Thinking about starting a business in Adrian, Michigan? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Adrian.
Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?
An entrepreneurial life is demanding, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to go into business for yourself?
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Adrian. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
What Business Are You Starting?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Motion Picture Sound Services Business guide or our Opening a Horse Riding Schools & Instruction Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are opening your new business in Adrian. If Adrian already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Study Adrian demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Adrian, Michigan Demographic Information
Adrian has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Adrian demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Adrian.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
8970 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3762 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2910 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1386 |
| 50-99 Employees |
630 |
| 100-249 Employees |
360 |
| 250-499 Employees |
108 |
| 500-999 Employees |
72 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Adrian Businesses |
18198 |
As a new Adrian entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Adrian 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 |
| Abrasive Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Adhesive Manufacturing |
1 |
| Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
3 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
8 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
14 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
5 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
5 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
4 |
| Child Day Care Services |
16 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
9 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
4 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
4 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing |
1 |
| Couriers |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
3 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
6 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
12 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
4 |
| Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
9 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
6 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
4 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
4 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Valve Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
25 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Jewelry Stores |
9 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
10 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
32 |
| Logging |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| Natural Gas Liquid Extraction |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
6 |
| Offices of Dentists |
18 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
26 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
6 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Passenger Car Leasing |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
7 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
5 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Primary Aluminum Production |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
8 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
6 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
7 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
7 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
5 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
4 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
6 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
4 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
7 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Adrian Business?
We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Adrian.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Business
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Adrian, it's critical that you ensure that no other Michigan company is using the business name you want to use.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Adrian, Michigan, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Michigan educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Adrian entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Adrian, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Adrian and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Adrian, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Adrian.
- Resources for Adrian, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Adrian 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.
- Adrian, Michigan Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Adrian, Michigan newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Adrian area.
- Adrian, Michigan Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Adrian, Michigan area radio stations.
More Startup Articles for Michigan Cities
Starting a Business in Albion
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Michigan
