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  Ann Arbor, Michigan Resources for Entrepreneurs  
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Opening a Business in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Are you starting a business in Ann Arbor, Michigan? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Ann Arbor.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Ann Arbor. Get their take on what it's really like to be 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Ann Arbor, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees 7154
5-9 Employees 2807
10-19 Employees 2139
20-49 Employees 1536
50-99 Employees 633
100-249 Employees 303
250-499 Employees 87
500-999 Employees 21
1000+ Employees 15
All Ann Arbor Businesses 14695

As a new Ann Arbor entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ann Arbor 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
Advertising Agencies 12
Ambulance Services 1
Amusement Arcades 2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance 3
Architectural Services 45
Art Dealers 6
Automobile Driving Schools 2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair 3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops 3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores 13
Automotive Transmission Repair 2
Baked Goods Stores 5
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing 2
Barber Shops 1
Beauty Salons 56
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns 1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers 3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores 12
Blood and Organ Banks 2
Book Publishers 8
Book Stores 18
Books Printing 5
Bowling Centers 2
Breweries 1
Building Inspection Services 2
Business Associations 9
Cable and Other Program Distribution 3
Cafeterias 3
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores 3
Car Washes 11
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services 8
Caterers 13
Cemeteries and Crematories 2
Child and Youth Services 10
Child Day Care Services 68
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores 7
Civic and Social Organizations 27
Claims Adjusting 1
Clothing Accessories Stores 6
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners 3
Collection Agencies 3
Commercial Bakeries 1
Commercial Lithographic Printing 14
Commercial Photography 5
Commercial Screen Printing 2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage 1
Community Food Services 1
Computer and Software Stores 14
Computer Facilities Management Services 5
Computer Systems Design Services 54
Computer Training 6
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing 2
Confectionery and Nut Stores 4
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers 1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining 1
Consumer Lending 6
Continuing Care Retirement Communities 1
Convenience Stores 14
Convention and Trade Show Organizers 3
Convention and Visitors Bureaus 1
Couriers 6
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services 1
Creamery Butter Manufacturing 1
Credit Unions 9
Curtain and Drapery Mills 1
Custom Computer Programming Services 84
Dance Companies 1
Dental Laboratories 2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers 5
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers 5
Direct Life Insurance Carriers 3
Direct Mail Advertising 3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers 3
Directory and Mailing List Publishers 4
Discount Department Stores 3
Display Advertising 4
Document Preparation Services 6
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 14
Drywall and Insulation Contractors 6
Educational Support Services 4
Electric Power Distribution 11
Electrical Contractors 21
Electronic Computer Manufacturing 4
Electronic Shopping 6
Elementary and Secondary Schools 13
Emergency and Other Relief Services 1
Employment Placement Agencies 10
Engineering Services 76
Environmental Consulting Services 8
Exam Preparation and Tutoring 6
Facilities Support Services 4
Family Clothing Stores 22
Family Planning Centers 3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 2
Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing 1
Fine Arts Schools 13
Finfish Fishing 1
Finish Carpentry Contractors 9
Fish and Seafood Markets 1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers 20
Flight Training 1
Floor Covering Stores 10
Flooring Contractors 4
Florists 10
Flour Milling 1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores 5
Food Service Contractors 20
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair 1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers 1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental 1
Framing Contractors 7
Freight Transportation Arrangement 2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets 4
Full-Service Restaurants 158
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services 2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers 3
Furniture Stores 22
General Automotive Repair 25
General Freight Trucking, Local 4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 3
General Rental Centers 2
General Warehousing and Storage 8
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores 26
Glass and Glazing Contractors 2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs 10
Grantmaking Foundations 7
Graphic Design Services 21
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing 1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers 1
Hardware Stores 7
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal 1
Historical Sites 1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores 9
Home Centers 2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers 3
Home Health Care Services 20
Home Health Equipment Rental 2
Homes for the Elderly 8
Household Appliance Stores 7
Human Rights Organizations 5
Industrial Building Construction 4
Industrial Design Services 4
Industrial Gas Manufacturing 1
Industrial Launderers 1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages 76
Interior Design Services 12
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting 3
Internet Service Providers 6
Investment Advice 15
Janitorial Services 28
Jewelry Stores 25
Land Subdivision 6
Landscape Architectural Services 11
Landscaping Services 45
Language Schools 4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property 1
Libraries and Archives 1
Limited-Service Restaurants 110
Limousine Service 2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery 3
Locksmiths 2
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores 2
Machine Shops 12
Mail-Order Houses 14
Marketing Consulting Services 37
Masonry Contractors 6
Materials Recovery Facilities 1
Meat Markets 4
Media Buying Agencies 2
Media Representatives 3
Medical Laboratories 4
Men's Clothing Stores 11
Metal Stamping 1
Miscellaneous Intermediation 8
Mobile Food Services 1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers 11
Motion Picture and Video Production 10
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping 2
Motor Vehicle Towing 1
Motorcycle Dealers 3
Museums 3
Music Publishers 1
Musical Groups and Artists 6
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores 5
Musical Instrument Manufacturing 2
Nail Salons 2
Natural Gas Distribution 3
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction 1
New Car Dealers 13
New Housing Operative Builders 11
News Dealers and Newsstands 2
Newspaper Publishers 3
Nonresidential Property Managers 14
Nursing Care Facilities 5
Office Administrative Services 32
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers 8
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores 9
Offices of Bank Holding Companies 4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants 46
Offices of Chiropractors 21
Offices of Dentists 108
Offices of Lawyers 137
Offices of Optometrists 7
Offices of Other Holding Companies 6
Offices of Podiatrists 6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers 7
Open-End Investment Funds 1
Optical Goods Stores 16
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores 2
Packing and Crating 1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores 6
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors 19
Parking Lots and Garages 2
Passenger Car Rental 3
Payroll Services 3
Periodical Publishers 13
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing 1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores 8
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services 5
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals 1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores 16
Photography Studios, Portrait 9
Portfolio Management 17
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing 1
Prepress Services 2
Printing Ink Manufacturing 1
Private Mail Centers 8
Professional Employer Organizations 35
Professional Organizations 12
Public Relations Agencies 5
Quick Printing 1
Radio Stations 4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing 1
Real Estate Credit 21
Real Estate Investment Trusts 1
Recreational Goods Rental 2
Repossession Services 1
Residential Property Managers 43
Residential Remodelers 51
Retail Bakeries 5
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair 5
Roofing Contractors 4
Rooming and Boarding Houses 20
Sales Financing 4
Satellite Telecommunications 1
Savings Institutions 13
Sawmills 1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation 1
Securities Brokerage 30
Security Guards and Patrol Services 1
Septic Tank and Related Services 1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing 2
Shoe Stores 23
Siding Contractors 2
Sign Manufacturing 2
Site Preparation Contractors 10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 32
Software Publishers 28
Solid Waste Collection 4
Sound Recording Studios 3
Special Needs Transportation 1
Sporting Goods Stores 20
Sports and Recreation Instruction 12
Steel Wire Drawing 2
Support Activities for Coal Mining 1
Tax Preparation Services 8
Telecommunications Resellers 1
Telemarketing Bureaus 1
Telephone Answering Services 1
Television Broadcasting 1
Temporary Help Services 26
Temporary Shelters 6
Testing Laboratories 7
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters 4
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors 6
Tire Dealers 13
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices 6
Tobacco Stores 4
Tradebinding and Related Work 1
Translation and Interpretation Services 4
Travel Agencies 20
Used Household and Office Goods Moving 4
Used Merchandise Stores 19
Vending Machine Operators 4
Veterinary Services 20
Video Tape and Disc Rental 12
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 5
Voluntary Health Organizations 4
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters 2
Web Search Portals 2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers 29
Window Treatment Stores 1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers 14
Women's Clothing Stores 30
Zoos and Botanical Gardens 2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Ann Arbor Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Ann Arbor.

