Greensboro-High Point named best in nation for small business

GUILFORD COUNTY — The Greensboro-High Point metro area was recently named the best place in the nation to start a small business by ZenBusiness.

ZenBusiness — an organization that uses technology and automation to help people start, run and grow businesses — evaluated the top 100 most populous metro areas in the United States to find the cities with the most business-friendly statistics. 

The study used 10 data points that indicate a business’ likelihood of success, including costs of operation, workforce availability, taxes and the survival rate for existing businesses. 

Those positive metrics are the result of intentional cultivation by the Greensboro and High Point communities, said Lou Anne Flanders-Stec, Executive Vice President for Entrepreneurship at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.

“Our local ecosystem provides programming and support through work at our universities, Launch Greensboro, Piedmont Business Capital, the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship and so many other organizations,” she said.

For those looking to start a business, Launch Greensboro is an invaluable resource. Launch alumni have gone on to run successful businesses and gain regional and even national notoriety.

One of those is Hops and Nuts, a company that makes snacks to go with craft beer, wine and cocktails. Founder Melissa Wallace spoke Tuesday at the Clinton Foundation’s domestic economic policy conference, Economic Inclusion and Growth: The Way Forward.

Wallace said the Chamber, Launch Greensboro, Mayor Nancy Vaughn and city leadership have positioned
small businesses to succeed here.

“Greensboro has all the keys," Wallace said. "And is the perfect example of a garden well-tended. Seeds were planted in the past to move Greensboro from a manufacturing town to a diverse and vibrant business ecosystem.” 

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