Michigan Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Paw Paw, Michigan

Thinking about starting a business in Paw Paw, Michigan? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Paw Paw.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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 Paw Paw. 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 to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 a Cryogenics Treatment & Processing Business guide or our Opening a Self Defense Schools & Programs Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Paw Paw. Some businesses will do better in Paw Paw than others. Don't forget to review Paw Paw demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Paw Paw, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1575
5-9 Employees
612
10-19 Employees
351
20-49 Employees
171
50-99 Employees
63
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Paw Paw Businesses
2817

As a new Paw Paw entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Paw Paw 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Engineering Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
2
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
3
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
7
Janitorial Services
3
Landscaping Services
6
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Soft Drink Manufacturing
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Paw Paw 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 Paw Paw.

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

Forming a Company in Paw Paw, Michigan

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect 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.

Incorporation 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, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Michigan. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. 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 Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Paw Paw, Michigan, our information on Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Paw Paw business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Only Idiots Send Venture Capitalists Business Plans.

For Paw Paw entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.

Ramping Up Sales

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

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Compensating Sales People is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Paw Paw, 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 Paw Paw and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Paw Paw 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 Paw Paw, Michigan

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

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

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Starting a Business in Petoskey

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