small successes

Austin tops new list as the best U.S. metro to start a small business

This is an Austinite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

Austinites whose New Year's resolution is to start their own small business will be happy to learn they're in the right city to do it. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown has been ranked the No. 1 best metropolitan area to start a small business in a new report.

The report by personal finance website The Credit Review touts the Austin area's rapid growth, its diverse economy, and its ever-expanding population as several attractive reasons for its top ranking.

"Austin is a cultural mecca filled with live music and nightlife that attracts talented young professionals and sparks creative ideas," the report's author wrote.

Small business owners in the city specifically thrive in three sectors: arts, entertainment, and recreation. The iconic "Keep Austin Weird" motto still rings true for many thriving local businesses — and thanks to that call to action, many Austinites maintain explicit cultural values around shopping local.

"Given that Austin is the yearly host of the celebrated South by Southwest conference, it’s not very surprising they ranked as the top metro area to start an arts and entertainment small business," the report said. "Austin ranked No. 1 overall for all small business purposes, but its thriving arts and culture scene is especially celebrated."

Austin is also the No. 1 destination for small businesses in the information services sector, the study found. Outsiders don't call Austin "Silicon Hills" for nothing, as the report states venture capitalists invested over $5.5 billion in more than 400 unspecified "deals" in Austin in 2021, which is more than double the amount in 2020.

With the shift to remote work, it's now much easier for Austinites to launch their business than ever before, the report claims. But in order to ensure longevity with a small business, the study suggests launching the venture in a place with the right number of resources and connections.

"The more resources a small business owner has, the better chances they have to succeed," the report says. "This is why, despite the overall shift to a remote-centric world, geographic location matters more than ever for a small business’s long-term success."

Another thriving Texas metro that earned a spot in the top 10 is Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (No. 8). The North Texas region is the No. 1 hotspot for businesses in the "management of companies and enterprises" industry, which widely includes finance and accounting companies.

Elsewhere in Texas, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land ranked No. 22 and San Antonio-New Braunfels ranked No. 32.

The top 10 U.S. metros for starting a small business are:

No. 1 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
No. 2 – Provo-Orem, Utah
No. 3 – Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
No. 4 – Salt Lake City, Utah
No. 5 – Boise, Idaho
No. 6 – Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee
No. 7 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 8 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 9 – Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, North Carolina-South Carolina
No. 10 – North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida

The report analyzed the top 100 U.S. metro regions across 10 factors to determine the rankings, including unemployment rates, growth rates, new business success rates, and more.

The full report can be found on thecreditreview.com.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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