Arkansas Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in North Little Rock, Arkansas

Thinking about starting a business in North Little Rock, Arkansas? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in North Little Rock.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new businesses fail, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in North Little Rock. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Physical & Biological Research Commercial Business guide or our Opening a Press Photographers Business guide.

Remember that you are opening your new business in North Little Rock. Some businesses will do better in North Little Rock than others. Study North Little Rock demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

North Little Rock, Arkansas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3335
5-9 Employees
1577
10-19 Employees
1086
20-49 Employees
771
50-99 Employees
210
100-249 Employees
138
250-499 Employees
33
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
3
All North Little Rock Businesses
7171

As a new North Little Rock entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in North Little Rock 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
2
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
4
Architectural Services
10
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
5
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
26
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
23
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
3
Book Stores
5
Business Associations
9
Cafeterias
3
Car Washes
8
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Caterers
7
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Child Day Care Services
30
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
11
Claims Adjusting
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
4
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Unions
8
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Display Advertising
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
18
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
9
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Family Clothing Stores
13
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
12
Fish and Seafood Markets
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
7
Flour Milling
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
3
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
5
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
58
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
12
General Automotive Repair
32
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
13
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
4
Hardware Stores
4
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
5
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
4
Home Health Care Services
3
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
3
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
53
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
3
Jewelry Stores
15
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
23
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
81
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
5
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
9
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
3
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mobile Food Services
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
12
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
10
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
46
Offices of Lawyers
38
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Optical Goods Stores
5
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Parking Lots and Garages
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
7
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
3
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
3
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
4
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
4
Real Estate Credit
6
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
10
Residential Remodelers
18
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
4
Roofing Contractors
3
Rooming and Boarding Houses
2
Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing
1
Sawmills
1
Secondary Market Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
7
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
14
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Solid Waste Collection
2
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
11
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Steel Wire Drawing
1
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
4
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
8
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
3
Tire Retreading
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
4
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Travel Agencies
4
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
7
Veterinary Services
9
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
26
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
11
Women's Clothing Stores
18
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Preservation
2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing North Little Rock Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Arkansas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in North Little Rock.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Ramping Up Sales

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new North Little Rock business to do well.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Writing Great Proposals 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

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas, you should investigate some of the learning programs at local Arkansas educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for North Little Rock entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

Most new North Little Rock businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in North Little Rock and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in North Little Rock, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in North Little Rock, Arkansas

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Arkansas

Starting a Business in Newport
Starting a Business in Osceola

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

 

 

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