About usUpdated October 29, 2026
Why we ask businesses the same five questions
Star ratings tell you whether customers were happy. They don't tell you whether a business knows what it's doing. A straight answer to a hard question does.
What Five Questions is
An interview publication for people about to hire someone. For each trade and city we choose a handful of good local businesses, put the same five questions to the owners and publish the answers side by side.
What we believe
- The same questions for everyone make answers comparable.
- Owners should speak for their own business, in their own words.
- Readers deserve to know who pays for what.
Part of a network
Five Questions shares a business database with other local publications, but has its own questions and methodology. Read how we choose and interview.