Oklahoma Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Ardmore, Oklahoma

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

Ardmore, Oklahoma Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
7152
5-9 Employees
2892
10-19 Employees
1632
20-49 Employees
1224
50-99 Employees
396
100-249 Employees
156
250-499 Employees
48
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
12
All Ardmore Businesses
13536

As a new Ardmore entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ardmore 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
Air Traffic Control
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
3
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
11
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Claims Adjusting
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
13
Convenience Stores
8
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drafting Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
9
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
11
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
7
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
3
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
14
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
4
Home Health Care Services
10
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
3
Industrial Building Construction
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
22
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
3
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
7
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
28
Machine Shops
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
6
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
9
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Nursing Care Facilities
8
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
16
Offices of Dentists
19
Offices of Lawyers
33
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Paging
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
4
Petroleum Refineries
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
10
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
4
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
3
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
2
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Telephone Answering Services
2
Temporary Help Services
4
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
2
Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
8
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
7
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
7

Have You Considered Franchising?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Ardmore and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Franchise. 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 P.A.S.S. Packaging And Shipping Specialists and AmeriSpec Home Inspection. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Senior Care Franchises and Meal Preparation Franchises.

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

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.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Ardmore, it's imperative that you check now that no Oklahoma company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Writing a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Software. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Oklahoma.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Obtaining startup financing for your Ardmore business is not an easy task. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Ardmore entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Oklahoma Angel Investors and our List of Oklahoma Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Ardmore business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling on the Phone is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

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

With your business being located in Ardmore, Oklahoma, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local Oklahoma educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Ardmore networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Ardmore 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Ardmore and throughout the United States . 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 Ardmore, Oklahoma

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

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