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Ann Arbor, Michigan

It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Michigan, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Michigan. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Ann Arbor 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? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling on the Phone is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Ann Arbor, 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 Ann Arbor networking organizations.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Ann Arbor. 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 Ann Arbor 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 Ann Arbor, Michigan

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

More Startup Articles for Michigan Cities
Starting a Business in Alpena
Starting a Business in Armada

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Michigan

 

 

Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Starting a Business - Business Ideas - Naming and Branding - City Guides

Buying a Business - Writing a Business Plan - Raising Money - Incorporate

Small Business Marketing - Customer Service Tips - Entrepreneurial Selling

Startup Leadership - Strategy - Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurs

Articles on Exporting - Human Resources for Entrepreneurs - Workers Comp

Legal Information for Entrepreneurs - Sarbanes-Oxley - Accounting

Business Credit Cards - Nonprofit Entrepreneurs - Mission Statements

Tax Tips and Resources for Entrepreneurs - Operating Your Startup Business

Real Estate Decisions for Entrepreneurs - Franchising - Selling a Business

Starting a Home Business - Small Business Technology - Business Travel

Business Finance - Advice for Retailers - Entrepreneurship for Scientists

Administrative Professionals / Office Managers - Family Business Advice

Good Businesses to Start - Start an Energy Business - Start a Hedge Fund

Payroll Service Information - Productivity Tips - Bad Economy Advice

Small Business Websites - Search Engine Optimization - Online Reputation

Search Engine Marketing - Social Marketing Optimization - Radio Ad Costs

Newspaper Advertising Rates - City-Specific Resources for Entrepreneurs

Small Business Insurance - Global Entrepreneurship - Entrepreneur Features

Small Business Loans - Studying Entrepreneurship - Social Entrepreneurship

Veteran Entrepreneurs - Useful Web Sites for Entrepreneurs - Dell Deals

Entrepreneurial Resources by State - Resources for Young Entrepreneurs

African American Entrepreneurs - Resources for Hispanic Entrepreneurs

Resources for Asian Entrepreneurs - Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

Resources for Gay Entrepreneurs - Businesses for Sale - Office Supplies

Lists of Small Business Incubators - Lists of Angel Investors

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms - Franchise Opportunities

Recommended Products and Services for Entrepreneurs - Contributors

Get FREE Price Quotes from Multiple Vendors - Business Glossary