Michigan Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Battle Creek, Michigan
Are you starting a business in Battle Creek, Michigan? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Battle Creek.
Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?
Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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 Battle Creek. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful 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. 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.
What Business to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Computer Technical Support Employment Agencies Business guide or our How to Start a Pictures & Prints Retail Business guide.
Don't forget that Battle Creek is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Battle Creek than others. Don't forget to review Battle Creek demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Battle Creek, Michigan Demographic Information
Battle Creek has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Battle Creek demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Battle Creek.
Businesses
As a new Battle Creek entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Battle Creek 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.
Businesses
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
Visit the business district of Battle Creek and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Get More Franchisees. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Mr. Greek Restaurants and Trailways. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Sports Franchises and Dollar Store Franchises.
Note on Battle Creek Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Battle Creek.
Selecting a Name For Your Venture
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Battle Creek, it's very important that you make sure no other Michigan company is using the business name you want to use.
Selling Tips
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Battle Creek or are selling to customers throughout Michigan, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team 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.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
The best entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Battle Creek, Michigan, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Michigan educational institutions. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Battle Creek entrepreneurs.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Battle Creek. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
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 Battle Creek and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Battle Creek 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 Battle Creek, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Battle Creek.
- Resources for Battle Creek, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Battle Creek entrepreneurs.
- Michigan Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Michigan.
- Michigan Small Business Development Center - This organization supports 12 regional offices and over 30 satellite offices, each providing counseling and training to Michigan small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the 83 counties in Michigan. Services to entrepreneurs are offered through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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