Guillen, for example, met Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo at a Hialeah Chamber of Commerce mixer for small business owners, and he told her that he would be at her new location\u2019s grand opening. On June 15, the mayor was there \u2014 and Guillen knew she made the right decision of moving to a larger location at 6500 W. Fourth Ave.<\/p>\n
MORE: From dairy farms to a commercial hub: How Hialeah\u2019s 49th Street evolved over 60 years<\/a><\/p>\n Nextiva, an Arizona-based tech company, released the rankings, using information from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Small Business Administration. The study looked at factors including the average amount of Small Business Administration loans entrepreneurs get in a city and the cost of rent per square foot.<\/p>\n Hialeah was the only Florida city to rank in the Top 10. St. Petersburg came in at 23rd, followed by Fort Lauderdale at 24.<\/p>\n A Hialeah-owned mixed-use complex includes residential and commercial spaces, with the city offering free rent for its 27 commercial units. Mayor Bryan Calvo says the initiative is aimed at reshaping the corridor by attracting businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, yoga and spa studios, and gyms. City of Hialeah <\/p>\n On average, Hialeah\u2019s entrepreneurs get Small Business Association loans of $331,000. Business people can find retail rent of around $21 a square foot in the city. In comparison, storefront rent in trendy neighborhoods like Wynwood can be $100 per square foot., and the average retail rent in Miami-Dade County is about $40 to $50.<\/p>\n Augusta, Georgia, ranked as the top city on the list to start a small business, has an average SBA loan amount of $849,400. Retail rent in the city is $16 per square foot.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city treats entrepreneurs as partners in growth,\u201d Hialeah Mayor Calvo said of businesses like Nana\u2019s. \u201cOur residents have built a dense network of family\u2011owned shops, manufacturers, logistics firms, and service providers, and city hall is focused on making it easier for them to open, expand, and hire.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2026, Hialeah launched the Palm Centre Business Opportunity initiative, which offers small business owners free rent for up to a year in a city-owned building. That crucial one-year period is often when small businesses aren\u2019t profitable yet and are still building their clientele, Calvo said.<\/p>\n The mayor said Hialeah is also streamlining permitting and business tax set-ups to make it easier for new businesses to get up and running.<\/p>\n \u201cWord travels quickly in the small business community, and that is what you are seeing in Hialeah today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hialeah was also ranked fourth on a WalletHub list of 10 best cities to start a small business that was released in April. Those rankings focused on city business environment, business resources and business costs. Miami was ranked 10th.<\/p>\n