Contemplating starting a business in Jacksonville, Arkansas? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Jacksonville.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Running your own business is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you want to start a business?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Jacksonville. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Jacksonville, Arkansas Demographic Information
Jacksonville has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Jacksonville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Jacksonville.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
12072 |
| 5-9 Employees |
4644 |
| 10-19 Employees |
3456 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1368 |
| 50-99 Employees |
720 |
| 100-249 Employees |
324 |
| 250-499 Employees |
36 |
| 500-999 Employees |
72 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Jacksonville Businesses |
22692 |
As a new Jacksonville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Jacksonville 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 |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
3 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
10 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
13 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
9 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
5 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
5 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
15 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
11 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
19 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
11 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
25 |
| Machine Shops |
5 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
3 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
11 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
8 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
3 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
3 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
3 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Should You Buy an Existing Jacksonville Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Arkansas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Jacksonville.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Forming a Company in Jacksonville, Arkansas
It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Arkansas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Arkansas. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporating Online. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Jacksonville, Arkansas, our information on Incorporating in Arkansas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Arkansas.
Startup Financing Basics
Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Jacksonville business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Only Idiots Send Venture Capitalists Business Plans.
For Jacksonville entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Arkansas Angel Investors and our List of Arkansas Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Jacksonville customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, 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. Planning an Event is an article that will generate 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.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Jacksonville, Arkansas, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Arkansas educational institutions. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Jacksonville entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Jacksonville, 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 Jacksonville businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Jacksonville, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Jacksonville, Arkansas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Jacksonville.
- Resources for Jacksonville, Arkansas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Jacksonville 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.
- Jacksonville, Arkansas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Jacksonville, Arkansas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Jacksonville area.
- Jacksonville, Arkansas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Jacksonville, Arkansas area radio stations.
- Jacksonville, Arkansas Payroll Services - This list includes Jacksonville, Arkansas payroll services, national payroll services for Jacksonville, and helpful information on choosing a Jacksonville payroll service.
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