Are you starting a business in Detroit, Michigan? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Detroit.
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
Detroit has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Detroit demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Detroit.
As a new Detroit entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Detroit 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 |
2 |
| Adhesive Manufacturing |
2 |
| Advertising Agencies |
14 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
3 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
4 |
| Architectural Services |
26 |
| Armored Car Services |
5 |
| Art Dealers |
2 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
2 |
| Automobile Manufacturing |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
14 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
12 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
75 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
10 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
16 |
| Barber Shops |
7 |
| Beauty Salons |
33 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
222 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Book Publishers |
2 |
| Book Stores |
17 |
| Bowling Centers |
3 |
| Breweries |
3 |
| Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Burial Casket Manufacturing |
2 |
| Business and Secretarial Schools |
1 |
| Business Associations |
15 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
5 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
5 |
| Car Washes |
33 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Casinos (except Casino Hotels) |
5 |
| Caterers |
17 |
| Cement Manufacturing |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
4 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
5 |
| Child and Youth Services |
39 |
| Child Day Care Services |
154 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
73 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
38 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
8 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
29 |
| Commercial Photography |
5 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
7 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
9 |
| Commuter Rail Systems |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
9 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
4 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
25 |
| Computer Training |
3 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
7 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
3 |
| Convenience Stores |
148 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
3 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
2 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
9 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
4 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
30 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
2 |
| Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
16 |
| Dance Companies |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
3 |
| Digital Printing |
4 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
7 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
2 |
| Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Doll and Stuffed Toy Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
120 |
| Dry Pasta Manufacturing |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
12 |
| Educational Support Services |
10 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
12 |
| Electrical Contractors |
31 |
| Electronic Shopping |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
52 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
5 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
11 |
| Engineering Services |
59 |
| Envelope Manufacturing |
1 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
9 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
9 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Facilities Support Services |
4 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
19 |
| Family Planning Centers |
5 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
3 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
20 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
14 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
20 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
6 |
| Flooring Contractors |
6 |
| Florists |
10 |
| Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
4 |
| Food Product Machinery Manufacturing |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
46 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
5 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
25 |
| Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Canning |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
7 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
216 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
24 |
| Fur and Leather Apparel Manufacturing |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Furniture Stores |
14 |
| General Automotive Repair |
158 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
35 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
9 |
| General Rental Centers |
6 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
22 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
35 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
9 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
4 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
24 |
| Graphic Design Services |
12 |
| Greeting Card Publishers |
2 |
| Gypsum Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
6 |
| Hardware Stores |
31 |
| Hazardous Waste Collection |
1 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
6 |
| Heavy Duty Truck Manufacturing |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
6 |
| Home Centers |
4 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
17 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
21 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
13 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
4 |
| Industrial Launderers |
13 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Pattern Manufacturing |
2 |
| Inland Water Passenger Transportation |
1 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
4 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
85 |
| Interior Design Services |
5 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
2 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
8 |
| Investment Advice |
8 |
| Iron and Steel Forging |
1 |
| Iron and Steel Mills |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
73 |
| Jewelry Stores |
12 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
12 |
| Land Subdivision |
6 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
35 |
| Language Schools |
1 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
412 |
| Limousine Service |
3 |
| Linen Supply |
6 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
3 |
| Locksmiths |
6 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
26 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Marinas |
6 |
| Marine Cargo Handling |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
17 |
| Marking Device Manufacturing |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
20 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
2 |
| Meat Markets |
16 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
8 |
| Media Representatives |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
3 |
| Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
23 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
8 |
| Metal Stamping |
2 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
5 |
| Mobile Food Services |
3 |
| Monetary Authorities-Central Bank |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
5 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
6 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping |
7 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
22 |
| Museums |
5 |
| Music Publishers |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
3 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
8 |
| Navigational Services to Shipping |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
23 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
5 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| News Syndicates |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
11 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
11 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
37 |
| Office Administrative Services |
33 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
20 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
5 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
31 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
13 |
| Offices of Dentists |
107 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
256 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
10 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
16 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
20 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
14 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
2 |
| Paging |
3 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
7 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
7 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
16 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
56 |
| Passenger Car Leasing |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
27 |
| Payroll Services |
5 |
| Periodical Publishers |
9 |
| Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
7 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
5 |
| Petroleum Refineries |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
118 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
6 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil |
2 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Political Organizations |
8 |
| Port and Harbor Operations |
2 |
| Portfolio Management |
8 |
| Poultry Processing |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
5 |
| Prepress Services |
7 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
14 |
| Professional Organizations |
11 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
8 |
| Quick Printing |
5 |
| Radio Stations |
12 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
4 |
| Real Estate Credit |
14 |
| Record Production |
2 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Reinsurance Carriers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
11 |
| Repossession Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
31 |
| Residential Remodelers |
23 |
| Retail Bakeries |
16 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
2 |
| Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
11 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
5 |
| Sales Financing |
4 |
| Savings Institutions |
20 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
15 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
5 |
| Seafood Canning |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
19 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
38 |
| Setup Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
1 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
5 |
| Shoe Stores |
35 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
9 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
21 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
41 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
8 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
3 |
| Software Publishers |
3 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
21 |
| Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators |
1 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
4 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
7 |
| Spice and Extract Manufacturing |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
8 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
3 |
| Spring (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing |
3 |
| Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply |
1 |
| Steel Foundries (except Investment) |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
43 |
| Taxi Service |
8 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
28 |
| Temporary Shelters |
18 |
| Testing Laboratories |
8 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
11 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
5 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
35 |
| Tire Retreading |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
4 |
| Tobacco Stores |
7 |
| Toilet Preparation Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tortilla Manufacturing |
2 |
| Tour Operators |
3 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
14 |
| Used Car Dealers |
64 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
11 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
21 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
6 |
| Veterinary Services |
16 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
29 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
30 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
8 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
13 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
37 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
52 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
4 |
| Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
2 |
It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect 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. 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, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Michigan. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Detroit, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.
A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, 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.
Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Detroit or are selling to customers throughout Michigan, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
You have a dream -- starting a business in Detroit. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Detroit businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Detroit, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Detroit.
