Thinking about starting a business in Coldwater, Michigan? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Coldwater.
Coldwater, Michigan Demographic Information
Coldwater has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Coldwater demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Coldwater.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3520 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1908 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1176 |
| 20-49 Employees |
576 |
| 50-99 Employees |
180 |
| 100-249 Employees |
132 |
| 250-499 Employees |
48 |
| 500-999 Employees |
36 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Coldwater Businesses |
7576 |
As a new Coldwater entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Coldwater 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 |
| Abrasive Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
9 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
5 |
| Coffee and Tea Manufacturing |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
3 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
4 |
| Electrical Contractors |
8 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
3 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
9 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
5 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
3 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Iron and Steel Forging |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
5 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
18 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
4 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
1 |
| Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
4 |
| Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
6 |
| Offices of Dentists |
8 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
12 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
3 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
5 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
6 |
| Savings Institutions |
6 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
5 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Steel Foundries (except Investment) |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
7 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
5 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Naming the Company
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?
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Coldwater, 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 Coldwater, Michigan
It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. 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 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, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Michigan. In fact, you can 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 Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Coldwater, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
Having a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.
Bring in Revenues
Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Coldwater business to do well.
The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Coldwater, 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 Coldwater entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Moving Forward
Most new Coldwater businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Coldwater 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 Coldwater, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Coldwater.
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