Arkansas Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Fort Smith, Arkansas

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

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 Fort Smith. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Fort Smith, Arkansas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
8896
5-9 Employees
3756
10-19 Employees
2814
20-49 Employees
1848
50-99 Employees
702
100-249 Employees
342
250-499 Employees
108
500-999 Employees
42
1000+ Employees
36
All Fort Smith Businesses
18544

As a new Fort Smith entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Fort Smith 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
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
1
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
5
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
14
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
24
Automotive Transmission Repair
6
Baked Goods Stores
3
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
17
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
2
Book Stores
8
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
4
Cafeterias
3
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Civic and Social Organizations
25
Claims Adjusting
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
6
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
10
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
5
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
11
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Convenience Stores
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Bureaus
4
Credit Unions
11
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
11
Custom Roll Forming
1
Dance Companies
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Display Advertising
1
Distilleries
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
5
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
20
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
24
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Employment Placement Agencies
24
Engineering Services
14
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
10
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
15
Floor Covering Stores
6
Flooring Contractors
5
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
2
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Food Service Contractors
4
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
7
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
85
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
9
General Automotive Repair
24
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
5
General Warehousing and Storage
6
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
5
Hardware Stores
4
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
9
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
9
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
4
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
2
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
3
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
14
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
7
Landscaping Services
15
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Libraries and Archives
1
Lime Manufacturing
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
82
Machine Shops
12
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
6
Meat Markets
2
Men's Clothing Stores
5
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Metal Stamping
2
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
5
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Nail Salons
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
13
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Nursing Care Facilities
89
Office Administrative Services
13
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
6
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
27
Offices of Chiropractors
19
Offices of Dentists
54
Offices of Lawyers
70
Offices of Optometrists
20
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
9
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
5
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
6
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
7
Passenger Car Rental
6
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
10
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Political Organizations
2
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Port and Harbor Operations
2
Portfolio Management
5
Poultry Processing
6
Primary Smelting and Refining of Copper
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
13
Real Estate Credit
7
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
3
Remediation Services
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
10
Residential Remodelers
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
13
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
5
Shoe Stores
19
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Specialty Canning
1
Sporting Goods Stores
21
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Steel Wire Drawing
1
Storage Battery Manufacturing
1
Surface-Coated Paperboard Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
10
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
3
Temporary Help Services
15
Temporary Shelters
3
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
3
Tire Dealers
18
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
6
Tobacco Stores
8
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Truss Manufacturing
2
Used Car Dealers
22
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
13
Vending Machine Operators
5
Veterinary Services
10
Video Tape and Disc Rental
7
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
14
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
7
Women's Clothing Stores
18
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
3

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Arkansas.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Obtaining startup financing for your Fort Smith business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

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

The Art of Selling

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Compensating Sales People 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Fort Smith, Arkansas, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Arkansas universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which Fort Smith entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Fort Smith businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Fort Smith entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Fort Smith, Arkansas

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

More Business Startup Guides for Arkansas

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