Arkansas Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in West Memphis, Arkansas

Are you starting a business in West Memphis, Arkansas? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in West Memphis.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in West Memphis. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. 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.

West Memphis, Arkansas Demographic Information

West Memphis has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for West Memphis demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in West Memphis.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
858
5-9 Employees
396
10-19 Employees
357
20-49 Employees
225
50-99 Employees
60
100-249 Employees
42
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
6
All West Memphis Businesses
1956

As a new West Memphis entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in West Memphis 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
Architectural Services
3
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
2
Books Printing
1
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
4
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
11
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
1
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
3
Food Service Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Ice Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Internet Service Providers
3
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Lawyers
16
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Port and Harbor Operations
1
Portfolio Management
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
4
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
5
Telephone Answering Services
2
Temporary Help Services
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
8
Tire Retreading
1
Tobacco Stores
4
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
8
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
5

Have You Considered Buying an Existing West Memphis Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Arkansas. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in West Memphis.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Raising money to fund your new West Memphis business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Attracting Investors.

For West Memphis entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, browse our List of Arkansas Angel Investors and our List of Arkansas Venture Capital Firms.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in West Memphis or are selling to customers throughout Arkansas, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

The Art of Customer Referrals 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.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in West Memphis, Arkansas, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Arkansas universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which West Memphis entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in West Memphis. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help West Memphis businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in West Memphis, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in West Memphis, Arkansas

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in West Memphis.

More Startup Articles for Arkansas Cities

Starting a Business in Warren
Starting a Business in White Hall

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Arkansas
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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