Opening a Business in Clare, Michigan

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new companies don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Clare. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Clare, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	846
5-9 Employees	408
10-19 Employees	198
20-49 Employees	156
50-99 Employees	36
100-249 Employees	36
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Clare Businesses	1680

As a new Clare entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Clare 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beauty Salons	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	2
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Gravure Printing	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	1
Convenience Stores	1
Credit Unions	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	6
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	2
Family Clothing Stores	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	1
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	3
General Automotive Repair	1
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Rental Centers	3
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Stores	2
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	9
Iron Foundries	1
Jewelry Stores	2
Land Subdivision	1
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	5
Logging	1
Mail-Order Houses	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Marinas	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
New Car Dealers	6
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	6
Offices of Optometrists	3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Portfolio Management	2
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing	1
Professional Employer Organizations	2
Racetracks	1
Residential Remodelers	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tire Dealers	2
Tobacco Stores	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Voluntary Health Organizations	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Clare Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Clare.

If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

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.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

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

Forming a Company in Clare, Michigan

It's essential 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.

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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to 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 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 Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Clare, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your Clare business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

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

For Clare entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Clare, 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 Clare entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

Most new Clare businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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 Clare and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Clare 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 Clare, Michigan

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

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

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