Milwaukee, nicknamed the Cream City, is the commercial center of Wisconsin, the Dairy State. But layers of red tape are making it difficult for the cream of Milwaukee’s entrepreneurs to rise to the top.

If you thought all it took to open a business in Milwaukee was a good idea, some seed capital and a location, think again. The city government imposes a complex maze of regulations that prevent many businesses from ever getting started. Even failed businesses cannot escape the regulatory grip of city officials. At any time—but especially in tough economic times—the government must get out of the way so that businesses can succeed.

This report chronicles the ways in which the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin make life difficult for small businesses and, as a result, threaten both entrepreneurship and the American Dream.