Want to Open a Business in 2023? Consider These States
by David Klemt
If you’re considering opening a restaurant, bar, nightclub, eatertainment venue, or hotel in 2023, you should consider these states.
As it turns out, according to Forbes, one state is the home to a major KRG Hospitality market: Philadelphia.
Per Forbes Advisor, Pennsylvania is among the top five states for starting a new business next year. In fact, the Keystone State ranks number four.
To make their list, Forbes analyzed all 50 states through the lens of five categories:
- Business costs
- Business climate
- Economy
- Financial accessibility
- Workforce
Within those categories, Forbes examined 18 metrics. The result, as already stated, is that just three states rank ahead of Pennsylvania for this Forbes list.
Top 25 States to Start a Business in 2023
Below you’ll find how the top half of the list shakes out. Indiana, Colorado, and North Dakota claim the top positions. A low cost of living and “a business-friendly climate” put Indiana in the number-one spot.
One interesting reason that Pennsylvania ranks comes down to funding for entrepreneurs. Per Forbes, “total small business loan funding in Pennsylvania is double that of the national average.”
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Rhode Island
- Idaho
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- Hawaii
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Ohio
- Illinois
- Montana
- North Carolina
- South Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- North Dakota
- Colorado
- Indiana
However, the list above is interesting for another reason: the recent addition of consultant Kim Richardson to the KRG Hospitality team. Not only is Kim representing our Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, office, she’s our rep for the Northeastern region of the United States.
That means she’s serving Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Or, put another way, Kim is representing KRG in six states on the list above. (Pennsylvania is in bold above, while the other Northeastern states on the list she’s representing are in italics).
Proceed with Caution
Now, a word of reason and caution. Just because someone tells you that a particular state or city is the best place for your business doesn’t mean success will follow automatically.
It really doesn’t matter how great the idea for your concept happens to be—long-term success in this industry takes hard work. And that work starts with the planning phase.
So, no, you can’t just throw a dart at the Northeastern states or a map of one of the states on this list and open your restaurant, bar, or hotel there. Site selection involves more than contacting a commercial real estate agent, viewing a few locations, and signing a lease.
There’s a long list of tasks that you must complete in the planning stage before you ever open your doors. An in-depth feasibility study, a KRG Hospitality specialty, identifies the best location for a specific concept. In actuality, the feasibility study includes several smaller tasks that must be completed.
Again, this is simply to determine the best place for a particular concept. There are many other tasks you must complete, each of which KRG is here to help you accomplish.
So, while this list is interesting, there’s much more for your consideration.
The Bottom 10
Since I know you’re curious, below you’ll find the ten states that represent the tail end of the Forbes list:
- New York
- New Mexico
- Vermont
- Michigan
- Oregon
- Florida
- Nevada
- Kentucky
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
Now, another word of caution. These states rounding out the list of 50 doesn’t mean they’re “the worst” for starting a business.
In fact, we’ve had great success in Florida, as one example. So, take this list with a grain of salt: there’s much more to consider for a hospitality concept to give it the best odds of success in any market.