Michigan Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Gaylord, Michigan

Contemplating starting a business in Gaylord, Michigan? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Gaylord.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Gaylord. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. 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.

Gaylord, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3648
5-9 Employees
1584
10-19 Employees
945
20-49 Employees
684
50-99 Employees
171
100-249 Employees
90
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Gaylord Businesses
7149

As a new Gaylord entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gaylord 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
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
4
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
2
Business Associations
5
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
11
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Claims Adjusting
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
4
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
5
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
5
Electronic Shopping
1
Engineering Services
4
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
6
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
3
Junior Colleges
1
Land Subdivision
2
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
20
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
2
Machine Shops
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marinas
1
Masonry Contractors
4
Meat Markets
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
4
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
9
Offices of Dentists
12
Offices of Lawyers
23
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Payroll Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
3
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Remodelers
14
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
5
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
8
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Tax Preparation Services
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Veterinary Services
3
Web Search Portals
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
6

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Gaylord, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. 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.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Doc Green's Gourmet Salads and Extreme Pita. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Frozen Yogurt Franchises and Kid Friendly Franchises.

Note on Gaylord Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Gaylord.

Should You Buy an Existing Gaylord Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Gaylord.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Forming a Company in Gaylord, Michigan

It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Michigan, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Michigan. As it turns out, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Gaylord, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

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

Given that you are starting a business in Gaylord, Michigan, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any Gaylord networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Gaylord businesses to be successful. 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 Gaylord, Michigan

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

  • Resources for Gaylord, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Gaylord 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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