Michigan Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Houghton, Michigan
Are you starting a business in Houghton, Michigan? This article discusses the most important things to consider when 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.
Businesses
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.
Businesses
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.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Michigan
Starting a Business in Homer
Starting a Business in Houghton Lake
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Michigan
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs