A national survey ranks Winston-Salem among the least friendly cities for small business in the state.
The report, conducted by the company Thumbtack, gives it an F for overall friendliness, ease of starting a business, training and network programs.
Thirty-one small business owners in Winston-Salem and more than 600 in North Carolina responded to the survey.
But the poor marks may not be telling the whole story.
Mark Sutter, the editor of the Triad Business Journal, has seen a lot of these type of lists in his time, and says they need a broader context.
“Last year, 2014, they gave Winston-Salem a B plus, and this year they gave them an F, which is a pretty sharp drop,” says Sutter. “Over at Carowinds, they would hope that new roller coaster would have this kind of a drop. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.”
And Sutter says, regardless of its merit, these annual surveys can have a negative impact.
“It's not exactly great publicity. Could Winston-Salem be better? Yeah. But those are serious topics and require more than these superficial letter grades,” says Sutter.
The report says Durham and Raleigh performed at the top of North Carolina's rankings. But there are some bright spots for Winston-Salem, according to the survey. It received above average marks for its zoning and licensing regulations for small business.
*Follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news.
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