Michigan Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in East Lansing, Michigan
Are you starting a business in East Lansing, Michigan? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in East Lansing.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in East Lansing. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Evaluating Your Idea.
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 How to Start a Martial Arts Instruction Business guide or our Starting a Telecommunications Management Services Business guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in East Lansing. Some businesses will do better in East Lansing than others. Make sure you fully understand East Lansing demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
East Lansing, Michigan Demographic Information
East Lansing has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for East Lansing demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in East Lansing.
Businesses
As a new East Lansing entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in East Lansing 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 Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around East Lansing, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Find Financing for Franchises. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include White Glove Placement and Hooters of America, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Restaurant Services Franchises and Telecommunications Franchises.
Note on East Lansing Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in East Lansing.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.
Marketing Your New Business
To rise above the crowd in East Lansing and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.
We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Competitive Analysis is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in East Lansing 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? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in East Lansing. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in East Lansing and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new East Lansing 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 East Lansing, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in East Lansing.
- Resources for East Lansing, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist East Lansing 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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