Thinking about starting a business in Escanaba, Michigan? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Escanaba.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Escanaba. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Escanaba, Michigan Demographic Information
Escanaba has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Escanaba demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Escanaba.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1109 |
| 5-9 Employees |
525 |
| 10-19 Employees |
318 |
| 20-49 Employees |
216 |
| 50-99 Employees |
51 |
| 100-249 Employees |
21 |
| 250-499 Employees |
9 |
| 500-999 Employees |
3 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Escanaba Businesses |
2255 |
As a new Escanaba entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Escanaba 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
2 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
9 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
4 |
| Beauty Salons |
9 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
4 |
| Child Day Care Services |
5 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Gravure Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Concrete Pipe Manufacturing |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
6 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
7 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
3 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
12 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
5 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
3 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Product Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
8 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
4 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Inland Water Passenger Transportation |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
5 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
21 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Logging |
3 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Mattress Manufacturing |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
3 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
3 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
6 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
14 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
7 |
| Offices of Dentists |
14 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
15 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
3 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Paper (except Newsprint) Mills |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Satellite Telecommunications |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
9 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
9 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Taxi Service |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Truck Trailer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
7 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
Examine a list of Escanaba businesses and you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Questions to Ask Franchisors. 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 Batteries Plus and Marsha Scott's Hair Loss Clinic For Women. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Vending Franchises and eBay Franchises.
Note on Escanaba Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Escanaba, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Selecting a Name For Your Venture
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Escanaba, it's critical that you ensure that no Michigan company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Obtaining startup financing for your Escanaba business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Investor Turnoffs.
For Escanaba entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, you'll want to take a look at our List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.
Promoting Your New Company
To grow your Escanaba business, you need a great marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Typical Direct Mail Response Rates is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Escanaba, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
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 Escanaba 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 Escanaba, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Escanaba.
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