North Carolina Is A Great State To Start A Business In 2024
Is your vision for this year to finally pursue that business idea you’ve dreamed about? Well, here is a boost you might need to get started. WalletHub recently reported on the best states to start a business in 2024, and North Carolina ranked in the top 10.
“A state that provides the ideal conditions for business creation — access to cash, skilled workers and affordable office space, for instance — can help new ventures not only take off but also thrive,” WalletHub explained.
To determine which states are best to start a business this year, WalletHub dug deep into analyzing specific data. All 50 states were measured in 25 different relevant categories. Environment, resources, and business costs were among them. From there, total scores in each area were added together to create a final grade for each state. This then allowed for an official ranking to be compiled based on total scores.
North Carolina Ranked 9th Overall
The southeast region of the country faired quite well here with three states being in the top nine. North Carolina ranked slightly behind Texas at number 8. Tennessee then rounded out the top 10. The environmental category was where the Tar Heel State performed the best.
“Starting a business is a difficult and risky process, but where you live can highly influence your chances of success,” WalletHub said in a statement.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce recently detailed the key industries in the state right now. Biotechnology, energy, food processing, and manufacturing were among the ones mentioned.
Many great small business ideas came out of the pandemic. Whether it was home-cooked goods that evolved into a restaurant or construction services, many workers found their niche by pursuing passions with their time.
Given WalletHub has named North Carolina as a top ten state to start a new business in 2024, perhaps this movement will only continue and support aspiring business owners to launch their plan in their researched market.
3 Potential NFL Draft Destinations For UNC's Drake Maye
On Wednesday, December 27, North Carolina will play their last game of the season in Charlotte (Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. West Virginia). With Drake Maye being one of the top prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, it’s time to take a look at three potential landing destinations for the star quarterback.
UNC is coming off a 8-4 record this season. Although his statistics were not as high as last year, Maye still had an incredible year, throwing for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns. At just 21 years old, Maye is the ideal size for a NFL quarterback, standing 6 foot 4.
2024 Draft Class
Many of the top players have still to officially declare for the draft. Yet, the expectation is that all the names we are seeing atop the mock draft boards will be moving up to the next level. There have been eyes on this year’s class for a few years now. That’s largely due to the generational quarterback pool.
USC’s Caleb Williams is a safe assumption to be the first overall pick. That’s where things can get tricky. The Carolina Panthers currently have the worst record at 1-11. However, due to last year’s trade, the Chicago Bears own their pick. Do the Bears need or want a QB? They just drafted Justin Fields. Of course, we still have the NFL combine, player pro days, and team meetings ahead of us. Much can change in that time. Still, I believe Maye will be the next quarterback taken after Williams.
To further emphasize how deep (and potentially special) this class is, three of the four Heisman Trophy finalists this season are quarterbacks. None of them are named Caleb Williams or Drake Maye (Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr.)
Come April, we can see as many as 10 NFL teams in need of a new quarterback. Here are three NFL teams that have a good probability of selecting in the top five picks of the NFL draft, where Drake Maye will likely be taken.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
