Mayor Andy Berke announced on Friday that the city of Chattanooga has committed to the national Startup in a Day Initiative to streamline the business licensing process and create online tools to help small businesses get to work faster, hire more people and grow the local economy. The White House launched the initiative earlier this week in partnership with the National League of Cities. Chattanooga is one of the first eleven cities that are taking the lead.
“Small businesses are the engine of our local economy.
Through this effort, we will cut unnecessary red tape that keep them from hiring local people and bringing their products to market,” said Mayor Berke.
The White House estimates small businesses generate two of every three new jobs in the United States and employ more than half of the private sector workforce. But entrepreneurs spend nearly 6 days discovering, applying for, and managing licenses and permits, according to a study this year by the World Bank Group.
“We have been meeting with local business owners recently to learn about their experience with permitting and business licensing,” said Nick Wilkinson, administrator of economic development. “We understand time spent on this process can take away from running their business, and we are already evaluating tools and systems implemented in other cities that could work in Chattanooga.”
The Startup in a Day Initiative is a challenge to cities to create online tools that allow entrepreneurs to find and complete applications to start a business in less than 24 hours. Startups are also part of the solution as the initiative calls on innovators to be a part of the process. The White House’s Small Business Administration is holding a $1.5 million competition for seed grants to cities committed to the challenge.
Under the initiative, Chattanooga joins major cities like Denver, San Francisco and Boston, in taking the pledge to make it easier for entrepreneurs to start a business. The Startup in a Day Pledge is to create an online permitting tool within 12 months, to develop a streamlined system and to share best practices with other municipalities.
To learn more about the Startup in a Day Initiative and prize competition, visit https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-initiatives/startup-day.