Michigan Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Owosso, Michigan

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

An entrepreneurial life is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you are ready to take on this challenge?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Owosso. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

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 Starting a Developmental Disabilities Business guide or our How to Start a Granite & Marble Dealers Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Owosso. Some businesses will do better in Owosso than others. Make sure you fully understand Owosso demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Owosso, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1037
5-9 Employees
504
10-19 Employees
231
20-49 Employees
210
50-99 Employees
57
100-249 Employees
39
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
3
All Owosso Businesses
2084

As a new Owosso entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Owosso 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
8
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Boat Building
1
Book Stores
1
Bottled Water Manufacturing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
3
Car Washes
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
8
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
3
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
3
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
22
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
8
Libraries and Archives
1
Luggage Manufacturing
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
3
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
3
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Museums
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
17
Offices of Lawyers
15
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
5
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Savings Institutions
2
Secondary Market Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
3
Temporary Help Services
4
Testing Laboratories
2
Tire Dealers
4
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
3

What About Buying an Existing Owosso Business?

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

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

Forming a Company in Owosso, 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.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Michigan, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Michigan. As it turns out, 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 Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Owosso, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

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

As an entrepreneur who lives in Owosso, Michigan, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Owosso entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Owosso, 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Owosso and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Owosso, Michigan

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

  • Resources for Owosso, Michigan Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Owosso 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 Startup Articles for Michigan Cities

Starting a Business in Oscoda
Starting a Business in Oxford

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