Opening a Business in Harrison, Michigan

Contemplating starting a business in Harrison, Michigan? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Harrison.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new businesses do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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 Harrison. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
• 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Microscopes Business guide or our Opening an Inn guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Harrison. Some businesses will do better in Harrison than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Harrison demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Harrison, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	4848
5-9 Employees	1440
10-19 Employees	828
20-49 Employees	288
50-99 Employees	72
100-249 Employees	36
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Harrison Businesses	7512

As a new Harrison entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Harrison 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
Ambulance Services	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Business Associations	2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Commercial Photography	1
Convenience Stores	3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Educational Support Services	1
Electrical Contractors	3
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	2
Food Service Contractors	2
Framing Contractors	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	4
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	3
Graphic Design Services	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Home Centers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	3
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	4
Logging	3
Machine Shops	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Meat Markets	1
Media Representatives	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
New Car Dealers	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	3
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Remodelers	4
Roofing Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Software Publishers	1
Solid Waste Collection	1
Solid Waste Landfill	1
Special Needs Transportation	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Timber Tract Operations	2
Used Car Dealers	3
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Visit the business district of Harrison and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Find Financing for Franchises. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include BrickKicker Home Inspection and IVC Vending. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Construction Franchises and Handyman Services Franchises.

Note on Harrison Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Harrison.

Forming a Company in Harrison, Michigan

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation 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 Incorporating Online. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Harrison, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Raising Funding for Your Company

Getting your Harrison business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Business Incubators.

For Harrison entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.

Next Steps

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help Harrison businesses to be successful. 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 Harrison, Michigan

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

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Michigan
Starting a Business in Harbor Springs
Starting a Business in Harrisville

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