Summary:
New Haven launches "Best City to Start" campaign to become a "city of yes" for entrepreneurs
Campaign targets redundant licensing processes that force entrepreneurs to duplicate state and local approvals
Proposed reforms include eliminating first-year catering license fees and creating streamlined "pickle jar permits"
Organizers share real-world experiences navigating bureaucratic barriers for food businesses like Oh Shito! and Cha Cha Butter
Initiative represents concrete legislative action to reduce startup costs and processing times significantly
A New Year's Resolution for Small Business
New Haven is kicking off 2026 with an ambitious civic goal: transforming into a "city of yes" for small-business startups. This vision is at the heart of the newly launched "Best City to Start" campaign, spearheaded by Ward 9 Alder Caroline Tanbee Smith alongside dozens of entrepreneurs and advocacy groups.
Yes We Can (start up): campaign organizers Caroline Tanbee Smith, Kwame Asare, Yeabsera Agonfer at WNHH FM. Credit: Paul Bass Photo
The Problem: Red Tape and Duplication
The campaign aims to streamline a process that currently forces entrepreneurs to waste months navigating redundant state and local approvals while paying higher licensing fees than comparable cities. As Smith stated in her campaign announcement: "Starting a business in New Haven shouldn't take months, cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, or exhaust your hope."
Real-World Experiences Driving Change
Organizers bring firsthand experience with these barriers:
- Kwame Asare spent over a year launching his Ghanaian pepper sauce Oh Shito!, navigating FDA approvals, state testing, and duplicative city licensing
- Yeabsera Agonfer faced similar challenges developing her Ethiopian lactose-free Cha Cha Butter while helping immigrant entrepreneurs through CitySeed
- Caroline Tanbee Smith witnessed the frustrations through her work with Collab and helping State Street business owners overcome year-long delays
Three Concrete Solutions Proposed
The campaign has begun with specific legislative changes:
1. Reduced Catering License Fees
Change from $650 first-year fee to $0 initially, then $250-$275 annually (comparable to other cities). This represents minimal revenue impact for the city while potentially increasing applicant numbers.
2. "Pickle Jar Permit" for Packaged Foods
Create a streamlined permit allowing entrepreneurs to upload existing state approvals into a city registry, completing the process in just one day instead of months.
3. Simplified Outdoor Dining Approvals
Eliminate the $180 fee for sidewalk/street patio permits and streamline approvals to encourage more outdoor dining options while maintaining accessibility standards.
Building Momentum Through Community Action
Smith and Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller have initiated Board of Alders workshops to gather community input on the first two proposals, with legislation to follow. The campaign invites more participants to join and develop additional ideas.
The Bigger Vision
As Smith asked during the campaign launch: "Can we as a city and as a coalition of organizations and individuals and city departments also have that spirit of yes, so that individuals can take that idea and make it actually real?"
Watch the full conversation about the "Best City to Start" campaign on WNHH FM's "Dateline New Haven"
See Alder Smith touring Upper State Street businesses she helped navigate the permitting process
Contact Caroline Tanbee Smith at carolineward9nhv@gmail.com to join the movement.
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