Open a Business in Cadillac, Michigan

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Cadillac. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Cadillac, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1015
5-9 Employees	393
10-19 Employees	372
20-49 Employees	219
50-99 Employees	51
100-249 Employees	42
250-499 Employees	15
500-999 Employees	6
1000+ Employees	0
All Cadillac Businesses	2113

As a new Cadillac entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cadillac 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	1
Amusement and Theme Parks	2
Architectural Services	3
Art Dealers	1
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	8
Automotive Transmission Repair	2
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	11
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Boat Building	1
Boat Dealers	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	4
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	4
Collection Agencies	3
Commercial Lithographic Printing	2
Community Food Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	3
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing	1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing	1
Consumer Lending	1
Convenience Stores	3
Couriers	3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services	1
Credit Unions	2
Custom Roll Forming	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Educational Support Services	2
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	4
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Engineering Services	3
Family Clothing Stores	4
Family Planning Centers	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	7
Floor Covering Stores	2
Florists	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	1
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	23
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	5
General Automotive Repair	5
General Freight Trucking, Local	3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	2
Hardware Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	3
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	3
Household Appliance Stores	3
Household Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturing	1
Industrial Launderers	1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing	3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	17
Investment Advice	2
Iron and Steel Mills	1
Iron Foundries	1
Janitorial Services	3
Jewelry Stores	2
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Libraries and Archives	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	20
Linen Supply	1
Logging	4
Machine Shops	4
Mail-Order Houses	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	3
Marinas	1
Meat Markets	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	4
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	5
New Housing Operative Builders	3
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	5
Offices of Dentists	12
Offices of Lawyers	17
Offices of Optometrists	5
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	2
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Professional Employer Organizations	1
Public Relations Agencies	1
Quick Printing	1
Radio Stations	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	2
Real Estate Credit	1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Savings Institutions	1
Sawmills	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	3
Shoe Stores	1
Site Preparation Contractors	6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Sporting Goods Stores	9
Tax Preparation Services	2
Telephone Answering Services	1
Television Broadcasting	1
Temporary Help Services	2
Timber Tract Operations	1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	2
Tire Dealers	2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	2
Travel Agencies	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	9
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	5
Vending Machine Operators	3
Veterinary Services	4
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	6
Women's Clothing Stores	3

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Cadillac businesses and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Opportunities in International Franchising. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include EXPRESSTAX and Mortgage Choice. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Training and Education Franchises and IT Franchises.

Note on Cadillac Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Cadillac.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Cadillac Business?

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

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Cadillac, Michigan

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

When forming a company, you will choose 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. 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 are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. 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 Subchapter S Corporations. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Cadillac, Michigan, our web page covering Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

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

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. How to Market to Accountants and CPAs is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Cadillac, Michigan, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any Cadillac networking organizations.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Cadillac. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Cadillac businesses to be successful. 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 Cadillac, Michigan

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

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

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