the permitting and licensing process at the city level. Right now, getting through the bureaucratic maze to open or expand a business can take months. That kills momentum and burns cash before you even serve your first customer. At ecoATM B2B, we work with businesses focused on device trade-in and recycling, sitting at the intersection of sustainability and tech. When local operators want to add recycling capabilities or set up a device collection point, they're often buried in red tape that has nothing to do with actual environmental or safety standards. That delay slows down the adoption of responsible recycling practices and hurts small operators who can't afford to wait. A faster, digitized permitting system would benefit every sector, especially businesses trying to bring sustainable tech solutions to market. San Diego has the talent and the ambition to be a leader in the circular economy, but policy infrastructure needs to match that energy. Cut the friction, and you'll see small businesses move faster, hire sooner, and scale smarter. That's good for the economy and the environment.

Running a small property business like NOLA Buys Houses in New Orleans is tough because the tax rules are a mess. They're inconsistent, making any long-term project planning a gamble. A simple guide or a hotline would be a game-changer. We could put the saved money and time directly into fixing up houses and bettering neighborhoods instead. It's not complicated. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

When we launched Tutorbase, the paperwork and tax reporting ate up hours we should have spent on product development. From my experience running SaaS companies, simplifying things like VAT or cross-border regulations lets founders focus on growth instead of government forms. If we make these rules easier for startups, local founders can build even better tools for our schools. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email

Turnaround reform would allow reform of small businesses in our city overnight. Four to eight weeks of delays on relatively simple interior remodelling commit working capital, recruit stalls and post push opening dates outside key time periods in terms of revenue generation. In a restaurant build out or a minor retail overhaul, each additional month may cost up to 15,000 to 40,000 of rent and carrying costs with no income. Such a lag strangles the business people before they can even have the chance to serve the first customer. Having completed projects at Accurate Homes and Commercial Services, we have observed the nature of uncertainities that are caused by inconsistency in review timelines and which are more difficult to manage than the cost itself. An immediate transformation in policy of having guaranteed review windows like ten-business-day target of minor commercial remodels with a transparent digital tracking dashboard would enhance planning and cash flow immediately. Repeat submissions would also be minimized by the use of clear checklists with standardized error remarks. The small businesses require predictability. Once owners can rely on the schedule they can bargain leases, make plans with contractors and commence marketing as they can be sure of when the schedule will be approved and not waiting by the edge of their seat.