Arkansas Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Jonesboro, Arkansas

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new companies don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Jonesboro. 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.

Jonesboro, Arkansas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
16125
5-9 Employees
6690
10-19 Employees
4470
20-49 Employees
3570
50-99 Employees
1065
100-249 Employees
510
250-499 Employees
195
500-999 Employees
60
1000+ Employees
15
All Jonesboro Businesses
32700

As a new Jonesboro entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Jonesboro 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
Ambulance Services
3
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
5
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
9
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
17
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
12
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
6
Bowling Centers
1
Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing
1
Burial Casket Manufacturing
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
4
Cafeterias
8
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
3
Cement Manufacturing
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child and Youth Services
1
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Claims Adjusting
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Gravure Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
5
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
2
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
2
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Cotton Ginning
1
Couriers
4
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
7
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
5
Digital Printing
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Display Advertising
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
23
Electronic Shopping
1
Engineering Services
5
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
11
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Management Services
2
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
8
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
9
Food Service Contractors
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
5
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
50
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
General Automotive Repair
26
General Freight Trucking, Local
12
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
4
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
6
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
5
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
5
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
3
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
50
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investment Advice
3
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
22
Jewelry Stores
7
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
23
Limited-Service Restaurants
57
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
2
Machine Shops
8
Marine Cargo Handling
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Metal Stamping
2
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction
1
New Car Dealers
15
New Housing Operative Builders
6
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
6
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
19
Offices of Dentists
41
Offices of Lawyers
49
Offices of Optometrists
10
Offices of Other Holding Companies
4
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
7
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
3
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
20
Photography Studios, Portrait
7
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
4
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
8
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
8
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
7
Residential Remodelers
5
Retail Bakeries
2
Rice Milling
2
Roofing Contractors
5
Sales Financing
2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
11
Siding Contractors
3
Site Preparation Contractors
14
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
3
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
6
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Temporary Shelters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
9
Tobacco Stores
9
Travel Agencies
3
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
11
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
8
Vending Machine Operators
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
13
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Visit the business district of Jonesboro and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to look into purchasing a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Benefits of Owning A Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Berryhill Baja Grill and Farmer Boys Restaurants. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Food and Drink Franchises and Insurance Franchises.

Note on Jonesboro Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Jonesboro.

What About Buying an Existing Jonesboro Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Arkansas. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Jonesboro.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Jonesboro, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Arkansas business.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Having a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Mistakes. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Arkansas.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

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

Given that you are starting a business in Jonesboro, Arkansas, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local Arkansas educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Jonesboro entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

Most new Jonesboro businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Jonesboro and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Jonesboro, Arkansas

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

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