Washington Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Arlington, Washington

Contemplating starting a business in Arlington, Washington? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Arlington.

Arlington, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
32851
5-9 Employees
11172
10-19 Employees
7125
20-49 Employees
4446
50-99 Employees
1425
100-249 Employees
627
250-499 Employees
114
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
57
All Arlington Businesses
57817

As a new Arlington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Arlington 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
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
8
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Boat Building
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Child Day Care Services
14
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Computer Training
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Electrical Contractors
25
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finfish Fishing
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
6
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
22
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
11
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
11
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
7
Landscaping Services
26
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
27
Locksmiths
2
Logging
10
Machine Shops
17
Mail-Order Houses
1
Masonry Contractors
7
Medical Laboratories
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
5
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Dentists
16
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
6
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
4
Private Mail Centers
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
11
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
10
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
4
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
5
Siding Contractors
8
Site Preparation Contractors
20
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
23
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Support Activities for Forestry
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Travel Agencies
3
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Watch, Clock, and Part Manufacturing
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Wood Preservation
1
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Visit the business district of Arlington and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Marketing Support. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Renovation Professionals and El Pollo Loco, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Tanning Franchises and Marketing, Sales and Advertising Franchises.

Note on Arlington Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Arlington, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Arlington Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Washington. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Arlington.

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

Company Formation in Arlington, Washington

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Washington, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Washington. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Arlington, Washington, our information on Incorporating in Washington may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Washington.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your Arlington business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Take advantage of our many articles on finding startup capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Arlington entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Washington Angel Investors and our List of Washington Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good business owners know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Arlington, Washington, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Washington universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any Arlington networking organizations.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Arlington. 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 Arlington businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Arlington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Arlington, Washington

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

More Startup Articles for Washington Cities

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Starting a Business in Auburn

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

 

 

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