Michigan Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Midland, Michigan

Are you starting a business in Midland, Michigan? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Midland.

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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 Midland. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start an Educational, Charitable or Nonprofit Organization guide or our Starting a Software Consultants Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Midland. Some businesses will do better in Midland than others. Make sure you fully understand Midland demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Midland, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
19432
5-9 Employees
8200
10-19 Employees
5304
20-49 Employees
3552
50-99 Employees
1344
100-249 Employees
792
250-499 Employees
144
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
96
All Midland Businesses
38888

As a new Midland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Midland 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
6
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
7
Child Day Care Services
28
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
3
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
15
Couriers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
4
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
22
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
12
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
13
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
8
Food Service Contractors
7
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Full-Service Restaurants
37
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
15
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
6
Graphic Design Services
4
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
3
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Historical Sites
1
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
11
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
2
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
3
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
22
Interior Design Services
4
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Iron Foundries
2
Janitorial Services
6
Jewelry Stores
13
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
4
Landscaping Services
18
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
39
Limousine Service
1
Logging
2
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
New Car Dealers
6
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
15
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
41
Offices of Lawyers
21
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
13
Payroll Services
4
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
6
Quick Printing
2
Radio Networks
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
4
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
22
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
4
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
6
Securities Brokerage
7
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
9
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
8
Sporting Goods Stores
10
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Tax Preparation Services
7
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire Dealers
4
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
2
Travel Agencies
5
Used Car Dealers
7
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
7
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
7
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Midland, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Evaluating Franchise Opportunities. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include The Lemon Tree Family Hair Salon and PortraitEFX. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Closet Design and Construction Franchises and Payroll Service Franchises.

Note on Midland Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Midland, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

What About Buying an Existing Midland Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Midland.

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

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

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

As an entrepreneur who lives in Midland, Michigan, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Midland networking organizations.

Never Give Up

Most new Midland 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Midland 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 Midland, Michigan

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

  • Resources for Midland, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Midland 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 Mayville
Starting a Business in Minden City

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Michigan
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary