Starting a business in Miami-Dade, Tampa, or Northern Florida (live in, moving)

[malasiaj]

I currently live in the Chicago-area and have a photography business. I have wanted to move to Florida for some time now, but never felt like I had the opportunity to do so. Now, I am making it an appoint to move and get out of the cold.

To tell you a little bit more about the type of photography I do, I mainly do fashion and portrait photography. I am also interested in getting into event photography.

Also, my mother is moving as well, and she is a business consultant that helps small businesses grow and improve by creating training content, business tools, and providing coaching services.

Our biggest struggle at this point is really understanding the best way to network and build the right connections in Florida. I would like to know what is the business environment like in Miami, and if anyone knows anything about Tampa or Florida's northern region, that would be great as well.

Some of the things that we would like to know for example:

1. How supportive are people in Miami, Tampa, and Northern Florida?
2. Are there any beneficial resources or networking events that can aid in us successfully transitioning our businesses?
3. Which area do you feel has the best potential for growth?
4. Anything else that I am not thinking of.

I would appreciate any information that can help. Thanks in advance!

[boxus]

It is going to be generally the same environment here in Miami as anywhere, there are no special barriers. The lower the barrier of entry, the more competition there will be, and I feel (no data to back this up) that Miami is more difficult than many places to start a business with a low barrier to entry.