Michigan Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Lake Leelanau, Michigan

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

Lake Leelanau, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
138
5-9 Employees
33
10-19 Employees
12
20-49 Employees
9
50-99 Employees
0
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Lake Leelanau Businesses
192

As a new Lake Leelanau entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lake Leelanau 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
Beauty Salons
1
Caterers
1
Convenience Stores
2
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Full-Service Restaurants
4
General Rental Centers
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Veterinary Services
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Lake Leelanau Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Lake Leelanau.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Business

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Lake Leelanau, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Michigan business.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Mistakes. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Raising money to fund your new Lake Leelanau business 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.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Lake Leelanau entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.

Building Up Your Sales

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Lake Leelanau business, you need to focus on sales.

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Mastering the Complex Sale is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Lake Leelanau, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Lake Leelanau and throughout the United States . 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 Lake Leelanau, Michigan

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

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

More Business Startup Guides for Michigan

Starting a Business in Lake City
Starting a Business in Lanse

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