Thoughts on who is Cheyenne?
Hello! Very interesting concept here. I am an entrepreneur in Cheyenne, Wyoming and I find it difficult to grow a business and prosper primarily due to the low population. However, the city and areas of Wyoming seem to be the best place to raise a family and purchase a home (no state income tax either). Any thoughts?
Sent by Pamela Girt from Cheyenne, Wyoming
August 1st, 2008 at 1:20 am
Pamela,you might not like my answer,but here goes anyway.
You are an entreprenaur,independent and creative,fearless but thoughtful,not “feckless.” right ?
You have to really get out and about and SEE what your location LACKS and will you be able to fill that need, or maybe head an “agency” or group that can do this.
What do these people need ?
how much can they afford to pay for what you can offer them ?
etc.
Think,use your imagination–create it.
August 12th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Pamela –
I visited Cheyenne back in June 2008 to see whether it would
have what it takes to build a software business. Although the
tax climate is good for businesses of all kinds, Cheyenne does
not have a big enough draw as a creative center. It’s a big
small town.
A further complication is that Cheyenne is in a high-altitude
plain which some people can’t handle. After a week there, my
body was crying out for lower ground. Although correlation
isn’t causation, there may be something to why all these tech
businesses are in coastal areas — it could be something as
simple as the amount of available oxygen that adds to an
already good situation for these areas.
Although Cheyenne is not ideal for me personally and certainly
is not a place where I could build a software business, the
tax advantage would let it become a “supply region” of sorts.
An online order fulfillment business run out of Cheyenne would
have the advantage of no sales taxes levied on purchases in almost
all of the US. With a 5% use tax and no taxes on items sold
outside Wyoming, Cheyenne might be an ideal location for
setting up an online software sales business that provides
a low tax sales outlet for companies headquartered elsewhere.
It may turn out that you have an ideal location that turns
one of Richard Florida’s “valleys” into a peak for a niche
simply because of the tax advantage. The Wyoming Secretary
of State’s office seems to want to make it easy on new
businesses to start and Cheyenne has an unconventional
advantage — Cheyenne’s airport is in the middle of town!
It’s definitely easy to fly in and fly out for a meeting.
I think you need to look in terms of positive aspects other
than the aura of a larger city and a big creative class
presence.
Cheyenne does have the advantage of a pretty good bit of
open office space in downtown — when I was there, I saw
several buildings that looked like they had floors ready
to customize, especially as you get closer to the banks
and other office buildings a bit up from Lincolnway.
It’s also a reasonably nice town which has its charms,
but as for being a creative center, that’s already a
position that’s taken by Boulder and parts of Denver.
Although Cheyenne is near Denver and Boulder, it doesn’t
feel culturally linked to either.
Maybe the low population could work for you as well –
if you can create a business that has advantages well
beyond those operated in other locales, you might be
able to position your company as a leader in a small
field. Sometimes it’s profitable to be a big fish in
a small pond …..
August 19th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Pamela,
I worked at the base (FE Warren AFB) for over four years running the computer networks and comm systems - the presence of high-tech oriented young people at the base does impact the opportunities in Cheyenne. I still consider it my home and love the tax structure as well as the practicality of the local government entities. As someone who both works from a home office and travels extensively, it has a good proximity to the international airport in Denver, but is far enough away not to suffer the disadvantages of a large city like Denver.
One of the frustrations of the this website for me is the assumption of business being “local” - I’m in a much bigger pond thanks to the internet and can literally work anywhere I can gain a cell phone signal - both for my phone and my computer. As far as clients, I go to them in their cities via commercial air travel. Cheyenne has a proven internet and shipping business model in Sierra Trading Post located southeast of town. Very successful at supplying high-end outdoor gear and clothing to the world and they have awesome sales at the home-base store for returned merchandise. Another driver of the local economy is the attraction for people considering retirement and looking for a low-tax environment while still having access to the larger world. I personally like the ability to disappear into the nearby mountains and not have to make a reservation for a parking spot! Outdoor hotspots in Colorado are completely overwhelmed on weekends and the worst traffic jams are on the routes to the ski resorts - an issue yet to occur in Wyoming. Obviously, the energy and mining economy also contributes to the advantages in Wyoming - keeping tax rates low while allowing young residents free tuition at the University in Laramie. The best thing though is the respect for the individual as part of the local culture - a kind of freedom that is all too uncommon in most places in the US today.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I lived in Cheyenne,WY for 8 years and found it to be sexist, racist, red neck, conservative, cowboy,socially crude, set in their ways, initally not open or friendly to “outsiders”, exploitive of single women, with a high incidence of chewing tobacco, smoking, and alcoholism. The wealthy ranchers and politicians hold the power. Visitors mainly only arrive during the week long annual Frontier Days for rodeo, entertainment, drunkenness, fights, brawls, and national/regional handmade arts & crafts. Many of the people who live there, grew up there and are related to people there. The summer attracts many incoming drifters and homeless people, since it is along the interstate and has a major bus terminal. Most of the new blood with intelligence and education comes from officers who are temporarily stationed at Warren Air Force Base, although they are a tight knit group among themselves. Nearby Fort Collins,CO is more open minded but it has a strong old conservative Mormon influence. Denver is still very western but is much more open minded and Boulder is probably the most open minded, creative, and free thinking community but also has a high cocaine addiction.