Thinking about starting a business in Benton, Arkansas? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Benton.
Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?
An entrepreneurial life is demanding, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you positive you are ready to take on this challenge?
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Benton. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Benton, Arkansas Demographic Information
Benton has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Benton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Benton.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
16137 |
| 5-9 Employees |
5940 |
| 10-19 Employees |
3333 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2442 |
| 50-99 Employees |
594 |
| 100-249 Employees |
297 |
| 250-499 Employees |
165 |
| 500-999 Employees |
33 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Benton Businesses |
28941 |
As a new Benton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Benton for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get
a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that
you are pursuing.
| Business Type |
# of
Businesses |
| Advertising Agencies |
2 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
3 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
7 |
| Boat Building |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
12 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
5 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
3 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
23 |
| Electronic Auctions |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Engineering Services |
7 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
6 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
17 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
7 |
| General Automotive Repair |
6 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
22 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
12 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
25 |
| Logging |
3 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
5 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
11 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
16 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
6 |
| Paperboard Mills |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
9 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
6 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
7 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
5 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
1 |
| Truck Trailer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
10 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
6 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Benton Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Arkansas. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Benton.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Picking a Company Name
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Benton, it's critical that you ensure that no other Arkansas company is using the business name you want to use.
The Role of the Business Plan
Having a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Arkansas.
The Art of Selling
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Benton business, you need to focus on sales.
Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Compensating Sales People is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Benton, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Benton businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Benton, Arkansas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Benton.
- Resources for Benton, Arkansas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Benton entrepreneurs.
- Arkansas Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Arkansas.
- Arkansas Small Business Development Center - The Arkansas Small Business Development Center (ASBDC) is a University-based economic development program which provides assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout Arkansas via a statewide network of seven offices.
- Benton, Arkansas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Benton, Arkansas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Benton area.
- Benton, Arkansas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Benton, Arkansas area radio stations.
- Benton, Arkansas Payroll Services - This list includes Benton, Arkansas payroll services, national payroll services for Benton, and helpful information on choosing a Benton payroll service.
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