Start a Business in Houghton, Michigan

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

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Space Planning Business guide or our Starting a Truck Caps & Tonneau Covers Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Houghton has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Houghton. Don't forget to review Houghton demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Houghton, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1149
5-9 Employees	639
10-19 Employees	486
20-49 Employees	315
50-99 Employees	72
100-249 Employees	18
250-499 Employees	18
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Houghton Businesses	2697

As a new Houghton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Houghton 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Baked Goods Stores	2
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	5
Book Stores	2
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	2
Car Washes	2
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	2
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing	1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing	2
Couriers	1
Credit Unions	1
Discount Department Stores	3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Electric Power Distribution	2
Electrical Contractors	2
Elementary and Secondary Schools	4
Engineering Services	6
Family Clothing Stores	3
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Full-Service Restaurants	16
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	6
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Rental Centers	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	3
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	8
Logging	1
Marinas	1
Masonry Contractors	1
New Car Dealers	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	4
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Radio Stations	2
Residential Remodelers	1
Roofing Contractors	2
Rooming and Boarding Houses	3
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Shoe Stores	2
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	4
Used Merchandise Stores	3
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Women's Clothing Stores	2

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Houghton, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. 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.

Sample franchise opportunities include Body Access Pilates & Pedal Center and La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Tax Preparation Franchises and Donut Shop Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Houghton Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Houghton.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Houghton, it's imperative that you check now that no Michigan company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Forming a Company in Houghton, Michigan

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. 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 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 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 Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Houghton, Michigan, our web page covering Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

The best business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Houghton, Michigan, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which Houghton entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

Most new Houghton 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 Houghton and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Houghton, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Houghton, Michigan

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

• Resources for Houghton, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Houghton 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.
• Houghton, Michigan Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Houghton, Michigan newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Houghton area.
• Houghton, Michigan Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Houghton, Michigan area radio stations.

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Starting a Business in Houghton Lake

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