What Happens When Local Business Owners Stop Competing and Start Talking
There's an old way of thinking about business around here. Guard your secrets. Undercut the competition. Fight for every scrap. Every man for himself. But here's the thing—I don't think that's who we are anymore. And honestly, I'm not sure it ever really was.
There's an old way of thinking about business around here. Guard your secrets. Undercut the competition. Fight for every scrap. Every man for himself.
But here's the thing—I don't think that's who we are anymore. And honestly, I'm not sure it ever really was.
Something's been shifting across Arkansas's small business community. More conversations are happening. More handshakes. More "hey, let's figure this out together" instead of treating every other business owner like the enemy. And if you talk to enough local entrepreneurs, you start to hear the same idea come up again and again: there's enough work out here for everyone.
The Old Way vs. What's Actually Working
For a long time, the standard playbook for small business was to race to the bottom on price. It made sense on paper. Business is war, right?
But a growing number of Arkansas business owners are learning that the "race to the bottom" doesn't actually lead anywhere good. When everyone's trying to be the cheapest option, everybody loses—margins shrink, quality suffers, and customers end up with a worse experience anyway.
Jeremy and Nicole King operate Olive Branch, a landscaping company based in Conway. They moved to Arkansas from the Bay Area several years back, sold their telecommunications business in California, and built something new here. What's interesting isn't just what they do—it's how they think about the people around them.
"I've always been open to collaborating with other companies," Jeremy shared in a recent podcast interview. "There's enough work out there for everybody. As long as you don't lower your standards to try and get something you shouldn't be doing, everybody should be able to work in harmony together."
That's not the cutthroat language we usually hear when people talk about business. And yet, Jeremy and Nicole say it works. In fact, they've seen it work before.
Back in California, he was part of a small group of tower companies—competitors, technically—who would actually talk to one another about bids. Not to fix prices unfairly, but to create a level playing field where everyone could stay in business and deliver quality work. They respected each other. They all had work. And nobody had to race to the bottom.
What Collaboration Actually Looks Like
So what does this kind of cooperation mean in practice? It doesn't mean you stop trying to be excellent. It means the opposite.
When businesses stop competing purely on price, they start competing on quality and service. That's good for everyone—especially customers. Jeremy put it simply: "Doing less work for more money is more profitable than doing more work for less money." It sounds obvious when you say it out loud, but a lot of business owners get trapped in the hustle of chasing volume instead of value.
The other piece is specialization. When you're talking to other people in your industry, you start to see where everyone excels. Maybe one company is great at hardscaping. Maybe another has a reputation for design work. Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, you can focus on what you do best—and refer the rest.
This kind of thing only happens when there's trust between people. And trust only happens when you actually talk.
Beyond the Transactional
Here's the part of Jeremy and Nicole's story that really stuck with me.
They talked about how their definition of success changed after they moved to Arkansas. In California, success was measured in dollars—how much money could they make? But something shifted when they got here.
"Success is how many people can I change their lives," Jeremy said. "Whether it be employees, customers—how can I make a difference in their life, either from speaking words to them or just doing something kind or showing them a good service."
Nicole added that success also looks like freedom—the ability to drop their kids off at school, stay home when someone's sick, or go on the field trip. That kind of flexibility is something a lot of entrepreneurs take for granted until they lose it.
They also talked about giving people second chances—hiring folks who maybe wouldn't get an opportunity elsewhere. Jeremy mentioned that the landscaping and trade industries sometimes have workers dealing with tough circumstances. Instead of seeing that as a risk, they see it as an opportunity to pour into someone's life.
That's not just business strategy. That's community building.
What Does This Mean for Us?
I think there's a bigger lesson here for anyone running a business—or thinking about starting one—anywhere in Arkansas.
The scarcity mindset says: hold everything close, trust no one, and protect your turf. The abundance mindset says: there's enough to go around, and we're all better off when we lift each other up.
We're already seeing more of this energy in communities across the state. Organizations like Main Street Russellville are bringing people together through events and partnerships, supporting local businesses and working to revitalize our downtowns. The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center is another resource for entrepreneurs who want to grow smart—not just grow fast.
Town Square
But maybe the most powerful version of this happens informally. It's the landscaper who refers a job to another company because they know that crew does better work in that area. It's the coffee shop owner who sends customers to the boutique next door. It's business owners meeting up, swapping ideas, and actually rooting for each other.
That's the kind of community worth building.
🎧 Listen to the Full Conversation
Want to hear more from Jeremy and Nicole King about their journey from California to Arkansas—and the lessons they've learned about business, faith, and family along the way? Check out the full podcast episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0g8h6sABsLfxOAVOfg61dB?si=6dcn2uD1QXernFP_yDZwxQ