Michigan Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Lansing, Michigan
Thinking about starting a business in Lansing, Michigan? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Lansing.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Lansing. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Lansing, Michigan Demographic Information
Lansing has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Lansing demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lansing.
Businesses
As a new Lansing entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lansing 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
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Lansing Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Lansing.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Expert Advice on Business Plans. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Raising money to fund your new Lansing business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as How to Raise Money.
For Lansing entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.
How to Sell
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Lansing or are selling to customers throughout Michigan, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
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.
The Art of Customer Referrals offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Lansing, Michigan, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Lansing entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Interviews With Lansing Entrepreneurs
We're compiling a number of interviews with Lansing entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in Lansing. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
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 Lansing and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Lansing entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Lansing, Michigan
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lansing.
- Resources for Lansing, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Lansing 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.
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