Starting a Business in Brimley, Michigan

Thinking about starting a business in Brimley, Michigan? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Brimley.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Brimley. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Talk it over with a close friend or partner. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Brimley. Some businesses will do better in Brimley than others. Study Brimley demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Brimley, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

As a new Brimley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Brimley 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.

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Visit the business district of Brimley and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Franchisees Versus Licensees. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

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

Should You Buy an Existing Brimley Business?

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

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Selecting a Name For Your Venture

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Brimley, it's critical that you ensure that no other Michigan company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Brimley, Michigan

It's essential 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.

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. Just because you are starting a business in Michigan, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Michigan. As it turns out, you are allowed to 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 Incorporating Online. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Brimley, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Having a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Brimley business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Brimley entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Brimley business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Promoting an Online Business is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Brimley business, you need to focus on sales.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Selling on the Phone offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

The best entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Brimley, Michigan, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Brimley entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Brimley, 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 Brimley and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Brimley, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Brimley, Michigan

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

• Resources for Brimley, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Brimley 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.
• Brimley, Michigan Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Brimley, Michigan newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Brimley area.