Sunday, October 19, 2025

10 Locations In The USA That Encourage Entrepreneurial Spirit


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One of many causes we love the USA is that it first impressed us to create our personal freedom enterprise.

There’s a robust entrepreneurial spirit within the US, and it feels freer and like extra individuals are rooting for and supporting my progress and success.

So what a part of the USA impressed my entrepreneurial spirit? It wasn’t simply the individuals, it was the locations too.

On this information, I’ve shared the locations within the USA that impressed my entrepreneurial spirit, and gave me inspiration for discovery, celebration and a want to start out my very own enterprise and be freed from the 9-5 strategy to reside.

1. North Carolina

Lake Johnson, Raleigh, North Carolina
Strolling round Lake Johnson in Raleigh, NC

We started our journey weblog while residing in Raleigh, North Carolina again in 2010, so we’ve got to start with North Carolina as our primary place that impressed our entrepreneurial spirit – because it’s actually the place all of it started.

In response to a examine by Commodity, town of Asheville can be ranked third within the nation for having the very best variety of enterprise house owners, with 13.4% of their staff having their very own firm in 2023.

And it’s not simply Asheville that has start-ups and impartial companies popping up throughout. We determined to settle in Raleigh, which is known for the Analysis Triangle Park, the most important and most profitable analysis park in North America – a spot that evokes tech savvy individuals to create their very own tech startups.

In addition to the thriving tech scenes, Raleigh has low value of residing, and top quality of life, which helps when beginning your personal enterprise.

My very own journey started hopeful and excited; I sat at my dimly lit desk in our small condominium scribbling chapters of my journey eBook in a journal. I didn’t know tips on how to make this work, however I knew it felt doable.

I additionally bear in mind the concern. It was proper within the center of our monetary catastrophe, and we’d needed an entrepreneurial life, however sadly, chased all of the unsuitable issues and failed miserably.

This time round, I used to be chasing one thing that lit my soul on hearth – journey, and serving to extra individuals do it.

caroline and craig makepeace y travel blog raleigh

North Carolina is the place we first had an perception into what life might change into for us. Freedom, alternative, a home bigger than what a shed in Australia of comparable worth would get you, and entry to limitless journey and variety. I used to be hungry to check the boundaries and uncover what I used to be able to.

North Carolina was the place we fashioned nice friendships and located new hobbies, like following the UNC Tar Heels, tailgating, and strolling round alpine forested lakes.

We beloved the faculty vibe, the eating places and bars, enjoyable events, reside music scene, and a scarcity of inflexible guidelines we had been so used to at dwelling.

We now have a thriving native Raleigh enterprise the place we share life in Raleigh, issues to do, journey concepts, and a lot extra. We additionally assist join individuals transferring to Raleigh with our companion realtor, and assist them settle in. We’re deeply immersed within the entrepreneur and enterprise group in Raleigh and can’t reward it extremely sufficient for it’s spirit and perception that “a rising tide lifts all boats” I’ve by no means skilled that anyplace else earlier than.

2. Puerto Rico

people smiling at the bach in Puerto Rico

Technically not within the US, however an unincorporated U.S. territory, Puerto Rico had an enormous influence on my entrepreneurial journey.

It’s unsurprising, as apparently one in 5 adults in Puerto Rico have their very own enterprise, in accordance with the GEM Grownup Inhabitants Survey. The federal government has additionally incentivized beginning your personal enterprise there, providing tax breaks, and funding alternatives for begin ups.

We visited again in 2009 to attend a convention, which was a part of a kind of failed enterprise concepts we had been chasing.

We listened to many inspirational audio system about enterprise and making a free life that helps individuals. However, there was one man who has influenced me greater than every other, Yossi Ghinsberg.

people smiling
Assembly Yossi in Puerto Rico

Yossi spoke for 3 hours about being misplaced within the Amazon for 3 weeks throughout the wet season the place the locals mentioned no Indians might survive, not to mention a “Gringo”.

He spoke about overcoming concern by swallowing it, about residing a lifetime of function, and understanding that every part in life is about up so that you can change into somebody nice. Even the darkish moments are there serving to us to develop in energy and braveness so we might give one thing nice again.

