Opening a Business in Berrien Springs, Michigan

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Running your own business is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure 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.

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Berrien Springs. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
• You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. 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.

Berrien Springs, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	361
5-9 Employees	147
10-19 Employees	78
20-49 Employees	39
50-99 Employees	6
100-249 Employees	6
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	3
All Berrien Springs Businesses	640

As a new Berrien Springs entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Berrien Springs 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
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)	1
Architectural Services	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	2
Book Stores	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	2
Caterers	2
Child and Youth Services	3
Child Day Care Services	1
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	2
Convenience Stores	1
Credit Unions	1
Dental Laboratories	2
Educational Support Services	2
Electrical Contractors	1
Facilities Support Services	1
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	3
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Stores	1
Historical Sites	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Homes for the Elderly	3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	6
Investment Advice	1
Landscaping Services	7
Limited-Service Restaurants	4
Locksmiths	1
Meat Processed from Carcasses	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	1
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	3
Offices of Lawyers	3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Professional Organizations	1
Public Relations Agencies	1
Quick Printing	1
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Remodelers	3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	2
School and Employee Bus Transportation	2
Site Preparation Contractors	4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Software Publishers	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	2
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Wineries	2

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Berrien Springs, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Find Financing for Franchises. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Visiting Angels and Entrepreneur's Source. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Apparel Franchises and Interior Environment Franchises.

Note on Berrien Springs Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Berrien Springs, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Company Formation in Berrien Springs, Michigan

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

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

Incorporating 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. Just because 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Berrien Springs, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Berrien Springs business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Berrien Springs entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Berrien Springs customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Business Cards is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Berrien Springs, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Berrien Springs and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Berrien Springs 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 Berrien Springs, Michigan

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

• Resources for Berrien Springs, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Berrien Springs 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.
• Berrien Springs, Michigan Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Berrien Springs, Michigan newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Berrien Springs area.
• Berrien Springs, Michigan Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Berrien Springs, Michigan area radio stations.

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