Michigan Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Zeeland, Michigan

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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 Zeeland. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • 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. 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.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Contractors Tractors Business guide or our Starting a Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling & Repair Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Zeeland. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Zeeland. Study Zeeland demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Zeeland, Michigan Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1824
5-9 Employees
726
10-19 Employees
444
20-49 Employees
408
50-99 Employees
90
100-249 Employees
72
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
12
All Zeeland Businesses
3630

As a new Zeeland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Zeeland 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 Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Photography
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Consumer Lending
1
Couriers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
1
Digital Printing
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
9
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
7
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
3
Food Service Contractors
3
Framing Contractors
8
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
General Automotive Repair
7
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Hunting and Trapping
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Design Services
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
3
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
5
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Limousine Service
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Machine Shops
7
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
2
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
6
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
1
Poultry Processing
1
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
12
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
6
Solid Waste Collection
3
Solid Waste Landfill
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
2
Tire Dealers
2
Travel Agencies
2
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
4
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1

Should You Buy an Existing Zeeland Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Michigan. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Zeeland.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Selecting a Name For Your Business

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Zeeland, it's critical that you ensure that no other Michigan company is using the business name you want to use.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Zeeland business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Find Start-Up Capital.

For Zeeland entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of Michigan Angel Investors and our List of Michigan Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Zeeland customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some useful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising on Buses is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Zeeland, 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 Zeeland businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Zeeland, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Zeeland, Michigan

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

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