Are you starting a business in Belleville, Michigan? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Belleville.
Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?
Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
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 Belleville. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Belleville, Michigan Demographic Information
Belleville has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Belleville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Belleville.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
6734 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2814 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1995 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1491 |
| 50-99 Employees |
567 |
| 100-249 Employees |
378 |
| 250-499 Employees |
189 |
| 500-999 Employees |
21 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Belleville Businesses |
14189 |
As a new Belleville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Belleville 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 |
2 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
8 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
10 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
3 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
4 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
18 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
9 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
5 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hazardous Waste Collection |
1 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
8 |
| Iron and Steel Mills |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
8 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
12 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
5 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
4 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
4 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Media Buying Agencies |
1 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping |
5 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
5 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
4 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
1 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
10 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
1 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
2 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
5 |
| Residential Property Managers |
4 |
| Residential Remodelers |
7 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Scheduled Freight Air Transportation |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
2 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
8 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
4 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
Naming the Company
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.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Belleville, it's critical that you ensure that no Michigan company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Forming a Company in Belleville, Michigan
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Michigan, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Michigan. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 ESOP Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Belleville, Michigan, our web page covering Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.
Bring in Revenues
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Belleville business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Closing Sales offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Belleville, Michigan, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Belleville networking organizations.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Belleville, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Belleville and throughout the United States . 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 Belleville, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Belleville.
- Resources for Belleville, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Belleville 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.
- Belleville, Michigan Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Belleville, Michigan newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Belleville area.
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