PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) — You see a new store open, or you hear about a new restaurant that’s opened, but that new business is already closed before you get a chance to try it. That’s because more than 20% of small businesses in the U.S. fail in the first year. That failure can stem from a variety of reasons ranging from running out of money to failing to understand the target market, but there’s one place in the Piedmont Triad that’s working to give small businesses a better chance at success.
“Being a small business owner is one of the hardest things in the world, so we want to offer that assistance.” As the Director of the Small Business Center at Forsyth Technical Community College, Martha Larson knows that assistance is needed in many forms, not just money.
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“It can be things from writing a business plan to how to hire employees, taxes, and things like that, but then we have more specific programming,” she saID. “It can be a very intensive look at business growth, at how to take a product to market. Marketing is always a big need.”
At the Small Business Center, Larson and her team provide a free resource for small business owners. They help people in the startup phase and help provide mentorship as businesses expand and grow. Since 2025, The Winston-Salem Foundation has been a partner, awarding the center $165,000 in grants. That money then goes to small business owners such as Michelle Beal Brown, CEO and Executive Director of Glorified Body WellSpa in Clemmons…