Michigan Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Ypsilanti, Michigan

Contemplating starting a business in Ypsilanti, Michigan? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Ypsilanti.

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneurial life is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you want to go into business for yourself?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Ypsilanti. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Ypsilanti, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2208
5-9 Employees
852
10-19 Employees
565
20-49 Employees
420
50-99 Employees
123
100-249 Employees
87
250-499 Employees
27
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All Ypsilanti Businesses
4291

As a new Ypsilanti entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ypsilanti 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
2
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
13
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
14
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
4
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
8
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Community Food Services
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
8
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
9
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
12
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
9
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
11
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
8
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
49
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
6
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
5
Homes for the Elderly
6
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
16
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
27
Jewelry Stores
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
56
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
5
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
6
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Nonferrous Forging
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
13
Office Administrative Services
7
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
34
Offices of Lawyers
27
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
4
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paging
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
11
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Printing Ink Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
10
Residential Remodelers
10
Roofing Contractors
5
Savings Institutions
5
Scheduled Freight Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Shoe Stores
6
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Testing Laboratories
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
7
Tobacco Stores
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Ypsilanti 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 Ypsilanti.

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Ypsilanti customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Avoiding Bad Product Launches is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Ramping Up Sales

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

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Cold Call Selling is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

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

As an entrepreneur who lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Ypsilanti entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Ypsilanti, 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.

We are here to help Ypsilanti businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Ypsilanti, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ypsilanti, Michigan

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

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