Michigan Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Before quitting your day job, assess 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 Sault Sainte Marie. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
915
5-9 Employees
339
10-19 Employees
216
20-49 Employees
138
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
3
All Sault Sainte Marie Businesses
1671

As a new Sault Sainte Marie entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sault Sainte Marie 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
1
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Casino Hotels
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
2
Couriers
1
Credit Card Issuing
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
2
Food Service Contractors
4
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Full-Service Restaurants
18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
3
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
3
Hydroelectric Power Generation
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
11
Internet Service Providers
2
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
3
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Linen Supply
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Metal Stamping
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
14
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
2
Travel Agencies
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Sault Sainte Marie, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as The Disadvantages of Franchise Ownership. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

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

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Sault Sainte Marie, it's very important that you make sure no Michigan company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Forming a Company in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

A critical step is ensuring 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.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Michigan, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Michigan. In fact, 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 Why Incorporate in Delaware. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, our web page covering Incorporating in Michigan may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Michigan.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential 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 Software. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Michigan.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Sault Sainte Marie. 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Sault Sainte Marie 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 Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

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

More Startup Articles for Michigan Cities

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Starting a Business in Shelby Township

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