Thinking about starting a business in Hamtramck, Michigan? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Hamtramck.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Most startup ventures do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Hamtramck. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Hamtramck, Michigan Demographic Information
Hamtramck has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hamtramck demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hamtramck.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
966 |
| 5-9 Employees |
297 |
| 10-19 Employees |
192 |
| 20-49 Employees |
108 |
| 50-99 Employees |
33 |
| 100-249 Employees |
21 |
| 250-499 Employees |
3 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Hamtramck Businesses |
1623 |
As a new Hamtramck entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hamtramck 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 |
| Amusement and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
3 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
11 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
2 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
9 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
5 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
18 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
4 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Farm Product Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
3 |
| Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
10 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
4 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
13 |
| Machine Shops |
4 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
4 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
3 |
| Museums |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
1 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
6 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
4 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
11 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
6 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
2 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
2 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Steel Investment Foundries |
1 |
| Steel Wire Drawing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
4 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Visit the business district of Hamtramck and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Understanding Franchise Contracts. 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 The Right One and JerkQ'zine. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Flooring Franchises and Mexican Restaurant Franchises.
Note on Hamtramck Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Hamtramck.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Hamtramck Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Hamtramck.
If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.
The Role of the Business Plan
Having a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Hamtramck business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as 504 Loans.
For Hamtramck entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, we have assembled a List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.
Now It's Up To You
Most new Hamtramck businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Hamtramck businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Hamtramck, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Hamtramck, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hamtramck.
- Resources for Hamtramck, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Hamtramck 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.
- Hamtramck, Michigan Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Hamtramck, Michigan newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Hamtramck area.
More Startup Articles for Michigan Cities
Starting a Business in Grosse Pointe Farms
Starting a Business in Harbor Springs
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Michigan
