30 best cities for small business - includes related articles - Cover Story

Entrepreneur, Oct, 1996 by Karen Axelton, Janean Chun, Debra Phillips, Cynthia E. Griffin, Heather Page, Lynn Beresford, Holly Celeste Fisk

"But we're not just about making money", says Lloyd. "We want to set an example that small businesses can lead the way."

With plenty more mouths to feed in Beantown, these three young entrepreneurs may have found their meal ticket.

Putting

Down Roots

When Tony and Michelle Avent started their mail order plant company, Plant Delights Nursery, in 1989 they didn't have to look any further than their own backyard.

"We've been here [in Raleigh] all our lives," says Michelle, 39. But things in Raleigh have changed since the Avents met in high school.

"The influx of people from up north has changed the face of the whole Triangle area," says Tony, 38.

But the transformation has been good for the Avents' business. "People up North are much more sophisticated horticulturally than people in the South," says Tony.

The Avents' move into a mail order nursery was a natural: Tony was formerly director of landscaping for the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, while Michelle's job as an order processing supervisor taught her plenty about order fulfillment and shipping. Since 1994 they have been devoted full time to their growing business, publishing two catalogs a year and shipping plants to collectors, landscapers and consumers around the world to the tune of $500,000 in 1996.

Raleigh has been fertile ground for the North Carolina couple - and not just for business reasons. "It's a perfect - sized community," says Tony. "It has all the attributes of a larger city without all the hassles."

"We have lots of different things in Raleigh," agrees Michelle. "There are better restaurants, professional theater and a lot of entertainment here." Apparently, Raleigh is one place where the grass isn't greener somewhere else. downtown congestion has been underway for several years. And with Boston College, Boston University and nearby Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to draw from, Boston benefits from one of the nation's most talented labor pools. The 4 percent unemployment rate, however, indicates the city may soon face a labor shortage. Undaunted, Bostonian entrepreneurs seem ready to start their own American, revolution: Last year, the number of approved SBA loans doubled.

SALT LAKE CITY

Why are entrepreneurs so devoted to Salt Lake City? Perhaps because its one of the key high-tech centers in the United States and benefits from a state economy considered to be the nations strongest. It also boasts the lowest rate of unemployment and one of the lowest costs of living. And the tourism industry - which capitalizes on the states numerous national parks, ideal setting for winter sports, and the upcoming 2002 Winter Olympics - is a hotbed for small businesses.

Government officials are starting to back small business with programs such as the Utah Business Resource Network, which pulls together state and federal agencies and programs that support small-business development. Meanwhile, the traditionally cash-poor city has witnessed a recent Influx of venture capitalists and financial institutions. Numerous agencies, development corporations and counseling centers are geared toward supporting entrepreneurship.