This quote of his evokes me to reside an unconventional life and to ensure journey and connectedness are all the time part of it.

Yossi Ghinsberg quote

He talks about following these desires that hound you at evening. And describes it like this:

How Do You Know What Bliss to Follow?

I feel anybody on a journey of journey, celebration, or creating their dream life-style understands the need for that is one thing that retains you awake at evening.

3. Colorado

Once we first determined to maneuver to the US in 2004, Colorado was primary on our record because the place to reside. It was calling to us lengthy earlier than we lastly arrived to discover it on our US highway journey in 2006.

We don’t have mountains in Australia, extra like hills, so after we drove into Colorado and was mesmerized and breathless – actually as a result of the air is so skinny!

Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Rocky Mountains Nationwide Park, Colorado

I feel our time in Colorado, adopted straight after by Utah, was once I fell deeply in love with the USA and regretted my determination to return to Australia.

Nonetheless, it infected my want to struggle like hell for this impartial life-style in order that I might return.

I’ve solely now return to Colorado repeatedly, and I’m nonetheless breathless! And so in love.

Colorado is the place I am going to once I want to flee from all of it and let nature encourage me and soothe my soul. I like Boulder, Denver, and Snowmass probably the most.

woman standing on mountains
Strolling the Rim Path in Snowmass, Colorado

Colorado is vibrant and individuals are enthusiastic about residing right here. They’re pleasant, grounded, and wholesome. I feel to embrace a lifetime of journey, or creating your personal enterprise, a ardour for residing deeply is a requirement.

Being in Colorado jogs my memory simply why I’m engaged on our enterprise and being the perfect I may be – as a result of I like life, and if I can’t get amongst it like they do right here, then I don’t survive.

The air could also be skinny, however the residing is wealthy in Colorado!

Again in 2023, Colorado has a 115% enhance in new enterprise purposes, exhibiting that it’s a state that evokes entrepreneurs.

4. Orlando, Florida

palm trees in front of a hotel
Picture: Shutterstock.com

One in all our different failed enterprise ventures led us to a convention in Orlando.

Are you able to see the sample right here?

In your quest to create a life free from the 9-5 you’ll have many failures, and a part of overcoming this and attending to the eventual rewards is to know the failures are classes in disguise guiding you to your good place.

Florida is a good place to study beginning a enterprise. It ranks the primary state for small companies, because it has the very best variety of entrepreneurs within the USA. In 2023, there have been 13,238 small companies per each 100,000 residents, which is the very best ratio within the nation.

The convention in Orlando was one of many first we attended. I discovered town of Orlando to be pulsating with vibrancy, enjoyable, and energetic residing. I additionally take pleasure in Miami in Florida for this similar purpose.

I beloved hanging out with different like-minded individuals, masterminding and networking within the hallways. I’m now fairly hooked on conferences and go to them at any time when I can to reconnect to this spirit.

At this convention, we met Todd Falcone, a really profitable community marketer and enterprise man. He mentioned one thing in our speak that modified the way in which we method our work and the way we construct relationships with individuals.

I realized the significance of being actual in relationships and making it much less about you and extra about others. Don’t attempt to do enterprise and get all you’ll be able to from somebody in your first interplay. Construct a connection, change into buddies or higher acquainted, after which you will get assist additional down the road.

5. New Orleans, Louisiana

st louis cathedral new orleans
St Louis Cathedral, New Orleans

I needed to embody New Orleans, because it was the primary place we wrote about after we began this weblog.

It was our first journey we took as household journey bloggers (minus unborn Savannah). I realised then how a lot I beloved this alternative we’d made. I used to be doing what I had executed for years earlier than by way of emails and letters to buddies, however this time on a doubtlessly bigger scale.

I might write my tales of journey, but additionally assist encourage others to do the identical. We might give them the tips about how we discovered nice lodging offers, bought across the metropolis, the thrilling issues we skilled, and tips on how to have superb recollections as a household.

New Orleans doesn’t get the bells and whistles that different cities do as entrepreneurial locations, but it surely does rather a lot to recognise and assist begin ups and small enterprise house owners. There are organizations like Thought Village, Net2No, Propeller, and Voodoo Ventures, that are all sources set as much as assist entrepreneurs in New Orleans.

