Michigan Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Ionia, Michigan

Need help starting a business in Ionia, Michigan? We've got the information you need to open a business in Ionia.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the business owner 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.

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Ionia. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Ionia, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1623
5-9 Employees
666
10-19 Employees
450
20-49 Employees
252
50-99 Employees
45
100-249 Employees
9
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
9
All Ionia Businesses
3090

As a new Ionia entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ionia 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Beauty Salons
6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Business Associations
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Convenience Stores
3
Credit Unions
3
Dance Companies
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Electrical Contractors
1
Engineering Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Family Planning Centers
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
2
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
9
Offices of Lawyers
7
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Ionia, 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 Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Molly Maid and Jackson's All American Sports Grill. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Restaurant Services Franchises and Telecommunications Franchises.

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

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Ionia business to do well.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Ionia, Michigan, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Ionia entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

Most new Ionia 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 Ionia businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Ionia, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ionia, Michigan

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

  • Resources for Ionia, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ionia 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

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Starting a Business in Iron Mountain

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