Are you starting a business in Flagstaff, Arizona? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Flagstaff.
Running your own business is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
Flagstaff has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Flagstaff demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Flagstaff.
As a new Flagstaff entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Flagstaff 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 |
8 |
| Air Traffic Control |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
7 |
| Armored Car Services |
2 |
| Art Dealers |
5 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
13 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
4 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
25 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
4 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
8 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business and Secretarial Schools |
1 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
9 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
8 |
| Caterers |
3 |
| Child and Youth Services |
7 |
| Child Day Care Services |
13 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Claims Adjusting |
3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
7 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Gravure Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
3 |
| Commercial Photography |
3 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
5 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
15 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
3 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
3 |
| Consumer Lending |
3 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
4 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
5 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
9 |
| Dental Laboratories |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
6 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
3 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
3 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
18 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
9 |
| Educational Support Services |
8 |
| Electrical Contractors |
37 |
| Electronic Shopping |
7 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
9 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
25 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
9 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
15 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
8 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
7 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
8 |
| Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
7 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
3 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
8 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
92 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
10 |
| General Automotive Repair |
37 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
12 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
12 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
5 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
4 |
| Graphic Design Services |
3 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
6 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Home Health Care Services |
5 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
4 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
44 |
| Interior Design Services |
4 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
31 |
| Jewelry Stores |
14 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
8 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
29 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
8 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
73 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manifold Business Forms Printing |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
6 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
24 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
5 |
| Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
5 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
3 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
8 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
3 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
10 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
6 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
3 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
6 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
5 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
36 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
16 |
| Offices of Dentists |
46 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
61 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
9 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
9 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
8 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paging |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
4 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
28 |
| Paper (except Newsprint) Mills |
1 |
| Passenger Car Leasing |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
9 |
| Payroll Services |
5 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
7 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
5 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
2 |
| Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
6 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
3 |
| Quick Printing |
3 |
| Radio Stations |
4 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
9 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
1 |
| Repossession Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
8 |
| Residential Remodelers |
17 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
10 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
13 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
7 |
| Siding Contractors |
4 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
14 |
| Skiing Facilities |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
11 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
26 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
7 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
3 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
10 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
2 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
5 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Tortilla Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tour Operators |
4 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Car Dealers |
5 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
7 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
13 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
5 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
5 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
3 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
5 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
3 |
| Zoos and Botanical Gardens |
1 |
As you drive around Flagstaff, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How Franchises Work. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
Raising money to fund your new Flagstaff business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Incubators.
To grow your Flagstaff business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
We have some useful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Pricing and Positioning is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
Given that you are starting a business in Flagstaff, Arizona, you should check out some of the learning programs at local Arizona educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Flagstaff entrepreneurs.
As an entrepreneur in Flagstaff, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Flagstaff businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Flagstaff entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Flagstaff.