6. Utah

couple posing in Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA
Working within the USA allowed us to journey the nation

Like Colorado, Utah is my favourite state within the US for nature and the place to go when that you must escape from the chaos, and let nature soothe your thoughts.

I really feel so alive in Utah. It sparks my want to remain in larger connection to the land and adventurous experiences.

It’s filled with surprises and wow moments, and I fell in love with Utah’s surreal landscapes and a wealthy palette of colors. They encourage me to put in writing extra.

couple posing on angel's landing
Climbing Angel Falls Zion NP

Utah is about depth and surprises and vibrant residing. I feel it describes the entrepreneurial life.

You simply by no means know what’s across the bend in Utah, however you like journeying round it as you recognize will probably be one thing distinctive, new and value diving into.

Salt Lake Metropolis is a bustling hub of entrepreneurship, particularly within the tech trade. It’s truly often known as Silicon Slopes, as a result of its tech sector is accelerating 12 months on 12 months, with tech jobs rising by 22.9% from 2021 to 2022 (increased than the nationwide common).

7. Seattle, Washington

seattle skyline on the water

Seattle might be probably the most well-known metropolis within the USA for rising expertise within the entrepreneurial area.

It’s the birthplace of Starbucks, Amazon, and Microsoft in spite of everything.

Nevertheless it’s not simply the tech industries pumping out a extremely expert workforce, it’s additionally a spot for innovators to come back into their very own and be the perfect they are often.

Seattle has a thriving startup ecosystem and a supportive surroundings for brand new companies – it has a extremely educated inhabitants. This pool of savvy minds offers a fertile floor for collaboration and networking. If you happen to want a enterprise companion, that is the place to start out trying.

Seattle additionally ranks excessive in enterprise capital funding, with over $1.5 billion invested in early-stage corporations in 2020.

It additionally has a ton of coworking areas, that are nice locations to fulfill different small enterprise house owners and entrepreneurs to encourage you and collaborate with.

8. New York Metropolis

views of new york from empire state building

You may not consider NYC as being town to start out a enterprise in – it’s famously costly, which may be off-putting to these beginning their first small enterprise.

Nonetheless, as of 2023, there have been a document breaking 183,000 small companies registered in New York Metropolis, exhibiting there have to be one thing about it that claims alternative.

This may very well be as a result of excessive focus of proficient workforce within the metropolis, making it simpler to search out the appropriate individuals to companion with.

New York Metropolis additionally attracts vital enterprise capital funding, with traders actively looking for out promising startups, for instance in 2020, town obtained over $10 billion in enterprise capital funding, offering funding alternatives for entrepreneurs.

You additionally get extra reward on your threat, since opening a enterprise in NYC means you’ll be able to cost NYC charges.

9. San Francisco, California

san francisco city skyeline from above

One other thriving metropolis that evokes entrepreneurship is San Fran.

In 2020, the San Francisco Bay Space obtained over $49.3 billion in enterprise capital funding for aspiring entrepreneurs and it has a ton of coworking areas and networking occasions that entrepreneurs can attend commonly.

It’s additionally a 40 minute drive to Silicon Valley, the worldwide capital of know-how and innovation, and the place all tech savvy begin ups goal to be.

If there’s ever a motivation to succeed, it’s being inside touching distance of the epitome of success, however not truly being there!

10. Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas- Cityscape with Colorado River in the middle against the sunset sky. There are boats near under the bridge at the front and a view of skycrapers on the side with reflective glass walls.
Austin Cityscape with Colorado River | Deposit Images

Lastly, there’s Austin in Texas, which might be probably the greatest locations for risk-taking due to its comparatively low value of residing.

Austin through the years has been rising as a vacation spot for entrepreneurs, because the metropolis’s tech sector has exploded in recent times, attracting main corporations to arrange its head quarters there – Dell, Oracle, Tesla and Apple are all HQ’d in Austin now.

This inflow has created a vibrant entrepreneurial group and supportive ambiance.

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6 places in the USA that inspired our entrepreneurial spirit of discovery!

I’d love to listen to within the feedback how sure journey experiences have remodeled your life and allowed, or impressed you, to change into who you’re immediately.

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